MatterCon Recap 2: David Versluis and Kevin Meaux

Last week I was at MatterCon ’09: A Theological Creativity Event featuring Pete Rollins and presented by Shechem Ministries at Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, TX.  I am recapping the event by publishing my notes for your fondest enjoyment.

David Versluis, "Christian Relationships: our relationship with God through Art and Text"

-a painter must fail in Christian art; perfection is not the goal of the Christian artist.
-if you try to copy the Bible you will become a faker.
-God’s world, along with the elements of design, typography, pattern, colors, lines, etc. are all created by God or God’s image bearers and unfolded in time.
-Design geek note:triangular serifs are characteristic of Latin fonts.
-there is something about the physicality of paper that cannot be captured digitally.
-shock is not fitting for liturgical art.
-the artist must be conscious of what the audience is willing to accept within a religious gathering.

Kevin Meaux, Poetry Reading

Kevin read several of his poems from his book Myths of Electricity (I believe) and his notes, as well as a poem published as a broadside with Shechem Press.  Meaux’s poems were absolutely breathtaking and heavy, in the sense that his poetry is much more weighted and stressed then other poets today, who take longer to elaborate and stress musicality more then efficiency.  Meaux’s poems were short, pithy, and condensed—like Ted Kooser’s poetry.  Meaux has the rare ability to write in new and tantelizing ways while rooting his poetry in the poets of the past.  His reading filled the chapel with images of churchyards and electricity.  It is one of the best readings I have been to in a while.