July Update: Ways to get involved this Summer

Time is flying; I can't believe it’s already July. One year ago today, I sat down at my makeshift home office for my first official day on the job, and took the first steps towards expanding Art House America to Dallas. 

When I think back to all the hopes and ideas I had when we were starting up, Proverbs 16:9 comes to mind: "In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps." While there are still quite a few "steps" we need to take in raising funds and building the physical location, God has been more than faithful in establishing a strong community of folks here in Dallas committed to the vision of Art House.  

If you had asked that day what I thought Art House Dallas would look like on July 5, 2011, I probably wouldn't have pictured having a Programs Director working next to me in our office or two interns working diligently across the hall. Our small team has worked hard to create opportunities for you to connect with others and be encouraged. The updates laid out in our July newsletter are just a few of the upcoming events where we hope you'll join us. For those of you who have been coming to Art House Dallas events for a while and are looking to go deeper in relationships and conversation, I want to encourage you to sign up for Art House Local. Not only will you have the opportunity to discuss Francis Schaeffer's essay Art and the Bible, but you'll develop relationships with folks you can connect and create with right in your neighborhood.

If you have yet to attend an Art House Dallas event, the easiest way to jump in is to attend the next Art House Exchange, our casual pub gathering on July 28th. Right before the Exchange, we'll be hosting our next Dinner with Friends with special guest and Artist Development expert, Michael Blanton of Be Music & Entertainment.  Michael got his start almost 35 years ago doing A&R with Word Records developing a young, unknown musician named Amy Grant. Full of enthusiasm and wisdom, Michael will be coming in from Nashville to share some of the strategies he has used to take talent from a creative hobby to a full time vocation. In order to keep the environment conducive to conversation and questions, space is limited to only 25 guests, so sign up today to reserve your spot at the table!

I am particularly excited about our first Feedback event for Songwriters coming up later this week. Starting out with only 14 spaces available, this event quickly filled up with musicians hoping to meet other songwriters and receive peer review on their latest song creation. For those of you who are looking for peer feedback in an area other than songwriting, stay tuned; we'll let you know about more Feedback gatherings in the Fall.  

For now, we hope that your week is off to a great start and that you had a wonderful Fourth of July weekend. In my opinion, it's hard to beat being out on the lake all day, eating BBQ and watching fireworks. I admit that I often take for granted how incredible it is to live in the United States, but this weekend reminded me how much I have to be grateful for. Among the numerous things I am blessed with, I am especially thankful for your continued encouragement, prayers and support. Here's to another amazing year with Art House Dallas as we plan our course and wait for the Lord to establish our steps.

Jenny White

Executive Director, Art House Dallas

June Update: Art House is Going Local

Dear Friends:

Over the last couple months, I have been thinking a lot about what it means to fulfill our mission of encouraging and equipping ourcommunity to live imaginative, meaningful lives. There is no doubt that our monthly pub gathering, the Art House Exchange, continues to encourage (friends and attendees) by connecting them to new friends and encouraging casual conversations abouttheir creative interests.  I am also confident that last months’ Dinner with Friends series kick-off served as an important equipping moment for musicians to learn how they can more effectively market themselves. As event after event fills up, we become more and more aware of the thirst within Dallas artiststo connect with others pursuing a God glorifying, creative life. This thirst is for more than casual conversation; they long for True community.

I consistently have conversations with and receive emails from people who are so encouraged to hear about Art House because they have felt isolated. Occasionally, they tell me it’s lonely because of the solitary nature of their creative process, but most of the time it’s the fact that they rarely connect with other Christians within their craft.  I think that many of these people would agree with Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s feeling that “the physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer.”

Art House Dallas hopes our community would be a group who inspires creativity AND strengthens each other to be the kind of people that Jesus calls us to be in this world. In an effort to pursue this model of community, we are pleased to present you with a new opportunity to get involved at a deeper level through Art House Local.

