This year for Advent, ECVA and Curator Ana Hernandez called artists for its latest exhibition “Imaging the Sacred Art of Chant.” Their responses were inspiring, and in her Curator’s Statement, Ana creates a pedestal from which to view each individual entry, as well as the exhibition as a whole.

Ana writes: “Music and art are two among the many on-going dialogues we have over the course of our lives. Whether with people or issues, the beauty of the arts in life’s dialogue is that they teach us to see and not merely look, to listen deeply. This is especially important when we’re faced with the unpleasant, painful, or perplexing. Music and art help us to negotiate the gnarly aspects of our lives; they bear us up, help us to pay attention, change what we can, and love what is.”

You are invited to visit the exhibition, and to read Ana’s complete statement HERE.

Images above: Top (and on front-page mastheads): “Imaging the Sacred Art of Chant” by Jim Curtis; Middle: “Be Thou My Vision” by Kathy Thaden; Bottom: “Serenity 1” by Gary Gorby.

Words above: from Imaging The Sacred Art of Chant Curator’s Statement, by Ana Hernandez.

December 17
O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High,
reaching from one end to the other mightily,
and sweetly ordering all things:
Come and teach us the way of prudence.

December 18
O Adonai, and leader of the House of Israel,
who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush
and gave him the law on Sinai:
Come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.

December 19
O Root of Jesse, standing as a sign among the peoples;
before you kings will shut their mouths,
to you the nations will make their prayer:
Come and deliver us, and delay no longer.

December 20
O Key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel;
you open and no one can shut;
you shut and no one can open:
Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house,
those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

December 21
O Morning Star,
splendour of light eternal and sun of righteousness:
Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

December 22
O King of the nations, and their desire,
the cornerstone making both one:
Come and save the human race,
which you fashioned from clay.

December 23
O Emmanuel, our king and our lawgiver,
the hope of the nations and their Saviour:
Come and save us, O Lord our God.

Images above (and on the front‐page mastheads) by Linda Witte Henke: "The Great O Antiphons." The works in this collection were created with cotton fabric, cotton batting, and synthetic felt that was dyed, painted, screen‐printed, stenciled, and stamped, then embellished with appliqué, improvisational stitching, hand embroidery, and found objects (metal hardware and plastic stars); 176 inches wide by 41 inches high, installed.

Words above from the Church of England's "Common Worship" liturgy (“The Advent Antiphons,” starting on page 58 in the PDF link.)

Images above — Top (and on front-page mastheads): "Bearing Good News" by Christina Saj. Bottom: "Madonna and Child" by Ruth Councell.

Words above by Ken Arnold from his poem, "Koku."