Social Commentary – Amanda Milke

Unity in Diversity -Youth Art Talks

^{“We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their colour.” –Maya Angelou}

Unity in diversity is used as an expression of harmony and unity between dissimilar individuals or groups. It is a concept of unity without uniformity and diversity without fragmentation that shifts the focus from unity based on mere tolerance of physical, cultural, linguistic, social, religious, political, ideological and psychological differences towards a more complex unity based on an understanding that differences enrich our human interactions creating diverse but united communities.

In January I had the pleasure of leading some local youth through my art exhibit “Unity in Diversity” at the Alberta Lottery Fund Art Gallery which is located inside the Shell Theater in Fort Saskatchewan. Each group participated in an Art Talk and then an art project where they got to create their own interpretations of the theme.

I lead a local group of homeschoolers through on January 18th and then on January 25th the Fort Saskatchewan Girl Guides came out for an evening of art.

Both groups were a great bunch of kids who had loads of questions and enthusiasm.

I walked them through my creative process and about what it meant to be united in diversity and how we can pair those two seemingly opposite qualities together. We discussed how families are one example of what this looks like. A family may have people with different views, interests, or preferences who show diversity in many aspects, but they demonstrate a sense of unity among them as a family and how this can be applied in a broader sense to community.

We talked about how this theme was reflected in the art how each piece though different and unique fitted within the body of work on exhibit. Finally we talked about how sometimes it’s easier to see the differences that divide us than the things that unite us; but that we can train our eyes and our hearts to extend grace and compassion to those around us and in so doing we as individuals can impact our world and help to create a more vibrant beautiful community around us.

Once we were done in the gallery we headed back to one of the rooms to create out art project.

All in all it was a great opportunity to share art, creativity and community with some fabulous youth.

Hope in the Darkness

October 25, 2018October 25, 2018 by Amanda, posted in 2018 Art, Abstract, acrylic, Art, Artist, artist looking for gallery rep, Artist seeking representation, Artwork for sale, canvas, Christian Art, Christian Artist, Christian Themes, CIVA, commission, Faith, faith based art, female artist, For Sale, Fort Saskatchewan, Fundraising, God, God/Religion, Hope in the Darkness series, Life, Mixed Media Minis, Mixed Media Paintings, My Creations, paint, Paintings, Social Commentary, spiritual gifts, support living artists, support the arts, Uncategorized

“But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.”-Psalm 9:18

One of the things I aspire to do with my art as a Christian artist is to help spread the love and hope that I have found in Christ Jesus through my art. Sometimes that looks like me creating art that testify’s to what God has done or is doing in my life and sometimes that means I use my creative gifts to help others feel that same hope.

As I was finishing off the first batch of my new mixed media mini’s today, painting my edges black I was struck by how bold and vibrant they stood out against the dark edging. As I left them to dry I just had this feeling that the Holy Spirit was calling me to use these small paintings for a big purpose to shine light into darkness. The more I thought on it the clearer it seemed to get in my mind and heart. God has a funny way of lining things up when we’re attentive to his voice and I knew just where to use these paintings that would make a difference Hope Mission.

Hope Mission is a not-for-profit Christian social care agency caring for the impoverished and homeless men, women and children in Alberta. Basic and emergency care is provided to over 800 people daily as well as counsel and referral services for men, women, and youth. Each day Hope Mission provides over 1000 meals, and shelter for over 500 people. Specialized care and treatment is offered for men and women through faith-based addiction treatment programs. Hope Mission also facilitates an after school recreation and hot meal program for children. In all, our desire is to provide compassionate care and offer hope to hurting, hungry and homeless people in Edmonton.

This series is now being called “Hope in the Darkness” because no matter how jagged or textured our past, no matter how dark our life, God can ALWAYS bring Hope out of it but it starts with us using what God has given us to help bring hope to others. Each painting in this series is as unique as the person it will go to help. For every piece sold I will donate 25% of the sales back to Hope Missions to help support them in the wonderful work they are doing in our community!

I hope you’ll help me in my effort to bring Hope through art.

Amanda

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You can purchase or commission a piece in this series by leaving me a message here to see the available pieces or by messaging me on my Facebook page AmandaMilkeArtist. Each mixed media piece costs $40 is one of a kind and measures 4″ x 4″ x 1.5″ and is done on canvas. Perfect for a small space, shelf or desk or buy several to arrange in sets of 3, 5 or 9 tiled cube patterns.

I’ll also be adding a new page to my website with this series in the next few days.

