The California Baptist University Art Gallery in Downtown Riverside hosted the Christians in the Visual Arts’ traveling art exhibit, Scribes of Hope II, from Nov. 6 to 26.
The universal theme was Christianity, but the artists used different methods of capturing Christ in their individual pieces.
Chet Glaze, director of the art exhibit, said he hoped these pieces would encourage Christians in their walk with Christ through poems based on an understanding of Scripture and texts from traditional scribes.
“It’s the diversity of the artwork that makes it stand out,” Glaze said.
Glaze saw positive reactions to the exhibit from the public.
“People that come into the gallery are pleased with the diversity and intimacy of the show,” Glaze said.
The hope of the display was to motivate students to craft their own style through the knowledge that there are multiple ways to express themselves while still sharing the message of Christ.
Christians in the Visual Arts created Scribes of Hope II with the notion that the gospel deserves to be spread in big ways through God-given passions.
“Alone, the art pieces all have their own meaning, and together as an exhibit, they gain the overarching theme of the exhibit to show God’s word in a really artistic fashion,” said Nicholas Johnson, freshman business administration major.
Caitlin Bohnert, sophomore exercise science major, said she saw pieces such as “Worship the King” illustrated by Dee Day as a creative form of worship.
“I like the collage aspect: They have the lyrics and then they have the drawing, marble, the pages of the Bible, then everything layered together,” Bohnert said.
Glaze said he believes Jesus revealed himself in broad contexts through the various mediums displayed in the show, but together the exhibit created a sense of unity in Christ. God was seen and carefully woven through the 31 works of art displayed.
“The specific lyrics used in ‘Worship the King’ remind me that no matter what I am going through, God will defend me and we should gratefully sing his love because of that fact,” Johnson said.
Glaze said the Scribes of Hope II exhibit created a sense of pride for CBU and offered something professional and positive for the Riverside Art District.
“I think that art isn’t necessarily something that we think of as a form of worship, and yet here is an interesting way to take in other people’s interpretations of how they are worshiping the Lord,” Bohnert said.
