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June 30, 2006
Bait and Switch
I stood outside Noel's office on Georgia Avenue, waiting for him to meet me for lunch. But, bespectacled as I was in my large sunglasses, I was actually enjoying a healthy, covert round of people-watching.
The far lanes of traffice were at a stoplight, and cars had accumulated to where they were even with my line of vision. In the farthest right hand lane, a young black man pulled up in a maroon Lincoln, popped up on twenties, windows down, and chrome rims glistening in sunlight. He looked at me, I looked at him from behind my UV protective shield, and we nodded in mutual acknowledgement of the other's existence.
Then, another car slid into place in the near lane, blocking my view of the Lincoln: a silvery-green Ford Five Hundred, the almost-luxury vehicle of the everyman, with a clean cut, twenty-something white guy behind the wheel. His shirt was lavender, and his tie coordinated; he was that clean cut. His windows were rolled down as well, an arrangement that allowed everyone within a half block radius to hear the throbbing bass of an unidentified rap song that made copious use of the word "hustlin'." He looked at me, I looked at him, and he nodded. Though, on second thought, that might have just been him keeping time to the beat.
The light turned green, and the Ford Five Hundred sped away. The Lincoln pulled out a bit more slowly. He looked at me, I looked at him, and we smirked.
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June 26, 2006
General Assembly Talk: "New By Old: The Role of History in Interpreting Contemporary Art"
This is the text of the seminar I gave at this year's General Assembly. You really need to see it with pictures. May I suggest opening a separate window and going to the General Assembly Visuals so you can click along? Or, click on the links to see the full-size image. Just remember to come back.
Introduction
We divide art by time. If you’ve ever taken a class in art appreciation or been on a tour in an art museum, chances are you did so in chronological order. For many of you, everything seems to be making sense until you walk into the room labeled “Modern: 1945-1970.” Perhaps you cope; “At least the colors are interesting,” you say, heading into the next gallery. But in the room marked “Contemporary,” things are even more unsettling. There is a pile of candy in the corner, a collage of magazines and prescription drugs on the wall, and a sculpture of the Pink Panther embracing a buxom blonde. Time seems to have warped, leaving little connection between these works and the paintings of waterlilies three rooms back.
Yet, before we can begin to unpack and tussle with the artworks that are being made today, we actually need to understand a few things about the past. Our emerging generation has often been accused of being a-historical, of lacking a knowledge of the past, and of being incapable of placing situations into broader historical streams. On the other hand, the church herself has a tenuous relationship with time. We tend to be enamored with the transcendent; time is something to be tolerated for now and escaped or overcome with death or the kingdom’s return. Still, despite both our own and our culture’s misgivings, time is good. Time is necessary. In fact, embracing a theologically sound and academically humble view of history may in fact be the lynchpin that enables us to meaningfully interpret and judge contemporary art.
Mark Tansey, A Brief History of Modernist Painting
In this discussion, history is vital for two main reasons. First, a broad, biblical understanding of history’s metanarrative allows us to interpret, judge, and appreciate art in relationship to the eschaton. Second, history gives us the cultural context of art, allowing us to judge art first according to the terms of its own historical moment and then again in relationship to the history of images.
Hard Knocks of a Metanarrative
Ask any good Presbyterian for a meta-framework of history and the answer will likely be: Creation, Fall, Redemption, Consummation. And yet, we generally conceive of history as a linear progression with causality running forwards: what happened today is caused by what happened a few days before that. While history is in fact the unfolding of God’s sovereign plan for this world, it seems to make theological sense to understand causality as actually running backwards. What happens today, what happened yesterday, what happened two thousand years ago, is a direct result of the consummation that is yet to come. Dr. Louis Voskuil, professor emeritus at Covenant College, suggests this understanding when he writes: “Meaning in history, for the Christian, depends on a reality, perceived by faith, beyond history as well as in history.” Thus, as Christians, we possess rare hope, confident that creation’s existence through time (history) and productivity in time (art) is meaningful, directional, and ultimately worthy of study.
This eschaton-driven view of time is inextricably tied with a robust understanding of the implications of the Incarnation. In his essay “Traditional Christianity and the Possibility of Historical Knowledge,” historian Mark Noll suggests that Christianity seems to teach that “God intends historical understanding to be relative to specific times, places, and circumstances” as illustrated by Christ’s incarnation at a very specific point in human history. Christ submitted Himself to the constraints of a single culture. Though the record of His life, death, and resurrection is enmeshed with cultural particularities, the redeeming power of His work has universal and timeless application. This “dignity of particularities” frees the Christian scholar from the burden of imagined objectivity; being a finite, culturally relative being does not in itself discount her from pointing to truth. Scholar Mark Katerberg, too, emphasizes the importance of the Incarnation in his essay “Is There Such a Thing as ‘Christian’ History?” suggesting that, as finite beings, we were created to interpret, not to transcend.
