The Faith&Arts ministry is excited to announce the first outdoor art exhibition at Christ Church: DEVOTED. The visual artists of Christ Church have created artwork inspired by some of the themes of our fall sermon series, such as Word, Community, and Eucharist. Their work is now on display around the perimeter of the building at 112 Medina.
Next time you’re there, we invite you to walk around and take in this work as another way to engage with these essential aspects of our lives in Christ through this sermon series. Artists include:
Bekah Goodgame
Billy Hollis
Communal Life, 24″ x 24″ oil on wood, 2020
I had five days before the show and felt anxious. My attempts had so far failed; they all felt too contrived, too trite, too obvious, too immediate. After several hours of work that I discarded, I had resolved that I would not enter the show. Everything I had done thus far felt that it was serving me, which by nature was antithetical to the heart of Acts 2:42. I sat down and read it again in different translations, and the word communal stuck out to me. Community is something that’s not easy. We cannot fully love someone if we do not know what causes their pain. We cannot enter that pain unless we do so as a servant. Seeking to hear before we speak. Seeking to help clean rather than point out where the dirt is. Oh Jesus, how I miss touching people! Community is in the flesh. It’s as much physical as it is spiritual. The two can not be separated. As I pondered these things, I began to long for them. Longing to get into the dirtiness of life again. To touch. To feel someone. A picture emerged out of the chaos of my failed attempts and this longing for community. A clear, unwavering picture. Simple. Humble. Kind. Unwanting. It would serve. The work would serve the community.
Caleigh Taylor
Cheryl Kaufman
“In the beginning was the WORD”
This title recalls the first words of the Gospel of John. The WORD in the person of Christ and in the scriptures are the foundation of our Christian faith. From the very beginning of church tradition, the Gospel of John was symbolized by an Eagle. In the fourth century, St. Jerome solidified this imagery by interpreting the four living creatures in Ezekiel 1 as a prophecy of the four Gospels of the New Testament: Matthew as a winged man, Mark as a winged lion, Luke as a winged calf, and John, as an eagle. This painting is my simplification and interpretation of the representation of John from the early 9th century Book of Kells (known as The Book of Colum Cille, until the 17th century).
Eric Kaufman
The photograph was taken in the Basilica of Saints Cosmas and Damian adjacent to the forum in Rome. I was drawn to the scene by the quality of the light falling on the painting of the dove and to the shadows projected onto the painting from the cross atop the cover of the baptismal font. For me, all of these things working together evoke the work of Christ, who came to earth to live among us, who died and rose again and who binds us to himself by sending the Holy Spirit to live in us.
Matt Evans
“Hill Country Path”, Oil on Board, 2020
This piece was painted in the studio from a plein air study while attending church virtually this fall. Most of it was painted during the 1st sermon in the Devotion series, on the Creed. I was thinking about the words of the Creed while I worked, but don’t know that this work says much about the Creed or Devotion or anything beyond how nice tree shadows are to look at if you will stop and see them. You can probably find some parallels between the Creed and a road to follow through the woods if you work at it diligently enough, but I’d encourage you not to take this painting, or me, or yourself for that matter, too seriously. Tree shadows are beautiful, God is good and, if you are wondering where this path goes, then that makes two of us.
Stef Powell
“How Firm a Foundation”
“How Firm a Foundation” symbolizes the church gathered and the church scattered, but ever united in the cross and through our rich heritage that roots us in the truth of Christ. I used discarded torn pieces of my old watercolor paintings to represent the redemptive work of Jesus who makes all things new.
Vera Bowen
Maker Mondays
The creative process can be isolating at times; so much of our art-making is a solitary endeavor. Maker Mondays is an opportunity to come out of that secluded setting and make your work in community. This group, led by Caleigh Taylor, gathers twice monthly on Monday evenings at 7:30pm. You can bring whatever you’re working on, and enjoy fellowship with and encouragement from other artists.
If you have questions or would like more info about Maker Mondays, contact Caleigh using the form below, and she’ll get back to you soon.
About Caleigh:
Caleigh Taylor is an artist living and working in Austin, TX. She also works as a high school art teacher, holding the strong belief that everyone should have time to express themselves.
Creating narratives based around human emotions and life experiences, Caleigh hopes to take things like fear, worry, excitement and the unknown and make them easier to digest and understand, achieving this through using a visual language based in historic symbols, lore, and self-made meaning. She also hopes to bring light to the anxieties of life in a whimsical, playful, and simple manner, to create an opening for relief and laughter.
Writing Group
If you’re a writer of any level, or even a yet-to-begin-writer, you’re invited to join for encouragement, feedback, and support. Writers meet to share their writing lives, do a writing exercise, and share their work. This in-person connection lends itself to sharing works-in-progress for feedback outside of meeting times.
The Faith+Arts writing group is led by Meredith Davis. They meet on the first and third Tuesday of every month at 7:00pm in central Austin. For more information about Writing Group, contact Meredith using the form below.
About Meredith:
Meredith Davis writes books for kids, and has three middle grade books that have been traditionally published. She also writes poetry that she posts to the Bible Poetry Project, and has been blogging online since 2007. She is mother to three, grandmother to one and counting, and lives with her husband and a crazy doodle in a house full of books.
