case for support for spark and echo arts

w w w.spa rka nd e ch o . o rg


Collaborating with visual, performing and literary artists from New York City and beyond, we are creating a work of art, music, theater, poetry, dance or film in response to every passage of the Bible. We engage artists from a diversity of styles and backgrounds, working in the top of their field.

We seek a ba la nce of a rt ists deep ly fami l ia r with the B ib l e a nd a r t ists who have not yet exp lo red it, showcasing their work in our online gallery and at live events. S p a r k a n d E c h o A r t s p r o v i d e s a r t i s t s w i t h

* i n s p i r a t i o n * r e s o u r c e s * a u d i e n c e s *

Our programming champions the B ib le in contemporary culture, fostering a new artistic dialogue that favors g e n e r a t i n g w o r k o v e r v e r b a l d i s c u s s i o n . With an emphasis on multi-disciplinary events in secular venues for unlikely and diverse audiences, we engage people with opportunities to discover and support artists for the benefit of themselves, their community and the artist.

MiSSion

SPARK An D ECH o ARTS i S CREAT i n G TH E Wo RLD’S LARG EST M U LT i - D i SC i PL i nARY

“ i LLU M i nAT i on ” oF TH E B i B LE .


The re is a profou nd d iscon nect between the B ib l e and the artistic community: Artists who are not Christian may consider the Bible historically relevant but have no reason to explore it artistically.

Ch r is t i a n a r t is ts , wa ry of be i ng l abe l ed as such , keep their fa ith and ta lents separate and are at risk of becoming “poverty-stricken in the enjoyment of them-selves, their fellow human beings and above all, God himself.” 1

Consequently, art inspired by the Bible often lacks the depth of Scripture and relies on its “Christian-ness” alone, not artistic merit. Christians and non-Christians subtly agree that art responding to or inspired by the Bible is not relevant today. As a resu lt, a l a rge po rt io n of society – secu la r artists and their audience – never experiences a meaningful encounter with God’s Word.

nEED

We love the Bible and how it has shaped us through art; we want others to have these kinds of transformative experiences.

“ I have generally negative connotations of Christian art;there’s a great reliance on

tropes and cliches.” -from Spark and Echo Arts’ anonymous survey of 100 artists.

1 Franky Schaeffer, Addicted to Mediocrity (Westchester, I l linois: Crossway Books, 1981).


Led by professional artists respected in the greater arts community and positioned for maximum cultural impact, Spark and Echo Arts is dedicated to the work of the artist and the creation of significant work in response to the Bible.

The philosophy behind this organization took root when husband and wife theatre/music artists Jonathon Roberts and Emily Clare Zempel were in college. Emily, adamantly opposed to Christianity, began reading the Bible to appease Jonathon. Slowly, the Holy Spirit worked on her heart and she started to believe what she was reading. Around that time, Jonathon was creating and performing a play about the Apostle Paul, which deepened his connection to Paul’s words.

Through these experiences, the young couple became advocates of getting others to simply spend time in the Word, letting the Spirit work - knowing the best way for artists to learn about a subject is to create a work that allows them to explore it.

oRGAnizATionAL H iSToRY

Over the next 15 years we wil l build on this foundation of success, i l luminating al l 31 ,103 passages of the Bible by creating approximately 3,500 new works and giving over 2,000 artists a unique encounter with God’s Word.

Since its founding in New York City in 2010, Spark and Echo Arts has

* Engaged 70 artists

* Created 92 works

* I l luminated 951 passages of the Bible,

* Reached 5,000 people at l ive events

* Welcomed 19,000 online visitors

“Working with Spark and Echo really pushed the bar for me. . .

the team at Spark and Echo trusted me and gave me free range

of how I was going to paint. . .” – Linda Serrone Rolon, Visual Artist


Jonathon Roberts (Co-Founder, Executive/Artistic Director) has composed over one hundred works in response to the Bible. His theatrical reaction to the Apostle Paul, Project Paul has been performed 80 times across the US and Canada. He holds degrees in Theatre and Music from Law-rence University and is an experienced community builder. He also per-forms regularly with the absurdist downtown NYC theater/music group The Renaldo The Ensemble.

Emily Clare Zempel (Co-Founder, Managing Director) is an actor and musician based in New York City. She received her MFA in 2007 from Brooklyn College, acting in NYC and regionally. Favorite credits include Katherine in Love’s Labour’s Lost at Milwaukee Shakespeare, Ophelia in Hamlet at Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, and Wittenberg at Rep Stage which was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award. She is a co-founder of Vacant Lot Theatre and has co-created the play A Girl Cal led Esther.

Charis J . Carmichael Braun (Director of Visuals) A painter, designer, instructor and arts administrator, Charis earned her MFA from the New York Academy of Art. She is currently the Director of Communications at the Vytlacil Artist- In-Residence Program and has taught Art History at Felician College.

Ebitenyefa Baralaye (Artistic Advisory Team) is a ceramicist, sculptor and mixed media artist whose work focuses on issues of identity through abstraction. He studied ceramics at the Rhode Island School of Design and has been trained under assistantship by a range of fine artists and designers. Born in Nigeria, he spent his childhood in the Caribbean before moving to the United States.