Though perhaps initially disconcerting, this inextricable bond to culture, when soaked in an understanding of the Incarnation, transforms into a means of service. This connection engenders humility by forcing us to identify with the struggles and pains of our culture. Solidarity is not created through a narrative of a shared past but instead admitted as an inescapable facet of living as finite beings in culture. Art is made in time, responding to events in time. Are we willing to be tied to today’s culture, a nation that is cynical, critical, political, and, above all, uneasy? An Incarnational understanding of history and culture leaves us in a somewhat uncomfortable state but with a very clear mandate for self-denying compassion. This mandate extends even to the world of contemporary art.
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Dear John: Breaking Up With IT Recruiters
Note: This won't make any sense unless you read the post below.
Dear Erin/Erica/Vanessa/Abby/Lisa/Lonnie,
This is the hardest letter I've ever had to write. These last few weeks have been the best of my entire life. I have loved all our brief, stolen conversations and our endless e-mailed exchanges. Now, when I close my eyes, I can still hear you asking me, with sweet confusion, if I know what SQL means.
But, ______, I have to tell you honestly: you and I just won't work. I know this may come as a bit of a surprise to you, especially since you kept saying that things were going so well. And it's not you, really, it's me. I am looking for some security, and I found that somewhere else. Her name is Northrup Grumman. I needed someone who would commit to me, not just make me empty promises and ask a lot of questions.
We can't speak anymore, ______. I will be moving nearby, but it would be best if you did not contact me. We need to make a clean break. I'm sure you will find another young IT professional who needs you more truly and dearly. You are a wonderful IT Recruiter.
Take care of yourself, and good luck.
Sincerely,
- N.D. Weichbrodt
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The Other Women
For the last month or so, our lives have been invaded by a peculiar people group: the IT Recruiter. The IT Recruiter works for a consulting firm, trawling the internet to find candidates to fill their client needs. The IT Recruiter is generally a twenty or thirty-something female. She does not have a degree in computer science, but she can wing the technical speak. She tends to fixate on the more minute aspects of position listings. If, for example, there is a job that lists "1.5 years" as the minimum experience needed, she will flatly disregard it; Noel has 2 years of experience. She is cordial, but lacks any sense of humor. She will talk to you for three days straight, then leave you hanging for a week without communication. She promises big jobs and big raises.
Within a week of posting Noel's resume on monster.com and Yahoo HotJobs, I was juggling phone calls and answering e-mails from a half dozen IT recruiters. I would meet Noel for lunch, clutching a post-it note with names like Erica, Vanessa, and Lisa scribbled on it. "Abby called," I would tell him, "and you need to call her back right away. Lonnie wants to know if you know ASP.net, so you should call her too." At times I felt like a pagan queen orchestrating harem visits. "You need to call Erin tonight and then, if you're not too tired, Vanessa should get an e-mail." To the credit of this people group, one lady did get Noel an interview with a St. Louis firm. On the other hand, several other recruiters, for all their aggressive talk, simply faded away. But I diligently took message and ghost wrote e-mails, waiting for these ladies to deliver.
But no more. Oh no. Now, to IT Recruiters, I say:
Oh yes. IT Recruiters had nothing to do with the fabulous position Noel just landed with Northrup Grumman. That was all me. (Well, okay, his experience, credentials, and good interviewing skills played a role too).
And so, fluttering gaggle of IT recruiters, we bid you farewell. You'll be getting a "Dear John" letter from me soon.
Posted by elissa at 12:07 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
June 23, 2006
World Cup Inspired, Sideline Respected
Noel has been playing in an indoor soccer league, and, at their game last night, he and his teammates were determined to redeem American soccer. Unfortunately, in the first few minutes of play, Noel had a poor first touch which promptly knocked the ball out of bounds.
"Don't be Demarcus!" I yelled from the side.
He played much better after that.
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June 21, 2006
My Speaking Tour Begins Next Summer
I have decided that the PCA General Assembly -- ubiquitous blue button down shirts and khakis aside -- is a pretty cool place. There is the delight of running into old friends, the chuckling at the unexpected in the exhibit hall, and the sweet, humbling realization that there are, indeed, people who are continuing to push for deeper knowledge and application of Christ.
