I love CIVA and can only admire what it has accomplished in the last quarter of a century. I have had the joy of watching it grow from a handful of dedicated visionaries who simply refused to take no for an answer to the dynamic and influential international organization that it is today. Each member is a beneficiary of that growth in terms of opportunities, resources, networking, and fellowship. And it is impossible to measure the synergy that takes place when highly creative people exchange ideas.

Art will always be another way of knowing and that makes it one of the last frontiers of human exploration. As Silvana Tei Kenny so beautifully expressed it in her artist’s statement,” We know more than we can explain, and our intuition is part of one of the great mysteries of life”. When we struggle in the uncharted lands of imagination it often feels like chaos and we emerge with just one piece at a time of a much larger puzzle. But like fractals, if we could see all the pieces at once, it might appear an orderly and harmonious whole.

I’m not going to say anything particular about this year’s show because if you did not “get art” you would not be here in the first place and secondly, it has that quality of preaching to the choir. But what I would like to do is entrust you with two challenges for the next twenty five years.

The first is simple. Phenomena and blessings like CIVA do not just happen nor is it a given that they will always be there. They are the byproduct of diligent and sustained effort by committed people over a long period of time. If CIVA is to have a Golden Anniversary it is because each member now shoulders his or her share of the responsibility. Service is not really an option for Christians. Share your Art, your time, your skills, and yes, your money.

The second challenge is a bit more problematic and I don’t honestly know if there is an answer. I have always been puzzled why it is that artists can so deftly and poignantly portray evil and the fallen ness of humankind, but produce only tepid portrayals of good and the defining characteristics of the triune God. Where is the ineffable beauty of Christ that draws us to Him or the irresistible longing for true righteousness and the fear and awe of God’s Holiness? Our finest efforts seem to be cardboard cut outs for children’s plays. Perhaps in our mortality it is a place we just cannot go or it would negate free will and faith. But like Diogenes in search of his honest man, I would just like to find someone who would try.

May the Lord richly bless each one of you as you journey with Him. Let each brushstroke and line be a silent prayer offered to the One who loved us first , for in the end we all work for an audience of one.

James Stambaugh, Curator