Run with the Fire in Harlow

The Run with the Fire digital exhibition on Olympic/Pentecost themes can be viewed on Saturday 25th May, 10.00am – 5.00pm, at St Paul’s Harlow (College Sq, Harlow CM20 1LP). This viewing is part of the Arts Festival for the Barking Episcopal Area and the Heart 4 Harlow Festival. 

The day's events also include lectures on the ‘Christ in the Wilderness’ paintings of Stanley Spencer by Bishop Stephen Cottrell (10.30am) and on John Piper by Mark Lewis (11.45am). Refreshments are available from 10.00am. 

A Photographic Exhibition by Harlow Seniors Photographic Group can also be viewed. This exhibition will be at the church from Wednesday 22nd May - Wednesday 5th June (except Sundays), Weekdays 10am - 12noon, Saturdays, 10am – 5pm. 

Other events which feature in the Festivals include:

commission4mission will be creating a pop-up gallery at 20 Broadwalk in Harlow Town Centre. The exhibition will be open from Thursday 23^rd – Monday 27^th May, 10.00am – 4.00pm and a lunchtime reception will be held on Saturday 25^th May from 1.00 – 3.00pm.

Heart 4 Harlow Festival Launch – Thursday 23rd May, 6pm, Water Gardens Harlow CM20 1WG. Launch by the Chair of Council Maggie Hulcoop & a Beatles tribute band.

 
Schools Art - Weekdays 9am - 4.45pm, Gibberd Gallery, The Water Gardens, College Square, Harlow CM20 1WG. Artwork by local schoolchildren.

Korban – Friday 24th & Saturday 25th May, 7.30pm, Harlow Playhouse, Playhouse Square, Harlow CM20 1LS. From the producer of the critically acclaimed 2011 Private Peaceful comes an original telling of the life of Jesus, with drama, dance and music. A large cast of actors and musicians deliver a newly envisioned portrayal of the revolutionary's remarkable story.

Village Fair of visual arts – Saturday 25th May, Water Gardens Harlow. Organised by the Harlow Arts Council as the beginning of their month long Art Festival. 

Live stage entertainment – Saturday 25th May, Water Gardens Harlow. Featuring local bands, choirs, soloists & dancers. Plus Charity Stalls in Broad Walk, Children’s Fun Fair in the Market Square & Open Week – end at the LeisureZone.

Flower Festival – Saturday 25th May, 10am onwards, St Mary’s Church, Hatfield Broad Oak CM22 7HG . Includes: Celebrity grand opening (10am); Car boot sale (am); Farmers’ market (am); Hog roast; School choir singing (11am); Parachuting teddies (11.30am); Dog show (1pm pedigree classes, 3pm novelty classes); Variety of stalls; Wood turners; Activities with artist in residence Pauline Brakspear; and Children’s activities.

Big Lunch & Community Praise – Sunday 26th May, Various Harlow Town Centre venues. Bouncy castle and Games from 12.15. Lunch from 1 pm. 

Flower Festival – Sunday 26th May, afternoon only, St Mary’s Church, Hatfield Broad Oak. Includes: Festival lunch in the marquee (tickets can be purchased in advance, tel 01279 718281); Afternoon tea and cakes; Organ music (church is open from 2pm); Art exhibition and sale. 

Flower Festival – Monday 27th May, 10am onwards, St Mary’s Church, Hatfield Broad Oak. Includes: 10km road race (11am) (to register, visit www.hbo-10k.org.uk); Children’s 1 mile fun run (12.30pm); Barbecue (with pre-race bacon butties); Crafts market; Wood turners; Variety of stalls; Activities with artist in residence Pauline Brakspear; Harlow Falconry display; Kung fu demonstration; Children’s activities; Grand raffle draw (pm). 

On Monday 27^th May Colin Burns and Jonathan Evens will be contributing music and poetry to a performance evening at Holy Trinity Hatfield Heath which will also include music from the six churches and poetry from Jane Grell, Mal Grosch and Jenny Houghton.

The Barking Episcopal Area Arts Festival is an initiative which began in 2011 and involves quality events from a variety of Arts genre as a way of embracing and celebrating performing and visual arts and engaging with the local communities, their people and arts culture. The Festival is organised annually but in a different part of the Episcopal Area each year and in parallel with an already established community arts festival within the Area. This third Festival runs parallel to the Heart 4 Harlow Festival. 

Run with the Fire in Sacramento

First Baptist Church of Sacramento along with C.A.N.A. (Christians Arts Networking Association) are presenting RUN WITH THE FIRE, a digital display of international artwork along with examples of local art on May 11 at 6pm and May 12 at 10:30am.