Morty and I had a terrific turnout for our hour-long seminar on contemporary art. Judging from the great questions that we received, it seemed that most people tracked our arguments and accepted our propositions. Or, if they didn't, they sure were nice about doing sympathetic head nods. I almost did a jig when a middle-aged woman told me that she was fascinated by this idea that shocking art could teach us about redemption. Woo!
I think this whole interaction of faith and learning could work after all. Graduate school, here I come.
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June 20, 2006
Looking Ahead
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June 13, 2006
Physics and Life
At some point in my elementary school education, I learned about this nifty thing called potential energy. Potential energy exists whenever an object which has mass has a position within a force field; in the case of us earthlings, that force is usually gravity. A ball before it's kicked, a rollercoaster car before it descends, and a swing before it's pushed all have potential energy. PE=mgh, baby.
And that, folks, is what Noel and I are full of right now. Which is fine. Potential energy, however, is not as much fun to write about.
(No need to thank me for the lesson in obtuse life metaphors and elementary physics.)
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June 09, 2006
News from Another Land
Sometimes, I just need to read the news from back home. The things that make the front page on the Honolulu Star Bulletin are news blips from an entirely different world.
Yesterday's headline story covered the fate of the Akaka Bill in the Senate with a side story reporting some Native Hawaiian resistance staged on the steps of Iolani Palace. Did anyone else even realize that a bill that would grant Native Hawaiians the same status as Native Americans was in the Senate right now? In the sports section, news about the NBA finals are nestled about the main feature article on local girl Michelle Wie's LPGA Championship run. But my favorite piece -- a news story that captures the quintessentially different nature of life in the middle of the Pacific -- is this tale of shipwreck, rescue, and hero worship.
It's an insular world, sure... but it's a fun one.
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June 07, 2006
Cancelled
I am a horrible person.
Yesterday I had an awkward conversation with an awkward ministry representative. We've reevaluated our budget, I said, and we need to start giving to some of our friends who are going overseas. We're sorry. No, we did not want to have a "grace period;" we would be giving monthly gifts to these other people.
"Oh, okay, so you're wanting to cancel the child?"
She said it sweetly. Uneasily. Awkwardly. But the words hung there. I was a child canceller.
Crap.
Posted by elissa at 01:22 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
June 06, 2006
Avoiding World Cup Widowhood
Ladies, the World Cup kicks off this Friday. Do you know where your man will be?
It is a little cruel, isn't it? Since soccer is shown so rarely at respectable hours on available channels, your fellow has been slowly accumulating an extraordinary capacity to watch folks tear about the pitch. It's unlikely that he'll grow weary any time soon.
But let's be frank. Do you really want to drag out the weeds and acquiese to being a World Cup Widow while the rest of the world is having a big party? I mean, practically the entire population of Brazil will be cutting it up in Cologne for the next month. Live a little.
As with any other sporting event, the solution is a delicate balance of education and emotional attachment. To this end, the Weichbrodts cheerfully present their own creation: Avoiding World Cup Widowhood -- a Guide for the Uninitiated. Download, print, and fill out. Hand it out at parties. Keep it buy the tv for quick distribution the unlearned you entertain. Sleep with it under your pillow.
Come July 9, you might just find your face paint running with tears of joy as you wildly wave a scarf in the air next to your better half.
Posted by elissa at 03:18 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
On History -- Art and Otherwise
I think I'm thinking:
For the church in particular, a thoughtfully-complex understanding of the unfolding of time forces theology into the sphere of everyday reality. Traditional history that affirms a meaningful and hopeful direction for every moment at all points in time mixes our too-often separate spheres of personal narratives and world events. God is more truly represented as the God who transcends time while working within it. An art history that understands "making" as a legitimate, culturally-entrenched response to God's own particular actions in time can provide new ways of interacting with a theologically dynamic view of the past, present, and future. Both disciplines can encourage anticipation in the church for the day when we will see clearly instead of through a glass dimly and respond appropriately, not clumsily.
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June 01, 2006
Contemporary Art: Now Entertaining Questions
Morty and I are doing a little market research in preparation for a talk we're giving at General Assembly this month. So, literate, thoughtful folk who I assume are my readers: what do you think about contemporary art? What are your hang-ups, your questions, your concerns? Do you find any of it helpful? Do you avoid it? Spit it out. You don't even need to be articulate; even "bleh"s would be helpful.
If no one answers, I'll try to convince myself that the silence indicates that my readership is actually *so* culturally literate that they embrace all contemporary art with wholehearted delight.
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