New Artists Who Are Motivated by Christianity
By KEN JOHNSON
Published: August 19, 2005

There have certainly been great modern fiction writers who have identified themselves as Christians - Flannery O'Connor, for example. But it is hard to think of many great contemporary visual artists who have made Christian faith central to their work. This thought is prompted by a less-than-inspirational exhibition, on view now at the Museum of Biblical Art, of works by 44 artists who explore Christian themes.

"The Next Generation: Contemporary Expressions of Faith" is a result of a juried competition that was open to an international 1,500-member group called Christians in the Visual Arts. A founder of the group, Sandra Bowden, is a trustee of the Museum of Biblical Art. The jurors were Ena G. Heller, the museum's executive director; Patricia C. Pongracz, the museum's chief curator; and Wayne Roosa, a professor of art at Bethel University in St. Paul.

Including traditional still-life painting, sculpture, installation, photographs documenting a performance, and an interactive video projection, the show reflects the range of techniques found in contemporary art in general. In many cases, you would not know that Christian faith had anything to do with the work were it not for accompanying statements by the artists.

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