Steve Scott, of CANA, writes:

"RUN WITH THE FIRE is a mixed format and mixed media art exhibit combining international art digitally displayed along with (stellar!!) local artworks on the walls of the beautiful and historic First Baptist Church of Sacramento at 2324 L street , Sacramento CA 95816.

RUN WITH THE FIRE opens at 6pm on May 11th and again at 10:30 AM on Sun the 12th (although, strictly, the walking around and looking at art won't begin til I've concluded my remarks about that splendid fellow Bezalel!!) please come on out and celebrate community, creativity and spirituality with us."

Olympic Big Draw

News of use made of the Run with the Fire digital exhibition continues to come in. The most recent information comes from St Gabriel's Aldersbrook who organised an Olympic Big Draw event.

Their Vicar, Fr. Martyn Hawkes, wrote that this was a fun experience with quite a few children coming along. He enjoyed the digital exhibition, which they bought in to provide some inspiration and additional material for the curious to see. It proved a good part of their Olympic activities over the summer and he was grateful for its production.

Festival showings of 'Run with the Fire'

The Run with the Fire digital art exhibition will be shown at two events in the Art Festival for the Barking Episcopal Area and the Woodford Festival.

A Celebration of Poetry will be held on Friday 12th October, 7.30pm, St Paul's Woodford Bridge, Cross Road, Woodford Green, Essex IG8 8BT. There is no admission charge and the evening will include local poets, published poets, musical/storytelling interludes and a showing of the 'Run with the Fire' Olympic-themed digital art exhibition. Among those reading their poetry are: Tim Cunningham, Jonathan Evens, Jane Grell, Malcolm Guite, Alan Hitching, and Jennifer Houghton.

commission4mission Art exhibition - Saturday 13th October, 10.00am - 7.30pm, The Atrium, All Saints Woodford Wells, Inmans Row, Woodford Green, IG8 0NHNo admission charge. Exhibition of art works by members of commission4mission, an arts organisation which aims to encourage churches to commission contemporary art. Includes the 'Run with the Fire' Olympic-themed digital art exhibition. This exhibition will include work by Jonathan Evens, Alan Hitching, Mark Lewis, Janet Roberts, Francesca Ross, Henry Shelton, Joy Rousell Stone and Peter Webb. This exhibition is being held prior to an evening concert at All Saints by the Meljon Singers (https://www.facebook.com/events/246345185469093/).

Click here for more information about other events in the Woodford Festival.

'Run with the Fire' in California

Manuel Luz, Pastor of Creative Arts at Oak Hills Church, Folsom, California writes that the church is displaying the Run with the Fire digital exhibition "alongside of our children's Arts Camp gallery, which was themed around the Olympics this year. We will be presenting it through the duration of the Olympics." Run with the Fire can be seen in the church's Art&Soul Gallery. They write that "Oak Hills is pleased to be a part of this international event. We invite you to spend some time in our church lobby viewing the amazing works of Christian artists from around the world." To see photos from Oak Hills' children's Arts Camp click here.

Inflame exhibition photos

Sue Newman says:

"I visited the Inflame exhibition organised by the group Love Streatham on Saturday and was really impressed by the time and thought that had gone into the selection and layout of the artwork, which was by local school children and residents, as well as some artists from further afield. The Run with the Fire digital exhibition formed part of the display. It was great to see it in action."

Colours of Life

On Saturday 26 May around 1,500 people gathered for Colours of Life, an assembly for the Diocese of Leicester which included the Run with the Fire digital exhibition.

With festival feel for all ages, there was plenty for people to see, listen to, explore and experience. At the heart of the day was an interactive journey through five gazebos, each of which featured actors revealing more of the good news at the heart of the Christian faith, together with activities to experience more of God’s love in Jesus Christ.

All this plus a range of excellent speakers, an 100ft inflatable noah’s ark, Velcro Olympics, Christian magician Steve Price, fire-eaters, stilt walkers and jugglers, Messy Church, sports coaching, the finals of sports races run in schools, drumming workshops, Gospel Choir, biblical storytelling with Open the Book, the Emmanuel Gospel Choir, a creative art area for all ages, Christian Aid’s Unfair Funfair looking at issues of justice in the world, chainsaw wood sculpting, New Zealand singer songwriter Rory Mallone playing live, reflective ‘Taize style’ Eucharist, ‘Run with the Fire’ art exhibition, children’s DVD room, interactive experience Breathe, a 24/7 prayer room, Evolve dance academy, and much more.

