POLITICS: Artists in Our Midst – USSA News

When I was younger, my mother hosted a seasonal trip for the senior citizens at our parish in Metro Detroit. She would choose a Catholic site within an easy drive, collect RSVPs, rent a bus, book a lunch spot, and off they would go for a day of prayer, fellowship, and beauty.

They went to the Basilica of Ste. Anne de Detroit – the oldest church in Michigan and one of the oldest continually operating parishes in the United States. They visited Assumption Grotto – with its lovely outdoor shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes. They visited St. Bonaventure Monastery, where Blessed Solanus Casey had tended the poor. They traveled to the Shrine of the Little Flower and St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church. It was an opportunity, not only to pray and spend time together, but to immerse themselves in the art of the American Church. They listened to beautiful choirs, prayed for souls in peaceful cemeteries, and talked to Catholic artists about their work. It was a cultural bounty. My mom never lost her love for art – in all its beautiful varieties and she shared it enthusiastically with everyone she knew.

One of the most inspiring aspects of her interest in art – especially Catholic art – was her enthusiasm about supporting smaller artists. She would buy small paintings from street artists, attend little parish concerts, and encourage new artists with her enthusiastic smile and some well-chosen words of affirmation. Even after the rise of social media, my mother stayed firmly in the real world: farmers markets, art fairs, symphony concerts, and Main Street galleries.

Catholic Art

Catholic Stand Contributor, Genesius, wrote recently of “The Splendor and Diversity of Modern Catholic Art.” He writes of visiting beautiful churches throughout the United States and uncovering the “priceless treasures” of modern, Catholic artwork “hidden in plain sight” throughout the parishes and homes of American Catholics.

It’s difficult, sometimes, to remember that the Catholic art world is alive. That “Catholic … artists still thrive and create beauty.” But there are a wealth of Catholic artists of all genres living and creating all around the world. Unfortunately, if they aren’t committed to prioritizing social media, they’re often almost invisible outside of their own, small corners of the world.

I enjoyed Genesius’s article, and I’m glad he spent time highlighting a Catholic artist. But I found myself thinking more and more about his words “hidden in plain sight.”

He’s right in the sense that – like so many things we’re not noticing – Catholic art is out in the world, but we don’t expect it to be. Unfortunately, social media makes it hard to see beyond the promoted, accessible work that slides down an Instagram Feed or pops in through Substack.

For every Internet-famous Catholic artist, there are dozens who – though equally or more talented, create on the fringes. They’re either not as good at playing the game as some others, or they eschew it entirely, preferring to create, rather than promote. Because of that, we often pass them by, seeing or hearing their art, but not recognizing it for what it is – because we’ve been trained to think of our Catholic artists as hashtags and influencers instead of “those who are passionately dedicated to the search for new ‘epiphanies’ of beauty.”

Refuge of the Unimaginative…

I know, I’m a broken record when it comes to social media. I’ve written it before, and I’ll definitely write it again – social media is the Great Banalizer in our culture. It homogenizes and dulls down the sparks of creativity in all of us. For our artists and intellectuals, it offers a darker temptation. Artists, as St. John Paul II wrote in his Letter to Artists are “called to … labor without allowing themselves to be driven by the search for empty glory or the craving for cheap popularity, and still less by the calculation of some possible profit for themselves.” But social media demands the pursuit of all of these empty pursuits – the nature of social media, especially for those with something to offer through it – is the pursuit of cheap popularity and possible profit.

So our artists, who turn to social media to find a platform for their work, become victims of its predatory algorithm. After a while, they either conform their art to the trends of the algorithm, or they languish in obscurity. A heartbreaking choice for creators, and for those looking to find something unique in spaces designed to bury the unique and beautiful.

Many artists are “hiding in plain sight” simply because they’ve chosen to limit online self-promotion – and while we all need to earn money, I can’t help respecting artists more who choose to pursue John Paul II’s call to artists – rejecting “the search for … glory or … cheap popularity, and … possible profit” which is all social media can offer.

Catholic Artists in Analog Life

The idea of pursuing a more analog life is growing in popularity. I’ll probably be writing about it often in the coming months, as I help support a few friends who are embracing more tangible, real-world connections.

You might be surprised at the richness of Catholic art – largely unnoticed online. These artists may have online shops, a few recordings, or a website – but the vast majority of their works are out in the real world.

Take, for example, the Psalterium Institute – a sacred music institute dedicated to “the art of choral singing … and to contribute to the renewal of sacred music in the Catholic Church in Maine.” Notice the specific and localized language. This is an artistic organization rooted in place. A tangible, living group that depends on the weather, the schedules of its members, and a commitment to be somewhere regularly, doing something with other people.

That tangible and relational aspect of the Psalterium Institute allows it to influence the living Church. Hearers can immerse themselves in music that washes over them as we all occupy the same space. Because we occupy the same space, we can feel the music as well as hear it. There’s something deep and life-changing about the art that comes from an “un-algorithmed” soul.

Art in Our Midst

Genesius’s article highlights a lovely way to meet artists – “a parish talk on Catholic art” – I was thrilled to read that his parish hosted a talk on art and that artists were able to participate in person. When artists are given the opportunity to present work in person, whether at a parish talk or local art fair or gallery – everyone benefits. Opportunities like this, the performances of the Psalterium Institute, or the practice some parishes still maintain of hiring “artists in residence” to paint, create music, or pursue other mediums of Catholic art, are the way to maintain and build on that “fruitful alliance between the Gospel and art” that John Paul II refers to in his Letter. That alliance requires a tangible relationship, with art that is free from the homogenizing force of the algorithm. As the poet Rilke writes, “works of art are of an infinite loneliness … only love can grasp and hold and be just towards them.”

Like my mother did when she wandered little shops and galleries or listened to choirs with clusters of seniors standing beside her, let’s reach out toward the art living in our own cities and parishes. Let’s log out of the algorithm and “be just towards” the works of art in our midst. I’ll be introducing you to a few of my favorites in the next few months.