After six months of casual conversations at our Art House Exchange, we realized that it was time to create an additional time and space throughout the year for more intentional gatherings where folks can come together to explore the intersection of faith and vocation. Art House Local will provide a more intimate environment to explore deeper conversations, while connecting with people who are pursuing the “Artful Life”-- in your area of DFW and beyond.  In light of the reality that you all lead very busy lives and are not looking for an additional weekly small group, Art House Local will be held quarterly with room for each group to create additional gatherings as they see fit.  Each Local group will be facilitated by two co-hosts who will help guide the discussion around brief excerpts from classical essays foundational to Art House America’s core values. We’ll kick off the first Art House Local with discussions about Francis Schaeffer’s Art and the Bible and an introduction by Charlie Peacock.

I am thrilled at the idea of groups meeting together all over DFW on August 16th for our first Art House Local. It's going be beautiful to watch how God uses diverse groups of individuals with various vocations and gifts meeting under one roof to grow together. We hope that Art House Local will be an avenue for unity of purpose similar to Bonhoeffer’s description of community in Life Together: “the more genuine and the deeper of community becomes, the more will everything else between us recede, the more clearly and purely will Jesus Christ and his work become the one and only thing that is vital between us.”

We would love for you to join us in this endeavor and also pray with us that this next step for Art House Dallas would bring about new relationships, fresh creativity and a place to know Jesus more deeply.

Reflection on Dinner with Friends

Dinner with Friends connects artists to insights and each other

I didn’t know what to expect when I walked into the Molly Maguire’s in East Dallas Thursday night. Weeks before a friend mentioned Art House Dallas was putting on an event for musicians on marketing and self-promotion. That topic, along with the prospect of good food, was enough to get me in the door. After four hours of challenging presentations, stimulating conversation, and soul-restoring fellowship, I was sold. I felt like I’d finally found my people.

The dinner was the first of it’s kind. Art House Dallas launched the program series to engage and equip local artists in a variety of vocational interests. They began with a focus on the music community, and the response was impressive. The sold-out event hosted a variety of musical artists from songwriters to band members to beat builders. The combination of beginners, established artists, and industry pro’s proved a perfect formula.

Trey Bowles of Trivate Entertainment and Vannessa Warren from Butterfly Sparks were kind enough to stop by and share a wealth of information. They spoke authoritatively about understanding music as a business, provided insights into booking and management, stressed the importance of brand and story, encouraged the use of social media in online marketing, and reminded attendees to make good art and foster relationships with fans.

Following the presentations, tables were bussed, doors were opened, and even more area artists poured in to attend the no-cost Art House Exchange. I wound up in a lengthy conversation with a couple of musicians, one a singer/songwriter/band leader, the other a worship band member, about how aging churches maintaining cavernous facilities in transitional communities could team up with bands looking for venues outside of the traditional club circuit. Had the three of us stayed till midnight we were fully convinced we could have solved all the world’s ills.

That’s what Dinner with Friends offers area artists: the chance to connect with valuable insights from industry pro’s, and each other. The only surprise is how quickly the event achieved its aim, and then exceeded it.

No one wants to be alone. We’re all made for relationships. One could contend that creatives need even more chances to connect with their peers than those outside of the visual, performing, and literary arts. Navigating the grayish waters at the intersection of art and faith can be tricky, and it’s tough to go it alone. Art House Dallas’ intentional effort to cultivate community with outreach like Dinner with Friends is guaranteed to get results. 

Dialogue such as this may be happening at a hundred other places on a random Thursday night in Dallas, but if it is, I don’t know anything about it. I don’t know what the next Art House Dallas event is going to be, but I am certain of this: I will be there, and I hope you will join me.

Joshua Seth Minatrea is a Dallas-area thinker and creative. His aim is to gain and give space, time and direction for creation. He has never been bored. Real books, espresso-based beverages and pocket-sized reporter Moleskines® are a few of his favorite things.

