Art and Worship

More and more churches are bringing works of art into their buildings in order to enhance their worship and provide a focus for prayer and reflection. Art and Worship explores the relationship between religion and the visual arts and provides advice on how to commission works of art, how to place them, and how to hold art exhibitions in church.

In Art and Worship, Anne Dawtry and Christopher Irvine survey the theological agenda for art and the Church. The authors also explore the need for communication between the Church and artists and for skill and sensitivity to the artistic dimension of worship. Art and Worship offers practical examples in commissioning works of art and shows how worship itself is art, a creative expression of our adoration and praise of God.

Chapter One summarizes issues concerning the place of art in the Church. Chapter Two offers a brief history of art in the Church. Chapters Three and Four suggest the type of conversations that artists and church people should engage in. Chapter Five focuses on the relationship of art to worship. Chapter Six discusses legal ramifications congregations face when renovating churches.

Chapters are "Introduction: Looking and Seeking," "The Theological Agenda for Art and the Church," "A Brief History of Art in Church," "Encounter and Communication in Placing Art in Churches," "Viewing Art," "The Art of Worship," and "Legalities, Practicalities, and Other Resources."