PATRON SAINTS OF ARTISTS

There are a number of patron saints of artists. They are St. Catherine of Bologna, St. Bernward, Fra Angelico, Michael the Archangel, and St. Luke, the writer of the gospel of Luke, the book of The Acts of the Apostles, and traveling companion of St. Paul on his missionary journeys.

In Renaissance Florence, St. Luke was a favored patron saint for the painters, goldsmiths, gold workers, stained glass workers, lacemakers, brewers and sculptors.

( http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintl06.htm)

In the 11th century, St. Bernward was a remarkable artist and churchman who accomplished amazing things in the creation of sacred spaces and for the beautification of the worship of God. His story is truly impressive. (http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintb44.htm)

I love the idea of having patron saints of the arts, because the arts should be thought of as sacred in nature, and blessed by heaven. This may not seem true in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in the general public - not yet anyway, but it will - especially as common artists like myself and my friends have anything to say about it . . . and we do.

Many believers working in the arts today are beginning to make a difference in the art world. New York City now has the Museum of Biblical Art (http://www.mobia.org/about/), of which I hear some good things - and Gordon College houses the CIVA organization. CIVA stands for Christians in the Visual Arts (http://www.civa.org/), a worthy effort for the arts among believers. Publications like IMAGE Magazine and Relevant Magazine (two very different kinds of publications) are raising the consciousness about excellence in the arts.

There is so much going on that churches too reluctant or too afraid to patronize the arts; or unwilling to become supporters of artists in their midst, and patrons of their works may discover that they missed a great opportunity to be in the middle of what God is doing in this generation. They missed their best opportunity to connect to the culture, to bless their world.

Shortly, I will be sharing more with you about the patron saints of the arts and what that might mean for us today, regardless of one's spiritual affiliations.