The day concluded with a ‘festival service’ which drew the various strands together, including the singing of a song specially written for Colours of Life by Revd Eleanor Jeans and which school children have been learning over recent months. Bishop Tim Stevens sent those present out with the challenge to live out God’s call to be a full part of the community that is the Kingdom of God.

Inflame

http://www.lovestreatham.org/Inflame

http://www.streathamfestival.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/Streatham-Festival-2012-Programme.pdf

'Run with the Fire' exhibition photos

Photographs of the 'Run with the Fire' exhibition at the Strand Gallery and of the Launch Night held tonight can be found by clicking here and here.

The Run with the Fire exhibition is at the Strand Gallery (32 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6BP) from 22nd - 27th May (11.00am - 6.00pm, Sunday 11.00am - 2.00pm), as part of the Pentecost Festival. Original work by commission4mission and invited artists complements the Run with the Fire digital exhibition (featuring the work of 25 international artists) to create a stimulating and exciting show with an eclectic mix of styles and media and exploring the broad theme of running life's race with passion and spirit.

Run with the Fire is an arts project for churches in the 2012 Olympics year organized by CANA, commission4mission and Veritasse based on the image of fire which links the Church’s Pentecost celebration with that of the Olympic runner. Run with the Fire aims to celebrate creativity, cultural exchange and hope for the future by providing a virtual exhibition of international artwork for use in Olympics-themed events organised by churches in 2012.

Run with the Fire provides a virtual exhibition of international artwork available on DVD, for display on large scale HD TV or monitor, or for projection using a digital projector. This digital exhibition can be presented as part of Olympics-themed events organised by churches in 2012 plus arts events or exhibitions organized by local churches. Copies of the Run with the Fire DVD can be purchased via http://www.veritasse.co.uk/cards-prints/most-popular/run-with-the-fire-dvd-pack/ or at the exhibition. A preview of the Run with the Fire digital exhibition can be seen at http://youtu.be/nFBGZDgFaw4, while for up-to-date news of the project see http://runwiththefire.blogspot.com/.

On Saturday 26th May there will be an additional programme of art talks and painting demonstrations:

• Painting demonstration – Harvey Bradley, ongoing throughout the day. See Harvey work on a painting and discuss his approach with him.

• The Spiritual Image in Modern Art - Mark Lewis, 11.30am. A broad overview of the spiritual impulse in the art forms of the modern world and their potential to turn our minds to higher things.
• Run with the Fire – Steve Scott, 12.30pm. A talk about the ‘Run with the Fire’ project and DVD.
• Stanley Spencer – A Visionary of our Time – Mark Lewis, 2.00pm. A talk which examines the life and work of one of Britain’s most renowned and eccentric 20th Century painters. The main themes include Spencer’s time as a war artist, and his extraordinary paintings which envision the Christian Gospels played out by the people in his beloved home town of Cookham.

• Praying with our eyes open – Glenn Lowcock, 3.00pm. A talk on using images as an aid to prayer.
• Emotional Tourist – Steve Scott, 4.00pm. What I am learning about art, life, spirituality, Trinity, and relational aesthetics from my travels in Bali and elsewhere.
• Christian influences on modern & contemporary art – Jonathan Evens, 5.00pm. A broad overview of modern and contemporary art and artists which engage with Christianity.

The event listing for the exhibition and launch night can be found at: http://www.pentecostfestival.co.uk/ai1ec_event/run-with-the-fire-exhibition/?instance_id=873. Directions to the gallery are at: https://www.proudonline.co.uk/contact.aspx.

Full line-up of 'Run with the Fire' exhibitors

Lilies by Miriam Kendrick

Refreshing by Rachel Watson

Christ over Creation by Ken James Ashby

Strange Flower by Christopher Clack

The final line-up of commission4mission and invited artists showing in the Run with the Fire exhibition at the Strand Gallery (32 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6BP) from 22nd - 27th May (11.00am - 6.00pm, Sunday 11.00am - 2.00pm), as part of the Pentecost Festival, includes Ken James Ashby, Harvey Bradley, Colin Burns, Christopher Clack, Jonathan Evens, Christine Garwood, Jim Insole, Miriam Kendrick, Glenn Lowcock, Bradley Lucas, Henry Shelton, Sergiy Shkanov, Joy Rousell Stone, Esther Tidy, Mike Thomas, Rachel Watson and Peter Webb.

