Arts as Sabbath
by A. Victoria Hunter
From dance to painting, from needlework to making music, the arts are the focus of personal retreats at Women’s Division-owned Scarritt-Bennett Center in Nashville, Tenn.
Rebecca Waldrop, the center’s program director, explained how arts and the creative process help women and men focus on their faith journeys:
"At Scarritt-Bennett Center, we believe the arts are a means of worship, communication and reconciliation. It’s a place where people can become immersed in creative process. It’s like holy clay -- a kind of sabbath. The people who come for personal retreats find artist facilitators with whom to work. They are involved with worship. They’re exposed to pottery, painting, sculpting, writing and dance. Do you know what it’s like to take communion out of the first chalice you’ve created?"
The artist facilitators come from Stillpoint, an ecumenical group of 20 artists and musicians who are lay and clergy.
"They are gentle, nurturing and about the business of healing through the arts," Ms. Waldrop said. "They are spiritual directors who use contemplative prayer and imaging prayer that is not only renewing but healing. The church sometimes neglects this mystic step in our faith journey."
Those who take personal retreats at the center range from individuals who understand themselves as artists to those who have never seen themselves as creative. Programs customized for each person appeal to all the senses by incorporating prayer, Scripture, sacred music, movement and creative endeavors. The goal of the retreats is to provide each person with a rejuvenating experience.
Ms. Waldrop brings experience as an artist to her work. She came to Scarritt-Bennett Center after 25 years as a needlepoint designer for Serendipity Designs. She has recently traded in her needles and threads to explore painting banners for churches. Her transition helps her understand the promise of change for those who seek it.
"There is great potential here for being whole," Ms. Waldrop said. "It is the artist’s way."
A. Victoria Hunter is senior writer for Response.