Songwriting Circle
At Songwriting Circle, singer/songwriter Billy Hollis invites you to join songwriters of any and all levels in a bi-monthly songwriting circle. This group offers a songwriters a safe place for fostering growth, in which to experiment, learn, and develop your craft. Meetings will include a mix of writing, reading, and sharing musically.
If you’d like more information about Songwriting Circle, fill out the form below and Billy will get back to you soon.
About Billy:
Billy is a local artist in Austin, TX with a background in drawing, printmaking and photography. Billy attended Baylor University where he received a BA in Studio Arts and worked as a full time graphic and web designer at Concordia University from 2004-2006. Also, during that time, Billy worked at the prestigious art studio, Flatbed Press, leading night printmaking classes. He has held shows at Baylor University, Concordia University, Xnihilo Gallery in Houston, Texas, and annually participates in the Austin Studio Tours in East Austin.
Billy is active at his local church, Christ Church of Austin, where he helps lead the Faith and Arts ministry, which seeks to foster spiritual maturity in artists through theology of the arts and community. Billy lives with his wife and four children in Southwest Austin.
The Faith+Arts Intensive
The Faith+Arts Intensive is an eight-month-long intentional community of artists who want to pursue a deeper understanding of what it means to be a Christian and an artist.
Gathering together once a month, the aim of the Intensive is to see artists of all disciplines grow in spiritual and artistic formation, and in their pursuit of excellence, both as artists and as followers of Christ.
The program begins in September and continues through April. During these eight months, the Faith+Arts Intensive community will meet once a month on Saturday mornings.
We’ll explore questions such as:
• What does it mean to be fully human, yet made in the image of a Creator God?
• How can I live into the calling that God has placed on my life as an artist and a Christian, in an integrated and holistic way – and why does it matter?
• Do we, as art-makers, make “art for art’s sake,” or do we have a larger purpose?
Reading list includes:
Steven Garber, Madeleine L’Engle, David Bayles, Ted Orland, Luci Shaw, and others.
The Faith+Arts Intensive is currently in process for the ’25–’26 year, and closed to new applications. If you’d like to join the interest list for future groups, fill out the form below and someone will be in touch.
Austin Studio Tour (formerly EAST)
The Austin Studio Tour is a free, annual, city-wide, self‑guided art event spanning two weekends in November. The Austin Studio Tour provides opportunities for the public to meet the artists of Austin and take in their work.
Faith+Arts has participated in the Austin Studio Tour (formerly known as the East Austin Studio Tour, or EAST) every year since 2018. We generally have between 15 – 20 artists participating, showing their work at Christ Church Austin in both the Parish Hall and the sanctuary. We also offer live music in the courtyard, coffee, and snacks, making for a lovely way to spend an autumn afternoon in Austin.
Our artists are eager to meet you and share about their work. The 2025 dates are Nov 8–9 and Nov 15–16. More details coming soon – come see us at the Austin Studio Tour!
Tesoros Bellos
Tesoros Bellos is an annual showcase of inspiring performances, songs, short films, poetry readings, spoken word performance, and other amazing offerings from our very own Faith+Arts artists. The evening is free, and donations are accepted
The word tesoros is Spanish for “treasures,” and it’s also what the ministry Potter’s House in Guatemala calls the people to whom they minister, to highlight their unspeakable worth. Potter’s House originally began its ministry work by serving the communities that have sprung up around the dump in Guatemala City. They have now expanded to include other economically impoverished areas around the country.
The word bellos is Spanish for “beautiful;” therefore, this showcase is an evening of beautiful treasures being offered in support of the beautiful treasures in Guatemala.
Tesoros Bellos is organized in partnership with Christ Church Austin Missions, and all funds raised go to support the ministry of Potter’s House.
Scenes from Tesoros Bellos 2025
First image: Hanan Townshend on piano with guest musicians, featuring art by Billy Hollis
Second image: Mindy Lloyd, reading original poetry
Third image, left to right: Ira Thorne, Brent Clifton, and Wes Crawford
Visual Art Critique Group
Join artists interested in seeing their work develop and create depth, through critique and discussions with an engaged community of visual artists.
Led by Camille Sales, the group applies a ‘Four Step Evaluation of Art’ guide to each work. This allows everyone to approach the art from the same stance and fosters critical thinking in a safe space as we seek to excel in our callings.
The Visual Art Critique Group meets roughly twice a month. For more information, contact Camille using the form below.
About Camille:
My pottery invites you to enter into home and the spaces we inhabit for comfort, protection and connection. Carved from found and manufactured materials, human made structures offer shelter. Nearby, stands nature offering us similar solace whispering well being with all its organic beauty of color, variety, and softness. We echo this natural beauty by softening our crafted spaces with textures, fabrics, and colors.
Drawing from my architectural experiences I depict the conversation between shelter and nature in line work and color. Using the clay as a canvas, I pay tribute to these spaces that encompass both private meditation and community place.
Artist Mornings
We want to provide artists with regular opportunities to share their work. If you’d like to come share your work with supportive and encouraging fellow artists, or cheer on those who do, then make plans to attend the next Artist Morning.
Artist Mornings are informal gatherings on Saturdays once a month. We share a potluck brunch, and six artists have an opportunity to share what they’ve been working on lately. No critique, no workshopping – just encouragement and questions from your fellow artists. All artistic disciplines are welcome!
Artist Mornings are hosted at the home of Katie and Shaun Fox in northwest Austin. If you have any questions about it or want more info, fill out the form below, and someone will be in touch soon.
