Creative Spirituality: The Way of the Artist - Softcover

Wuthnow, Robert

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0520239164 ISBN 13: 9780520239166

Publisher: University of California Press, 2003

Synopsis

In a provocative book that explores the fascinating link between the creative and the sacred, Robert Wuthnow claims that artists have become the spiritual vanguard of our time. Drawing on in-depth interviews with painters, sculptors, writers, singers, dancers, and actors, Wuthnow includes the spiritual insights of accomplished artists who have gained prominence as Broadway performers, gospel singers, jazz musicians, poets, Native American painters, weavers, dancers, and installation artists. He profiles such national figures as novelist Madeleine L'Engle, playwright Tony Kushner, photographer Andres Serrano, sculptor Greg Wyatt, dancer Carla DeSola, and woodcarver David Ellsworth.

Situating these artists' reflections in the context of wider cultural ferment, Wuthnow argues that spirituality is coming increasingly to focus on the inherently ineffable character of the sacred―what artists refer to as divine mystery. As growing numbers of Americans doubt the adequacy of religious creeds in defining the sacred, they are turning to artists who seek a more intuitive sense of the sacred through symbols and imagery.

These artists provide rich insights into the social and cultural problems of our time. Many have been shaped by the growing ethnic, racial, and religious diversity of the United States. Many are at the cutting edge of new thinking about body, mind, and spirit, and many are seeking ways to integrate their understandings of spirituality with interests in nature and preserving the environment. For readers interested in exploring contemporary spirituality or engaged in spiritual pursuits of their own, this engaging, elegantly written, and erudite book will answer many questions about the changing moral and spiritual role of creativity and the arts.

About this title

Review:

Creative Spirituality, an intriguing discussion on the artistic process, zeroes in on the mysterious place where creativity and the sacred meet. As more and more artists admit to seeking and experiencing divine inspiration, author Robert Wuthnow (After Heaven) decided to examine this important link. Relying on his expansive knowledge of spirituality and culture, he offers this groundbreaking book that speaks to the ways morality and spirit influence the modern arts.

Wuthnow profiles artists such as writer Madeleine L'Engle and playwright Tony Kushner to show how creators connect are inspired by the sacred. For instance, artist Nancy Chinn gleans inspiration from the Bible, as many renowned painters have before her. "A biblical character such as Eve, Lot's wife, or the daughter of Jephtha captures her attention, and she creates an image that expresses something about this character," Wuthnow writes of Chinn. Yet Chinn also feels that her art moves beyond interpreting a religious figure. "She believes there is a spiritual and material reality beyond herself, which interacts with her during the creative process," explains Wuthnow. Herein lies an important point: many artists often see themselves as spiritual vessels as well as creators. In other chapters, he profiles artists who have soothed their personal angst or a destructive childhood by creatively expressing their spiritual growth. Moving beyond the cozy, self-help tone of the The Artist's Way, this is an impressive and intelligent manifesto for creators, seekers, and art scholars alike. --Gail Hudson

From the Inside Flap:

"Creative Spirituality is a fascinating, brilliant, and suggestive book, to be read and appreciated both for its spiritual insights and for the author's astute observations on artistic creativity and spiritual practice. Robert Wuthnow explores the intimate engagements of art and spirituality in their common quests for meaning. This volume represents a substantial contribution to the growing literature on art and religion in the United States and an intelligent appeal to the artist and the truth-seeker in each of us."―Sally M. Promey is author of Painting Religion in Public and coauthor of The Visual Culture of American Religions

"Wuthnow's careful listening to the voices of working artists speaking of their work, and his analysis of the rich variety of their experiences, show the universally human, transforming power of creativity. Creative practice reveals itself here as a primary spiritual practice. While some of these artists follow a traditional religious path and make fascinating connections between their working experience and their religious faith others speak directly of spirituality as a discovering of the power of Spirit. Whether religious or not, their voices are witness to the holy power of human creativity and to the mystery in which it leads."―Reverend Donald Schell, St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church, San Francisco

"Robert Wuthnow has written a brilliant, insightful exploration of how contemporary artists struggle to express their deepest spiritual yearnings. At a time when the notion of spirituality seems inchoate, artists, writers and musicians can often eloquently articulate the mysterious otherness of our lives. Especially powerful are the personal testimonials which reveal the empowerment of transcendence over alienation and disbelief."―Marci Whitney-Schenck, Publisher and Editor, Christianity and the Arts

"Here one finds wonderful stories about artists and of the creative spirituality arising out of their work. Wuthnow goes beyond telling us simply that these are people living at the edges of our culture, suggesting that they are spiritual models for our time―people who cultivate spiritual depth through sustained practice, or doing something that is fresh, expressive, and worthwhile. The book addresses the serious, many-sided aspects of their search―indeed, of our search―for 'moments of transcendence' today."―Wade Clark Roof, J. F. Rowny Professor of Religion and Society, University of California at Santa Barbara and author of Spiritual Marketplace

About this edition

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0520239164
• ISBN 13: 9780520239166
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 319