The Art House Dallas Song Project: a Recap and Reflection

Art House Dallas recently hosted a Song Project, a day-long gathering of music and conversation. The focus of the event was to inspire songwriters to faithfully tell the stories of God at work in the world, and no less important, to weave their words with music that reflects the emotion and narrative arc of the stories. Many good people were involved as participants and mentors included Brent Bourgeois, Kate Miner, Josh Jenkins, Christopher Williams, and Patrick Ryan Clark. Thanks to everyone who contributed muscle and imagination to get it done. I'm especially grateful to our Dallas Executive Director, Jenny White, and her team of volunteers spearheaded by Marissa Miller. Thanks also to Eventbrite for sponsoring our delicious Mexican lunch.

Art House America is rooted in the Jewish/Christian belief and practice of a personal God. We believe that God has come to help his people through the person and work of Jesus. We lean into this and place our faith in a God who is with us, not against us. Songwriters who hold to this idea ought to be in the business of watching and listening for the stories of God at work in the world, including in our homes, friendship circles, and wider communities. The Song Project was designed to be a gentle reminder of this reality.

Anyone can use religious language and frame it in a preferred musical style. True artists, however, sing stories of God, people, and the world in which we live, and they seamlessly integrate music and lyric as an organic whole. If belief about God and reality isn’t seamlessly woven into my life, I shouldn’t expect it to be seamlessly woven into my songwriting. As a young songwriter and follower of Jesus, I looked to the Bible for some clarity about lyric and storytelling in general. The Jewish/Christian story of God, people, and place is collected together in the Bible — actually 66 short books, 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New.

Photo: Stephen Rhodes

Like any story the Bible has a beginning and end. In the beginning, God is creating (Genesis 1:1). By the end of the story He’s re-creating — making everything new again (Revelation 21:1-5). In the space between, it’s a long, twisting, messy trek of glory and shame, filled with small stories, sermons, genealogies, prayers, letters, songs, poems, and proverbs of every conceivable style. They incorporate every literary device from hyperbole to alliteration, and acrostic to stream-of-consciousness. The subject matter is the whole of life, hellish and heavenly. The rhythms of God, people, and planet cross and double-cross with a noisy racket. The creative beauty of God’s handiwork is mixed together in the same history with a fat king named Eglon, who was murdered by a left-handed man named Ehud. There are even stories for people who cannot see God at work, who openly question whether He exists to bring help to his people. If this is you, you’re in good company with history and the musician/shepherd/king David. This lyric, among many like it, has been attributed to the Jewish king:

My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me,

so far from my cries of anguish?

(Psalm 22:1)

Photo: Stephen Rhodes

By looking at the Bible, those of us gathered in Dallas remembered together how songs and stories are deeply connected to daily life. Using the imagination does not exclude using the stories of our interaction with God, people, and place. We can and ought to embrace an ocean of possibilities for our music and lyric. Throughout the event we tried to communicate that songwriting is not about sacred or secular, vertical or horizontal, modern worship or hymns, crossover or church, liberal or conservative. There is something deeper at stake. For anyone who is serious about having a songwriting life inspired by Jesus, it’s time to deal with what He is interested in — everything. This means people seeking God in a more beautiful, faithful way of living which is holistic in scope — beyond pietism to a true rightness, the rightness revealed in the person of Jesus and all that concerns Him. Not an American Christianity, left or right, Republican or Democrat, but instead, an adoration of Jesus and His ways of being human. The way of Jesus gives sufficient direction for being and doing and the promise of renewal in all things: the God/human relationship, relationship to each other, to the earth, music and the arts, agriculture, business, education, politics, recreation, communication, science — literally everything. Songwriting is made faithful by following where Jesus leads.