Emily Adams (Artistic Advisory Team) is a freelance dancer and teacher based in NYC. She studied dance at S.M .U.- Meadows School of the Arts in Dallas, TX before dancing professionally with Ballet Austin and the Washington Ballet. In NYC she has performed with the Metropolitan Opera, New Chamber Ballet, Connecticut Ballet and Rebecca Kelly Ballet.

Elaine Luttrul l, Minerva Financial Arts (Accountant)

Stephen Bagasao, IVentive Media (Web Developer)

LEADERSHiP


“[Art] has a long and important tradition stretching back almost a thousand years. . . our contemporary arts would

not be what they are today without Christianity.” - from Spark and Echo Arts’ anonymous survey of 100 artists


Artists are selected to participate in our i l lumination project by our team of curators: Artists choose a B ib le passage and create a new work i n the i r d iscip l i ne . The work is then featu red i n ou r on l i ne ga l l e ry and promoted to our community.To sha pe the p roject, we exp l o re the B ib l e th rough to p ica l them es .

Our goa l is to create a massive col lection of new artwork responding to the Bible, a home for artistic, inte l lectua l and spi r itua l contemplation , resources for fu rther a rtistic dia logue and a vibrant way to engage with the Bible for faith and arts communities.

T H I S P R O G R A M S E R V E S

* Artists with opportunities to

create, fund and showcase work

* Audiences with an easily search-

able on l ine ga l le ry for persona l

growth and publ ic enjoyment

where these things forever spring (a poem based on Song of Songs and John 15) by Ileana Santamaria

Webs (an animation based on Isaiah 59) by Jessie Brugger

Tide (a collaborative dance based on Isaiah 43) by Elizabeth Dishman, Rachel Korenstein and Cailtlin Yuhas

The Genesis Project (a multi-disciplinary collage based on Genesis 1) by Douglas Detrick & Kyra Odi

untitled (a photograph based on Psalm 42) by Erin Mulvehill

A few concerns concerning the second coming (composition based on Matthew 24) by Meaghan Burke

The Lake (a painting based on Psalm 139) by Shawn Yu

Fig Tree (a drawing based on John 15 by Jon Roberts

PRoGRAM 1 ONLINE GALLERY


R E C E N T L I V E E V E N T S I N C L U D E

* “Love Awakened” - a staging of Song of Songs in an East Vil lage storefront with live painting, music and a talk on how to composing love letters

* ”Reflections on Water” - new works of music, dance and spoken word poetry exploring themes about water presented at the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance’s “City of Water Day” on Governor’s Island, NYC

* ”A Girl Called Esther” - a theatrical response to the Biblical story of Esther

* “Wine and Love Songs” - the premiere of Better than Wine, a song based on Song of Songs, together with a wine-tasting in an underground café

* “Project Paul ” - making its New York City debut in the United Solo Theater Festival with music, theatre and video art in a Times Square theater responding to words of the Apostle Paul

“The whole experience was positive - being asked to write a piece inspired in a very open-ended way from a

provoking passage and having the play produced and published on the website.” - Jessica Cermak, Theatre Artist

Sing (a new play based on Psalm 22) by Nick Stokes

Word of Mouth (spoken word based on Isaiah 55) by Emily Ruth Hazel with responsive dance by Emily SoRelle Adams and music by Bill Humphrey

The Genesis Project (premiere in TriBeCa) by Douglas Detrick and Kyra Odi


Selected works from the project a re featured through l ive events, primari ly in New York City. We favor multi-d iscip l i na ry a rts events i n publ ic locations , pa rtner i ng with respected organ izations and venues embedded i n the community. I n th is way, we a re able to bridge the secu la r a rts world and church communities whi le growing as a trusted sourcefo r t h o u g ht- p rovo k i n g , d i ve rs e a n d h ig h - q u a l i t y l i ve p e r fo r m a n ce .

T H I S P R O G R A M S E R V E S

* Artists with opportunities to perform

and showcase their work

* Audiences with a contemporary

approach to timeless subject matter

* Community venues with access to

future fans and customers

A Girl Called Esther (a play based on Esther) by Chris Cragin

Project Paul (a multi-faceted theatrical reaction to the life and writings of the Apostle Paul) by Jonathon Roberts

Love Poem #.5 by Meghan Bechtel

Love Awakened (a theatrical response to Song of Songs)featuring Jessica Cermak and Joie Bauer

Reflections on Water (new works of music, dance and spoken word poetry)

The Cartography Trio at the premiere of The Genesis Project featuring Douglas Detrick

PRoGRAM 2 LIVE EVENTS


SPARK & ECHO TH E BAN D

* Performed 85 concerts

* Reached over 4,000 people

* Recorded two albums

“Nothing l ike this has ever occurred in my l ife before. I am moved and I am grateful to you .” - Rev. Bob

Hochmuth, having received a song based on Psalm 42, commissioned to honor his 63 years in ministry


S pa rk & Ech o th e ba nd co n n e c ts p e o p l e to o u r m i s s i o n by p l ay i ng m us i c f ro m th e p roje ct . Th e ba nd g ives fa ns d i re ct a ccess to t h e c reat ive p r o c e s s b y e n c o u r a g i n g t h e m t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h e c r e a t i o n o f n e w, o r i g i n a l m u s i c . A u d i e n c e m e m b e r s m a y c h o o s e a p a s s a g e a n d c o m m i s s i o n a t r i b u t e s o n g i n h o n o r o f s o m e o n e s p e c i a l .

