“The first demand any work of art makes upon us is to surrender. Look. Listen. Receive. Get yourself out of the way.” C. S. Lewis

Hi COTC, 

I hope y'all are enjoying this dreary fall weather. After 16 years in the desert, weather like this often signals my body to slow down, and I find myself more reflective and motivated to listen to good music, read a good book, or create. I've not always been one to claim any type creativity, though. I once lamented to a mentor that while I loved the arts, I wasn't creative. In response, he challenged me to reconsider my narrow definition of creative. I come from a family of artists, my mom and her mom, my daughter, and my husband, so in my own fleshiness, I often compare my own creativity to theirs. My mentor's challenge to see myself as creative was helpful and sticks with me years later. While I'm no Frida, Langston, or Sheryl (we just watched some of the Rock and Roll Music Hall of Fame inductions, so Sheryl Crow is on my mind), I am better able to see how the Lord has allowed me to create and I am deeply thankful for the gift of the arts and the artists in my life.

Thankfully, conversations about creativity and the intersection of faith and the arts have become more common. Churches have art ministries; there are talks on faith and art; Christian artists are thought leaders; Churches (like COTC) have artists in residence, and our very own Fr David Taylor is the Scholar in Residence: Arts, Media, and Culture for our diocese. The arts and how creativity allows us to express our faith and engage with God and the world around us have always been important to COTC, and through the years, God has brought many creatives through our doors. On most days, our lobby is adorned with the artwork of Phaedra Taylor (it's been temporarily taken down for EAST), and work from other artists hangs throughout our building. 

This weekend, COTC is hosting The East Austin Studio Tour, also known as EAST. EAST is a free, annual, city-wide, self‑guided art event spanning two weekends in November. EAST provides opportunities for the public to meet the artists of Austin and take in their work.

We are excited to participate in EAST again this year. Previously, we participated at our Parish House, but this will be our first year participating at 8140 Exchange Dr. My family loves the arts, so while we haven't been in Austin all that long, we look forward to the studio tour each year. In fact, we arrived in Austin the second weekend of the studio tour in 2021, and on our first full day here, we headed over to the Parish House to check out the artwork of some of our COTC artists, so the tour also marks our second anniversary in Austin. 

This year, the artwork of two COTC artists, Meena Matocha and Rachel Means, will be on display in our lobby from 12-6 p.m. on 11/11, 11/12, 11/18, and 11/19. Please stop by to view their work and to get to know the artists. COTC musicians Krista Vossler, Matt Matherne, and Steve Deckel will also be playing music as a part of EAST at Christ Church Austin. You can hear Steve on 11/11 from 2-4 p.m. and Krista and Matt on 11/18 from 4:15- 5 p.m. We encourage you to take the time to support the arts and Christian artists over these next two weekends. Because the tour is self-guided, it's easy to fit into your weekend and a great way to engage in what's happening in our city.

Peace y'all,
Kimberly+

PS- Check out this recent post from Fr David titled An Artist's Prayer for Community. 

PPS- The artwork above, by Shin Maeng, is one of my favorites. I have it framed, and someday, I'll get around to choosing a spot to hang it at COTC. It currently sits behind my desk, and I often meditate on it. Last week, in particular, as I prepared to preach on John 10:1-19, I turned to this piece of art as I prayed and created.