Original work by the above artists will complement the Run with the Fire digital exhibition (featuring the work of 25 international artists) to create a stimulating and exciting show with an eclectic mix of styles and media and exploring the broad theme of running life's race with passion and spirit.

Run with the Fire is an arts project for churches in the 2012 Olympics year organized by CANA, commission4mission and Veritasse based on the image of fire which links the Church’s Pentecost celebration with that of the Olympic runner. Run with the Fire aims to celebrate creativity, cultural exchange and hope for the future by providing a virtual exhibition of international artwork for use in Olympics-themed events organised by churches in 2012.

Run with the Fire provides a virtual exhibition of international artwork available on DVD, for display on large scale HD TV or monitor, or for projection using a digital projector. This digital exhibition can be presented as part of Olympics-themed events organised by churches in 2012 plus arts events or exhibitions organized by local churches. Copies of the Run with the Fire DVD can be purchased via http://www.veritasse.co.uk/cards-prints/most-popular/run-with-the-fire-dvd-pack/ or at the exhibition. A preview of the Run with the Fire digital exhibition can be seen at http://youtu.be/nFBGZDgFaw4, while for up-to-date news of the project see http://runwiththefire.blogspot.com/.

Run with the Fire: Exhibition, Launch Night, Demonstrations and Art Talks

Run With The Fire is an exhibition at the Pentecost Festival in which the Run with the Fire digital exhibition will be shown alongside original artworks from commission4mission artists and invited guest artists. The Run with the Fire exhibition will take place at the Strand Gallery (32 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6BP) from 22nd - 27th May, 11.00am - 6.00pm.

Including an eclectic mix of styles and media, this will be a stimulating and exciting show exploring the broad theme of running life's race with passion and spirit. Featured artists include Harvey Bradley, Colin Burns, Christopher Clack, Elizabeth Duncan Meyer, Robert Enoch, Jonathan Evens, Christine Garwood, Jim Insole, Ken James, Miriam Kendrick, Mark Lewis, Glenn Lowcock, Henry Shelton, Sergiy Shkanov, Joy Rousell Stone, Esther Tidy, Mike Thomas, Rachel Watson and Peter Webb.

A Launch Night on Monday 21st May, 6.00 - 8.00pm, will provide the first opportunity to see the exhibition and will also include music and poetry exploring the exhibition theme. Those performing include singer-songwriter and poet Malcolm Guite, artist-musician Colin Burns, artist-poet Jonathan Evens, musician-poet Steve Scott and performance poet Tamsin Kendrick. Refreshments will be available. Cost - £2.00, pay on the door.

On Saturday 26th May there will be an additional programme of art talks and painting demonstrations:

• Painting demonstration – Harvey Bradley, ongoing throughout the day. See Harvey work on a painting and discuss his approach with him.
• The Spiritual Image in Modern Art - Mark Lewis, 11.30am. A broad overview of the spiritual impulse in the art forms of the modern world and their potential to turn our minds to higher things.
• Run with the Fire – Steve Scott, 12.30pm. A talk about the ‘Run with the Fire’ project and DVD.
• Stanley Spencer – A Visionary of our Time – Mark Lewis, 2.00pm. A talk which examines the life and work of one of Britain’s most renowned and eccentric 20th Century painters. The main themes include Spencer’s time as a war artist, and his extraordinary paintings which envision the Christian Gospels played out by the people in his beloved home town of Cookham.

• Praying with our eyes open – Glenn Lowcock, 3.00pm. A talk on using images as an aid to prayer.
• Emotional Tourist – Steve Scott, 4.00pm. What I am learning about art, life, spirituality, Trinity, and relational aesthetics from my travels in Bali and elsewhere.
• Christian influences on modern & contemporary art – Jonathan Evens, 5.00pm. A broad overview of modern and contemporary art and artists which engage with Christianity.

The event listing for the exhibition and launch night can be found at: http://www.pentecostfestival.co.uk/ai1ec_event/run-with-the-fire-exhibition/?instance_id=873. Directions to the gallery are at: https://www.proudonline.co.uk/contact.aspx. The programme for art talks and demonstrations on Saturday 26th May is at: http://commissionformission.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/pentecost-festival-exhibition-saturday.html.

Hard copies of programmes for the Pentecost Festival can be ordered from: http://www.pentecostfestival.co.uk/contact/order-programmes/. The promo for the Festival can be viewed at: http://www.pentecostfestival.co.uk/promo/.

