By Cathryn Lien, Staff Writer
Business is not typically associated with art, yet the Making Good[s] exhibit featured in the Asbury University Art Gallery proves that entrepreneurship is an art form. Composed of art inspired by entrepreneurs in Korea, India, West Africa, Southwest America and Wilmore, this gallery brings together artists and entrepreneurs to produce art drawn out of the world of business.
The Office of Faith Work and Economics at the Asbury Theological Seminary seeks to help students integrate faith and work and use their pastoral ministry in the marketplace. From Nov. 8th through the 11th, the OFWE will sponsor the Asbury Project, which connects business to the Christian faith. The idea to combine entrepreneurship with art as a way to honor small businesses came from the head of the OFWE, Dr. Ruth Anne Reese, in connection with Dr. Linda Stratford and Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA).
[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Composed of art inspired by entrepreneurs in Korea, India, West Africa, Southwest America and Wilmore, this gallery brings together artists and entrepreneurs to produce art drawn out of the world of business.[/perfectpullquote]
Fellow CIVA member Professor Keith Barker was appointed the curator of the exhibit. Drawing from seminary students and recent Asbury Project winners, Barker quickly found enthusiastic artists to match each entrepreneur’s unique business. One example is Wilmore resident Ken Dean, who started a project to farm lavender seed as a source of support and sustenance for Navajo families in Arizona. Barker paired Dean with artist Steve Watson, who creates floor art using cinnamon, cumin and other spices. “He’ll create his designs on hallway floors and sidewalks so people can literally carry his art away with them,” Barker said.
Most of the entrepreneurs represented in the gallery have not used their small business for income, but rather as an extension of ministry. Asbury Project winner and senior Josh Moon founded a ministry called “The Carpenter Shop,” which teaches carpentry to West African youth who do not have a skill or trade. The artist who worked with Moon, Richard Cummings, fuses broken bits of pottery and ceramic to make a new creation. In this way, both Moon and Cummings are able to make something useful out of something broken.
Usually, a business’ visual is its product. For “Making Good[s],” this is visual art inspired by business. “The biggest aspect to take away from this exhibit is to see the convergence of art and entrepreneurship,” Barker said. “Consider how the entrepreneur and artist each must proceed with the work of realizing their vision, often at personal or other costs, seldom with a clear path forward, and always risking failure or the possibility that their efforts will be considered fruitless or even ignored. Yet, the perseverance required is what helps shape the success of both.”
The exhibit will be shown in the Asbury University Art Gallery in the Bistro until Nov. 21st. A reception will be held Nov. 11th from 4 – 6 p.m.