Through concert tours and presentations at a rts venues, churches and schools , the band is an ambassador for the not-for-prof it Spa rk and Echo Arts , sha ring news , ra is i ng fu nds , a nd connect i ng aud iences to a r t ists . H ea r mus ic at

w w w . S p a r k a n d E c h o B a n d . c o m

PRoGRAM 3 SPARK & ECHO THE BAND


2013 PRojECTED BUDGET

2013 FUnDRAiSinG nEED: $ 4 9 , 470

2013 PROJECTED EXPENSES

Administrative & Fundraising* Staff $ 1 1 , 6 6 0* Other office $ 1 , 7 2 0Sub-Total $ 1 3 , 4 0 0

Programming* Staff $ 4 9 , 1 2 0* Artist Honorariums $ 8 , 0 0 0* Promotion $ 4 , 8 5 0* Live Events $ 4 , 0 0 0* Major Work Development $ 7 , 3 0 0

Sub-Total $ 7 3 , 2 7 0E x p e n s e s T o t a l $ 8 6 , 6 7 0

AnTiCiPATED inCoME* Live Events $ 2 5 , 4 0 0

* Album and Product Sales $ 1 1 , 8 0 0

i n c o m e T o t a l $ 3 7 , 2 0 0

S o m e a r t w o r k s r e s p o n d t o a

s i n g l e p a s s a g e , o t h e r s c o v e r a n

e n t i r e c h a pte r/s e c t i o n . W i t h t h i s

i n m i n d , we h o p e t o i l l u m i n a t e

t h e e n t i r e B i b l e i n 1 5 ye a r s .

nEW WoRK DEvELoPMEnT

74O/O

LivE EvEnTS 5O/O

PRoMoTion (EvEnTS AnD nEW WoRK)

6O/O

ADMiniSTRATivE AnD FUnDRAiSinG

15O/O

““ I do consider the Bible relevant. It provides a theological

and intellectual apparatus that can decipher culture and

show how to live in it and outside it at the same time”

- from Spark and Echo Arts’ anonymous survey of 100 artists


Spark and Echo Arts seeks to be respected in America’s cultural center as a consistent producer of high-caliber work . We wish to foster a community of a rtists that sees the B ib le as re levant, and a network of supporters that f inds equa l va lue in our process and product.

O U R G O A L S F O R T H E N E X T T H R E E Y E A R S

* Attract a steady stream of innovative artists

from diverse backgrounds

* Illuminate 15o/o of the Bible

* Create a database dividing the Bible into 300 themes

and 3,500 potential pieces to be referenced by artists,

staff and sponsors

* Develop a high-performing web presence

so that those researching Isaiah 6, for instance,

will see an original work of art pop up among the

typical biblical commentary

* Secure the personnel and financial means to more

substantially empower artists’ creativity

FUTURE GoALS

After Spark and Echo Arts has illuminated the entire Bible, we will continue the project by creating multiple works for each passage, encouraging a rtists to respond to one another, and the Word , across d iscip l i nes .


HELP US ECHO THE

Churches and individuals who believe in the Bible’s relevance and power must u nabashed ly su ppo r t ou r

* m o s t * i m a g i n a t i v e * a r t i s t s * Donating to Spark and Echo Arts is a simple way to tell artists, “Go, explore the Bible with your gifts to the far reaches of creativity.” Your financial support w i l l ge n e r a te a r t a n d ex p e r i e n ce s t h a t l a s t .

ART i STS - oF EvERY STYLE, D i SC i PL i n E An D BACKG RoU n D - HAvE B EEn G ivEn

TH E PoWER To SHAPE CU LTU RE .

Spark and Echo Arts, Inc. is a recognized 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization in New York City. All donations are 100o/o deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

HOW TO GIVE

* Visit SparkandEcho.org/support

* Send your donation directly to:

Spark and Echo Arts 112 Lincoln Avenue #206 Bronx, NY 10454


SPARK OF THE BIBLE

* $25 SPARK Materials to support an artist’s work

* $100 FIRESTARTER Sponsor a new work from an artist

* $500 ECHO Support a small NYC event

* $750 TORCH Commission a tribute song on a passage

you choose from Spark & Echo the band

Here are some examples of how your donation could be used:

* $1,000 - $5,000 FLAME Create a live, multi-disciplinary event

* $10,000 BONFIRE Empower a year’s worth of artwork

inspired by the Bible!