Monthly column on student work

I recently went to see a friend's degree work at the Royal College of Art. Another student, George, joined us for coffee and proceeded to show me some examples of his work.

He describes his art as 'an exploration of the "self" that constructs and deconstructs the notions of gender, sexuality and identity'. It was shocking, to say the least; certainly not suitable for publication in Evangelicals Now. I discovered that George was brought up a Catholic in New Delhi, India, but absorbed Hindu and Buddhist philosophies through family ties. He now feels 'filled with a complex, multi-cultural trinity of deities, icons and beliefs criss-crossed inside.'

I left the show, feeling saddened at how far our culture has drifted from God, but encouraged - because a week earlier I had met with Esther Jervis and a group of Christian art students, who are creatively sharing the hope of Christ with other artists.

Community for artists

Esther works part-time as a sculptor/ photographer and the rest of her time is spent working with art students. While a student at Goldsmiths College in London, she was on the Christian Union Committee, and then went on to be a Relay Worker at the London Institute. She now supports a number of colleges, organising events and groupings, gallery visits and helping to build a sense of community for Christian art students.

She said: 'It is a very different kind of ministry from typical CU work and it can be misunderstood. People struggle to see the value of modern art itself, so helping them to see the value of working specifically with modern art students can be even harder.' The situation is much better than it was: 'Thankfully more people are recognising how vital it is that Christian art students are encouraged to stand for Christ in what is a tough environment.' Esther reported that last term, two different students told her that they mentioned Christian-ity in their dissertation proposal and their tutor responded by slamming down a pile of books on the merits of atheism. 'They are constantly faced with both subtle and overt attacks on their faith, and for this reason they need help in having the confidence to stick to what they believe in, while maintaining a professional approach to their work.'

Appreciate good art

One of the biggest encouragements for Esther over the last year has been the initiative of David Hellingham, a second year Fine Art & Sculpture student at Chelsea College of Art and Design. He has a vision to help Christians appreciate good art, and not be afraid of it. Having met a handful of Christian art students who felt the same way, David booked some tables at a Lebanese restaurant on the Edgware Road and sent a message out to various CUs, inviting anyone interested in art to come along. 'I'd felt out of my depth up to this point, but through the CU movement God forged some important relationships.' From this initial get-together, 'The Job Seekers Alliance' was formed. It's a collaboration of artists who recently put on a show of work at the Intermission Art Centre. It featured work by students and recent graduates from colleges in Bath, Glasgow and London. The exhibition was open daily for two weeks with a number of events ranging from Andrew Jones from St. Helen's, Bishopsgate, giving a talk on the problem of kitsch work produced in the name of God, to 'Feast Your Eyes' - a discussion prompted by the work over a meal, and Wade Bradshaw from L'Abri about balancing creativity and discovery.

It is easy, when talking to someone like George, to think that art students are so far from the truth of the gospel that they could never become Christians. But, we can praise God for Esther - and the Christian students who are living out Romans 1.16: 'I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.' In March, they prayed specifically that someone would become a Christian at an evangelistic event for art students - and a student did just that.

Please pray that there will be many more art students who find truth and hope in Christ through the life, work and witness of Christian artists.

To find out more about the work with art students, please contact Esther Jervis: ejervis@uccf.org.uk

Emma Balch

© Evangelicals Now - August 2003
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