Presentation by Jen Chignola of WEC Resonance UK. Adapted from the book "Creating Local Arts Together" by Brian Schragg. A reduction of a module called "Arts for a Better Future" which is taught in conjunction with GIAL (TX, USA) and All Nations Christian College (Hertz. UK).

1. A r t s f orB a F e t t er
uture
A Guide to the CLAT Process
Presented by Jennifer Chignola
© 2013 Brian Schrag, Int’l Council of Ethnodoxology
www.ethnodoxologyhandbook.com/manual

2. “Research + Ministry = Love”
- Robin Harris, ICE

4. TAKE A FIRST GLANCE AT…
• a specific community
• the community’s arts
• the community’s goals
• the community’s social &
conceptual life
• summarize results &
challenges of this step
1

5. STEPS FOR SPECIFYING GOALS :
• Gather community voices
• Explore strengths & aspirations
• Explore problems
• Native community (not you!) chooses
to focus on one or two goals
• Summarize results & challenges
2

6. 6 Broad Kingdom Goals Categories
Category Examples
Identity & Sustainability Community values identity, teaches children their
traditions, contributes local, regional, & global media.
Shalom Responds to social, emotional, & physical challenges
in healthy ways. Practices reconciliation, rest & play.
Justice
Loves & strengthens poor & socially marginalized. Learns
what’s needed to succeed in & contribute to society.
Reads and listens to Bible & other literature. Works to
contribute to their material well-being .
Scripture Translates scripture. Accesses scripture thru familiar
forms.
Church Life
Christ-followers gather to worship in ways that promote
deep communication with God & each other. Understand
& remember scripture. Mark crucial events with culturally
appropriate Christian rites & ceremonies. Non-believers
learn about God thru witnessing.
Personal Spiritual Life
Individual has vibrant prayer/mediation life, experiences
spiritual growth, examines scripture accurately &
faithfully, applies Bible to their life.

7. Kingdom Goals: Strengths Table
Strengths Kingdom Goal
Hospitality Shalom
Respect b/t generations Identity & Sustainability
Celebration Identity & Sustainability
High value for education Justice
… …
… …

8. Kingdom Goals: Problems Table
Problems Kingdom Goals
Exploitation/Human Trafficking Justice
War, crime, violence Shalom
Group(s) left out of worship Church
Loss of traditions Identity & Sustainability
Fear of death Personal Spiritual Life
Lack of access to Bible Scripture

9. BASED ON THE KINGDOM
GOAL (S),
CHOOSE THE DESIRED…
• EFFECTS of the new artistry
– “How do we want people to change in ways that
move them towards this kingdom goal?”
– Examples: influence feelings, thoughts, actions,
understanding, circumstance, behaviors
• CONTENT of the new artistry
– “What content do we want to communicate?”
– “How can we make sure the content is reliable?”
3

10. 3
BASED ON THE KINGDOM
GOAL (S),
CHOOSE THE DESIRED…
• GENRE that can communicate the content &
produce the desired effects
– Show list of artistic genres produced when you did
‘First Glance @ Community Arts’ exercise and for
EACH genre ask…
– “Would a new artistic work in this genre have the
chosen effects & communicate the chosen content?”
• EVENTS that host new artistic work in the
desired genre
– “Who are the communicators? What senses will
participants use? When & where? How will
participants respond to the original artists? Could the
genre miscommunicate the message to participants?”

11. 4
DESCRIPTION OF AN ARTISTIC
GENRE :
[Genre Name]
A. Event Analysis [EVENTNAME]
• Start/End – date, time
• Location
• Brief description
• First glance at the event:
– Space
– Materials
– Participants
– Shape thru time
– Performance features
– Content
– Underlying symbolic systems
– Apparent purposes
– Emotions
– Community values shown
– Communal investment

12. SPACE
MATERIALS
PARTICIPANTS
SYMBOLS
MESSAGE
PERFORMANCE SHAPE TRHU TIME
FEATURES
INT E R R E L AT ION
OF L E NS E S

13. 4
DESCRIPTION OF AN ARTISTIC GENRE :
B. Artistic Aspects of an Event
• Music
• Drama
• Dance
• Oral verbal arts
• Visual arts
• Interrelationships between
formal elements of the event
APPLY
PERFORMANCE
LENSES TO EACH
ARTISTIC ASPECT

14. 4
DESCRIPTION OF AN ARTISTIC
GENRE :
C. Broader Cultural Context of an Event
• Artists
• Creativity
• Language
• Transmission & change
• Cultural dynamism
• Identity & power
• Aesthetics
• Time
• Emotions
• Subject matter
• Community values shown
• Communal investment

15. 4
DESCRIPTION OF AN ARTISTIC
GENRE :
D. Explore how a Christian community relates
to the Broader Church and cultural context [CHURCH NAME]
• Discover a Christian community’s arts
• Compare a CC’s use of arts with that of
its surrounding communities
• Evaluate how arts currently fulfill a
CC’s purposes
• Apply a heart arts questionnaire to a CC
• Evaluate worship meetings using
biblical principles
• Evaluate a Christian community using
the worship wheel
• Assess a multicultural CC’s art
• Interpret Scripture well

16. SPARK CREATIVITY
5
OBJECTIVE :
DESIGN AN ACTIVITY that will result in
NEW ARTISTRY for a genre which,
when enacted in a COMMUNITY EVENT,
will likely produce DESIRED EFFECTS
in those who experience it and thereby
provide a chance for the community to
MOVE TOWARD KINGDOM GOAL.

