Art and Abundance in Community

There is something really beautiful about Koinonia's attitude toward work. It is not an individualistic attitude of “I'm earning my paycheck,” but working with the joy of knowing that our work is sustaining the community, and meanwhile we enjoy each other's company. There's an adage around the farm that “work is just an excuse to hang out together.” Moreover, income is distributed according to need. It becomes less about me and more about us.

There's a beautiful article one of my art professors shared with my class in college that takes on more meaning for me every time I read it:

There is an old story of how the cathedral of Chartres was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. Then thousands of people came from all points of the compass, like a giant procession of ants, and together they began to rebuild the cathedral on its old site. They worked until the building was completed—master builders, artists, laborers, clowns, noblemen, priests, burghers. But they all remained anonymous, and no one knows to this day who built the cathedral of Chartres...

In former days the artist remained unknown and his work was to the glory of God. He lived and died without being more or less important than other artisans: ‘eternal values’, ‘immortality’ and ‘masterpiece’ were terms not applicable in his case. The ability to create was a gift. In such a world flourished invulnerable assurance of natural humility.

Today the individual has become the highest form and the greatest bane of artistic creation...The artist considers his isolation, his subjectivity, his individualism almost holy...

Thus if I am asked what I would like the general purpose of my films to be, I would reply that I want to be one of the artists in the cathedral on the great plain...I would play my part in the collective building of the cathedral.

Excerpts from Art as Worship by Ingmar Bergman

As I continue to explore the practice of intentional community, I have become intrigued by the idea of art for the purpose of sustaining a community, not as a way to support myself alone. The struggle I tend to have with art is that it so often seems to put the focus on me. Well-meaning family and friends would like to see me use it as a way to make lots of money and become famous. But I relate more to Van Gogh's perspective. Van Gogh did not become world famous during his lifetime (he only sold one piece, as far as I know), and I think he would cringe to think that people would pay millions of dollars for his work and hang it up in lofty places. He believed in making art for the poor, of the poor, and in fact being poor himself. He didn't make art for the purposes of making a living; he made art because he was an artist, and an artist needs to make art! In the words of Rilke, “A work of art is good if it has sprung from necessity.”

“In the human world, abundance does not happen automatically. It is created when we have the sense to choose community, to come together to celebrate and share our common store. Whether the scarce resource is money or love or power or words, the true law of life is that we generate more of whatever seems scarce by trusting its supply and passing it around. Authentic abundance does not lie in secured stockpiles of food or cash or influence or affection but in belonging to a community where we can give those goods to others who need them – and receive them from others when we are in need.” (Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak)

“Jesus loved the feast and feast means abundance. I think he loved abundance...He said the Father is full of abundance. And he said trust Him for it so you can be free to seek the God Movement.” (Clarence Jordan)

“Abundance is a communal act, the joint creation of an incredibly complex ecology in which each part functions on behalf of the whole and, in return, is sustained by the whole. Community doesn't just create abundance – community is abundance. If we could learn that equation from the world nature, the human world might be transformed.” (Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak)

“The Old Testament required a tithe, but in every instance in the New Testament where the Lord asked for anything, it was for all. Examples of this are: James and John, Peter and Andrew, Matthew, Zacchaeus, the poor widow, parable of the talents (all returned), rich young ruler, etc. Then after Pentecost they all sold their possessions, had all things common, and no one counted that he owned anything. Then when one had paid all into the Lord's treasury, a portion was returned to him 'according as he had need.' Thus, the basis of 'pay' was not what responsibilities one had, nor what he knew, but what he needed. It was certainly possible for the janitor, if his need were greater, to be paid more than the pastor. Is this not the right way? What right has the pastor, for example, to wax fat on the leanness of the janitor? Should the man with one mouth to feed take bread from the man with five or six mouths? Surely our need should determine our income. But who is to be the judge of our need? This will not be a great problem with those who love their neighbors as themselves, for everyone will not seek the things for himself but for his neighbor.” (Clarence Jordan)