Join us in the Fellowship Hall on Friday evening January 16th for the next installment of the Makers Series, as we continue a season celebrating God's incarnation in Jesus Christ by hearing about the lives and work of three "Makers" who explore the meaning of being embodied, ourselves, through written, visual, and musical arts.
What is the Makers Series?
Each edition of the Makers Series brings together three “makers”—a writer, a visual artist, and a musician—to discuss their history and practice as artists and believers, touching on a unifying theme. In a coffee-house setting with refreshments available throughout, each guest presents for 20 minutes, followed by a moderated conversation between the three and the audience, seeking to find commonalities between each maker’s experiences and to draw out insights about faith, culture, and creativity.
Doors open at 6:30, program at 7:00.
Refreshments Provided
Embodied
This edition of the Makers Series will highlight the work of dancer Karen Rios, classical soprano Sarah Kate Walston, and theologian/essayist Jill Carattini. Each of our guests addresses the idea that art and Christian life are rooted in our physical presence in and to the world, not just in aesthetic or spiritual ideas. Sarah Kate Walston and Karen Rios also have in common that the "medium" or "instrument" of their art is their own bodies; meanwhile, Jill Carattini is particularly attuned to thinking theologically about the ordinary, sacramental quality of our bodies in the world.
How do they manage the tension between discipline (spiritual and physical) and expression in art-making? How do they contend with secular ideals and expectations of (women's) bodies? How does art help them live more concretely, and invite others to do the same? Through these and other questions, our embodiment theme aims to unpack the way the arts helps us recognize and live out an incarnational faith.
No official registration is necessary, but PLEASE tell us you're coming and share the FACEBOOK EVENT with others!
MORE ABOUT OUR MAKERS:
Karen Watkins-Rios
Karen Watkins-Rios has been dancing (and training to dance) since age three, beginning with classical Russian ballet at the School of the Richmond Ballet, studying modern and ethnic genres as well as classical forms with the Dance Theatre of Harlem Professional School, and then focusing on jazz while at Howard University in Washington, DC. Since then, she’s founded schools and dance companies and taught dance at Regent University, as well continuing to perform as a freelance artist specializing in classical ballet, jazz/modern, liturgical and worship, and—most recently—flamenco and salsa, dancing in professional local venues as well as continuing to instruct private students. Karen has paid special attention to how creative movement can and should be part of liturgical and worship settings and how dance can be outreach in cross-cultural environments. For more on her training and career, click HERE.
Sara Kate Walston
A Richmond native, soprano and actress Sarah Kate Walston is acclaimed for her work singing everything from classical opera repertoire to Broadway tunes, and grew up performing lead roles in West End Assembly of God’s Glorious Christmas Nights. She received her Bachelor of Music degree at Lee University and her Master of Music degree and Graduate Performance Diploma at the Peabody Conservatory.
Sarah Kate has performed recitals and concerts in Germany and throughout the United States, including with the Baltimore Symphony, the Annapolis Symphony and the Virginia Symphony. Sarah Kate has also played operatic roles in numerous productions, including La Boheme, Cosi fan Tutte, Don Giovanni, HMS Pinafore, Le Nozze di Figaro, The Magic Flute, Madama Butterfly, and Iolanthe, where the Baltimore Sun said of her performance, “The sweet, nimble singing and deft acting of Sarah Kate Walston, as Phyllis, was a major plus throughout the performance.”
Sarah Kate has a deep love for the music and for music culture of her hometown, and feels that it is incredibly important to discover and utilize local talents in local venues. She is a founding board member for the newly formed Capital Opera Richmond and is proud to be a part of this brand new company. You can read about (and listen to) more of her work on her website, HERE.
Jill Carattini
Jill Carattini is managing editor and principal writer of A Slice of Infinity, a daily reading considering themes from theology and culture to philosophy and the arts published by Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. She’s a graduate of Hope College in Michigan, and is ordained as a specialized minister in the Reformed Church of America, where she serves on the theology commission. She earned her M.Div. from Western Theological Seminary and she’s also recently completed her Th.M at Duke University, studying sacramental theology and the arts. Jill is a frequent speaker and panelist on the subject of Christian writing, and is one of the key leaders in RZIM’s growing emphasis on the arts as a critical means to reach contemporary secular culture—especially in the academy—for Christ.
Jill has lived and worked in diverse ministry settings, including urban ministry and university campus ministry. She has spent time in a Native American community working within a local mission church in Oklahoma, and has studied in the Middle East, participating in a program aimed at understanding the culture, history, and politics of the Middle Eastern conflict. She enjoys reading widely in areas of theology, aesthetics, culture, and reconciliation. Among her favorite writers are John Calvin, Jeremy Begbie, Flannery O’Connor, Wendell Berry, and many of the early church pilgrims, though the writings of C.S. Lewis have been most formative in her own thought and writing. Jill is a native of Pentwater, Michigan, and currently resides with her husband Tony in Atlanta, Georgia.
Jill Carattini will also be leading a workshop roundtable for local writers on Saturday morning, January 17th, at Redemption Hill Church's The Fourhundred: 400 W. 32nd Street, RVA 23225. www.the400.org
She'll also be participating in our Sunday morning at Third on the 18th.