17. SPARK CREATIVITY
5
1 . WHAT IS A SPARKING
ACTIVITY ?
• Anything that results in the creation of new artistry
• Profile: Title, summary w/ overall type, participants,
research needed from CAP survey (Step 1),
materials needed, tasks/steps involved, Big
Picture analysis

18. SPARK CREATIVITY
5
2 . DRAW ON FAMILIAR METHODS OF
COMPOSITION:
• Each community & creative individual has
PATTERNS they follow to make art
• Think carefully about the MERISTEM: love,
encourage, & protect those who are the crux of
creativity and “growth point” in artistic production
• May have to COMISSION secular artists. Make sure
they are reputable.

19. SPARK CREATIVITY
5
3 . IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES &
BARRIERS :
• What might help the community spark a rich
flowering of new works in this genre?
• How could we draw on these opportunities when
designing the sparking activity?
• What might stop the community from achieving
this activity?
• How could we overcome those barriers?

20. SPARK CREATIVITY
5
4 . DECIDE ON THE TYPE OF ACTIVITY:
• COMISSIONING
• WORKSHOPS
• SHOWCASE EVENTS
• MENTORING
• APPRENTICESHIP
• PUBLICATIONS
• CREATOR’S CLUB

21. SPARK CREATIVITY
5 . DESIGN A NEW OR MODIFY
AN EXISTING ACTIVITY
5
6 . PERFORM THE ACTIVITY &
RECORD
WHAT HAPPENED IN THE
CAP

22. Contextualization:
The Intersection of
Form and Meaning
FORMS MEANINGS RESULT
Local Local Local Religion
Foreign Local
Christo-pagan
Syncretism
Foreign Foreign
Domination
Syncretism
Local Christian
Appropriate for
the Church
Charles Kraft, Anthropology for Christian Witness © 1996

23. IMPROVE NEW WORKS
DECIDING CRITERIA FOR GOOD &
BAD : • TRUST the local system
• IDENTIFY what kinds of evaluation
should happen & when (during or after)
• DESIGN an evaluation process using a
conceptual approach
6
– Identify & work thru local structures
– Define together criteria for how good a work is & how to improve it
– Identify elements of artistic communication (ala Step 4)
– Identify purposes of artistic communication event
– Identify people to include in eval. process
– Identify objects that can provide focal point or reference when
evaluating event
– Together affirm aspects of the creation that work well. Encourage
creators to do something better based on the eval.

24. IMPROVE NEW WORKS
DESIGN A RECURRING CYCLE OF
EVALUATION : • WHO SHOULD HELP? 4-5 target audience
members and 2+ older experts in the community
• WITH PPL ABOVE, TEST FOR…
• CORRECT THE ART WORK
• TEST AGAIN FOR EFFECTIVENESS
6
– MEANING
– NATURALNESS
– OWNERSHIP
– ACCURACY

25. IMPROVE NEW WORKS
DESIGN AN EVALUATION PROCESS
BASED ON SCRIPTURAL FIDELITY :
• SELF-CHECK
• CONSULTANT CHECK
• COMMUNITY CHECK
cf. Contextualization Chart by Charles Kraft
for further guidance on discerning form and
meaning behind a new piece of artistry.
6

26. INTEGRATE & CELEBRATE
7
CHOOSE WHAT TO I&C :
• Encourage continuity…
– By making intentional creativity a habit
– In arts that make the most unique kingdom contributions
– In the most endangered arts
– In arts that are most likely to flourish
ACT TO KEEP THE GOOD GOING:
• Integrate
– Make artistic practice a part of normal
patterns of community life (ala Step 5)
• Celebrate
– Present to community leaders, disseminate
recordings, perform at festivals & social
events, enter contests
• Evaluate

27. INTEGRATE & CELEBRATE
7
UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT
CONTINUITY :
• Good creativity spawns more creativity
• Recurring events help
• Artistry needs to fill four conditions to be
sustainable
1. FUNCTION
2. ACQUISITION (pass on art forms)
3. MOTIVATION
4. ENVIRONMENT

28. INTEGRATE & CELEBRATE 7
GRADE SUSTAINABILITY ON
A HOPE TO HOPELESS SCALE :
Extinct
Shifting
AND FINALLY…KNOW WHEN TO LET
GO!
Dormant
Locked