Early Friends were famously skeptical of art; modern Friends pretty much fully embrace it. Why the abrupt turnaround? What reasons might there have been for early strictures? And what cautions from early Friends might they still hold for us today?
Is all art the same or is there such a thing as Quaker art? Are some types of art more conducive to bringing us to a worshipful mode? To inspire us to change the world? To understand the life experiences of others? Does it even matter if art accomplishes any of this?
We don’t want only want articles that ponder existential questions: We’d love to reproduce Quaker art alongside stories of how artists found their medium. We’d also be interested to hear about the business side of being a Quaker artist: is there a way to promote ourselves and our art without being a self-promoter? Is a humble Quaker artist bound to stay an unknown Quaker artist?
And finally: the last time Friends Journal published an issue specifically devoted to the arts, we were in our final months of being a black-and-white magazine. We’d love to reproduce some art in full color! Here’s our description for our June/July issue, “Creativity and the Arts”:
Show us your art! Is there a kind of Quaker visual or musical aesthetic? How do we relate to early Quaker’s love/hate relationship to the arts?
Join the conversation and write something for us by March 5, 2018:
Friendsjournal.org/submissions
We’re always looking for new voices and perspectives from our community. Is there a side of the story you think isn’t being told or heard among Friends? Contact me with questions or ideas at martink@friendsjournal.org.
Comments on Friendsjournal.org may be used in the Forum of the print magazine and may be edited for length and clarity.