Between the Rock and a niche place

October 2, 2018October 2, 2018 by Amanda, posted in 2018 Art, Abstract, acrylic, art discussions, Artist, Christian Art, Christian Artist, Christian Themes, CIVA, Faith, female artist, Fort Saskatchewan, God, God/Religion, Lion of Judah, paint, Paintings, Social Commentary, support living artists, support the arts, Uncategorized

I have this problem. It all started by being a follower of God. Don’t get me wrong, God is not the issue here, being a Christian and an Artist however apparently is. You see if I was JUST a Christian or JUST an Artist there’d be less of an issue but because I am both, I’m an outcast. An outcast from the world’s standards because I’m considered a “niche” artist, “that’s great art and all but I can’t hang that in my office because of the religious connotations” and an outcast in the church because despite the statement that we are all created in the image of God they seem to take issue with us that lean more toward the creative scope of God’s personality that aren’t on the praise team. Since I worship, witness and praise my God using a paint brush they don’t know what to do with me. I don’t fit into their nicely labelled how can we use you box because they have thrown out the one we did fit into.

I grew up in a little Baptist church on the east coast, every Sunday morning sunlight shone through beautiful stain glass windows that members had commissioned to beautify the church, to illustrate stories and characters from the Bible. It had gorgeous carved wooden doors, beautiful pews, vibrant choir robes, there was color and texture and beauty all around and it was all made by people blessed with the gift of craftsmanship. I understand that times change and we’re living in a “modern” world that doesn’t cling to the traditional things anymore but how have we lost the value and beauty of Art?

Art and the Church have always been a dynamic duo. We worship a creative God for crying out loud, we should be witnessing to his awesomeness using ALL the gifts that come from him. Art and the Church date way back before the Renaissance, God commissions art and artwork in Exodus for his temple and the purpose it served was not practical like today’s gray or taupe walled Big box Factory churches it was for Beauty, to fill people’s senses. We worship a Creative God so why aren’t we using our creations to worship him? It doesn’t make sense!

Instead believers and non believers are coming to churches that have no color and no beauty just practicality with neon lights, a projector and a catchy praise song. Do we truly believe that God is coming back or are we just holding a really long memorial service? If we say we are ALIVE in Christ then why don’t we look it? The church should be bright and colorful and a feast for the senses because God made us and the world like that. It should be full of joy and celebration and it should show how the holy spirit is working in us and for those of us with the gift of craftsmanship that is our Art. If you want a modern church then have modern Christian Art that speaks about a Creative God who is alive and well and working in us. Words are not Enough!

The “Talk” …

May 9, 2018May 9, 2018 by Amanda, posted in 2018 Art, Abstract, acrylic, Art, art discussions, Art Events, Art Exhibit, Art Musings, Artist, canada, Christian Art, Christian Artist, Christian Themes, CIVA, events, exhibit, Exhibits, Faith, female artist, Fort Saskatchewan, Gallery, God, God/Religion, interview, Mixed Media Paintings, My Creations, Paintings, Social Commentary, Uncategorized, Women in Business

You know what artists usually do best?

CREATE!

We are good at using pictures, colors and textures to convey our thoughts and feelings.

But in order to make those creations relate able to our viewers we need to do “The Talk”.

“The Talk” often fills artists with anxiety.

I think this anxiety partly comes from a fear of not being able to clearly and adequately express in words what we have already expressed on canvas.

It’s that old adage that a picture is worth a 1000 words.

I think it’s more accurate to say that some things, some experiences can’t be fully described in any other way but artistically and even then the art form used may still only be grasping at the coat tails of those experiences.

Then add in the problem of subjectivity, how you see and I see will be different.

Even how we perceive the same colors will vary from person to person and at this point a lot of Artists will take a hard pass on that “Talk” because they are scared to put themselves out there for fear of rejection.

Who can blame them, Society today places an emphasis on living life on fast forward click that thumbs up button or angry face and move on.

But we were made for so much more than that.

Imagine if we took time, actual time not just a scroll through to get to know someone, to learn from their experience and to share yours to actually interact with each other.

Can you imagine what the world would look like if we saw people, individuals for who they truly are?

You see friends I’m a Christian Artist not just because I believe in a Creative God but I believe in his creative process and that’s you.

You! Each and every one of you is a beautiful work of art and you are living a life that I’m not and there is value in sharing those experiences with each other.

And that is why I am doing “The Talk”.

It may not be as eloquent as I’d like, it may fall short of describing a particular piece from my original artistic vision, but I firmly believe there is value in our interaction and I’m willing to risk getting up in front of a crowd of people to share it with you, so I hope you’ll take the time to join me.

To our shared experiences!

Cheers,

Amanda

My Exhibit “Blue Pomegranate” will be on display for the month of June with the official meet and greet happening on June 11 at 7pm and the Artist Talk happening on June 14th at 7pm at the ALFA (Alberta Lottery Fund Art) Gallery for “The Talk” The gallery is located in the heart of the Sherritt Cultural Pavilion at the Dow Centennial Centre 8700 84 St, Fort Saskatchewan, AB T8L 4P5

Exhibit Hours
Thursdays & Fridays
11 am – 2 pm
Also open during performances at the Shell