Run with the Fire is an arts project for the 2012 Olympic year organised by CANA, commission4mission and Veritasse based on the image of fire which links the Church's Pentecost celebration with that of the Olympic runner. Run with the Fire provides a digital art exhibition for use in Olympic-themed events and the digital exhibition and event guide DVD can be purchased from http://www.veritasse.co.uk/cards-prints/most-popular/run-with-the-fire-dvd-pack/. A promo can be viewed at http://youtu.be/nFBGZDgFaw4 while news of the project can be found at http://runwiththefire.blogspot.co.uk/.

Pentecost Festival and Run with the Fire

commission4mission is organising an art exhibition for the Pentecost Festival at which the Run with the Fire digital exhibition will be shown alongside original artworks from commission4mission artists and invited guest artists.


The Run with the Fire exhibition will take place at the Strand Gallery (32 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6BP) from 22nd - 27th May, 11.00am - 6.00pm.


Including an eclectic mix of styles and media, this will be a stimulating and exciting show exploring the broad theme of running life's race with passion and spirit. Featured artists include Harvey Bradley, Colin Burns, Christopher Clack, Elizabeth Duncan Meyer, Robert Enoch, Jonathan Evens, Christine Garwood, Jim Insole, Ken James, Miriam Kendrick, Mark Lewis, Glenn Lowcock, Tracy Mcculloch, Henry Shelton, Sergiy Shkanov, Esther Tidy, Mike Thomas, Andrew Vessey, Rachel Watson and Peter Webb.


On Saturday 26^th May there will be an additional programme of art talks and painting demonstrations.

A Launch Night on Monday 21st May, 6.00 - 8.00pm, will provide the first opportunity to see the exhibition and will also include music and poetry exploring the exhibition theme. Those performing include singer-songwriter and poet Malcolm Guite, artist-musician Colin Burns, artist-poets Andrew Vessey and Jonathan Evens, and performance poet Tamsin Kendrick. Refreshments will be available. Cost - £2.00, pay on the door.

Run with the Fire

Run with the Fire is an arts project for the London 2012 Olympics organized by CANA, commission4mission and Veritasse based on the image of fire which links the Church’s Pentecost celebration with that of the Olympic runner.

Aim

Run with the Fire aims to celebrate creativity, cultural exchange and hope for the future by providing a virtual exhibition of international artwork for use in Olympics-themed events organised by churches in 2012.

Artists

25 international artists are participating in Run with the Fire. These artists were selected, from a pool of 45 artists who applied to be part of the project, by an international jury of Dr. Dianne B. Collard (Director of Ministries – Europe, Artists in Christian Testimony International), Martin Crampin (Artist, Researcher and Designer) and Marleen Henglaar– Rookmaaker (Editor-in-Chief, ArtWay).

Artworks

The selected artists began the project by writing a statement to describe their vision of ’running with the fire’ for the other artists involved. Each artist will be creating an artwork, using the idea of another artist as a starting point. This aspect of the project simulates the idea of a relay, with ideas being passed from one artist to the next. Each artist will make their work available electronically for use in the project, so that the mapping of ideas as they travel from one artist to another can become part of the final product.

Resources

Run with the Fire will provide a virtual exhibition of international artwork available on DVD, for display on large scale HD TV or monitor, or for projection using a digital projector. This digital exhibition can be presented as part of Olympics-themed events organised by churches in 2012 plus arts events or exhibitions organized by local churches.

Run with the Fire will also provide an electronic resource package, to accompany the virtual exhibition, which will give ideas for churches on how to organize and facilitate community/arts events. These local events will enrich the experiences of those attending and will provide a context for the Run with the Fire exhibition in each venue. Optimal exhibition spaces include churches, community centres, open air venues (with some covered space), local art galleries etc.

The Run with the Fire resources (virtual exhibition DVD and electronic resource package) will be available at a cost of £50.00. Any profit on the sale of resources from this project will be donated to Oxfam. Churches will bear the costs of putting on any events using Run with the Fire resources, including venue hire, additional publicity and resources used.

Theme

The images that seeded Run with the Fire come from the celebration of Pentecost, with its tongues of fire, new languages, and promise of dreams and visions, plus the Olympic Games, with its running messenger carrying forward the burning torch and its dreams of cross cultural harmony.  The vision of Pentecost, and also of the Olympics, is one of celebration and cross-cultural understanding. As a result, our title Run with the Fire emerged.

Organisers

Three arts groups with international connections (commission4mission, CANA and Veritasse) have come together to organize Run with the Fire. More information about these groups can be found at:  http://cana-arts.blogspot.com/; http://commissionformission.blogspot.com/; and http://www.veritasse.co.uk/.