Is He leading some to care for victims of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan? Tell the story in song. Is He saving and bringing back to life your neighbor’s sick child? Tell the story in song. Is He leading you toward good imaginative, creative work? Is He giving you good things, food, laughter, sex, and marriage? Tell the story in song. Is Jesus present in the thanks and prayers of his people? Tell the story in song. Is He seemingly silent, nowhere to be seen? Tell the story in song. Do all this and much, much more with music that is winsome, emotive, honest, earthy, transcendent, and rich in depth and nuance. This is true music for people who profess to be active participants in this old Jewish/Christian story of God, people, and place. Everything else is copying, faking, buying, and selling.

Charlie Peacock and his wife, Andi Ashworth, are Co-Founders/Executive Directors of Art House America. A Grammy-Award winning record producer, Charlie has worked with The Civil Wars, Switchfoot, Sara Groves, and more. He is the Sr. VP of A&R for Twenty Ten Music. Recent Film/TV music credits include The Rabbit Room starring Nicole Kidman, MLB Promos, Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars, and the NBC Friday Night Movies (The Jensen Project, A Walk In My Shoes). Upcoming films include Something Borrowed starring Kate Hudson and Searching For Sonny starring Minka Kelly.

Stories and Songs

When we first started talking about an Art House Dallas launch, we knew it needed to include three aspects: good food, live music, and opportunities to gather our Dallas friends for meaningful conversations. We imagined a handful of Dallas artists and Art House America supporters would meet together for a couple of hours to talk about what it looks like to live an “artful life.”

God imagined something much bigger for Friday, October 15, 2010.

What started as a small afternoon gathering turned into a breakfast with the Art House Dallas Creative Council, lunch and live music followed by a stellar music panel, and an evening of stories and songs. By the end of the day, more than 300 people had been introduced to the newest work of Art House America in Dallas.

Below are a few images of that "EAT : MEET : GREET" event. We are so grateful to Sandra McCracken and Sleeperstar for coming out to play music and support Art House Dallas, along with Joy Willams, Nate Yetton, Jillian Edwards, Josh Jackson, Kate Miner, and Cary Pierce who offered great insights on the music panel.

Art House Dallas's Executive Director, Jenny White, takes the stage.

Checking out the Art House Dallas brochure for the first time.

Sandra McCracken performing live.

Charlie Peacock introducing the music panel participants: (L to R) Kate Miner, Nate Yetton, Joy Williams, Josh Jackson, Sandra McCracken, Cary Pierce, and Jillian Edwards.[All "EAT : MEET : GREET" photographs by Ann West, who blogs at Dollop.]

The Art House team is still reveling in the beauty of the "Stories and Songs" evening at the Reeves’ residence. After all the guests cleared out, we sat on scattered chairs and the living room's wooden floor, which only minutes earlier had been filled with lively conversations and acoustic performances. While munching on the last few scrumptious petits fours appropriately decorated with music notes, we discussed our favorite parts of the evening: the perfect temperature outside to enjoy a delicious meal, sharing the Art House Dallas video with many people for the first time, and our favorite songs by Jillian Edwards, Nick Chatham, and Joy Williams.

But we all agreed that the most amazing part of the evening was the incredible group of people that joined us to celebrate the launch of Art House America's expansion to Dallas. The packed house certainly affirmed the good things that God has in store, and we are grateful for everyone who attended and has now become part of the story; it has only just begun.

Sam Ashworth and Joy Williams rehearsing.

Art House Dallas dinner al fresco.

Art House Dallas leadership: Brad Reeves and Jenny White.

Native Dallasites: Jillian Edwards and Kelsey Walker performing at "Stories and Songs."

Art House America Co-Founders: Andi Ashworth and Charlie Peacock. [All "Stories and Songs" photographs by Mark Nicholas.]

In addition to building a creative community of people, Art House Dallas’s primary focus over the next nine months will be to raise the necessary support to physically build the new Art House Dallas space — "A place where good can happen," as Art House America co-founders Charlie Peacock and Andi Ashworth would say. We can hardly wait to provide people with a place to attend events, lectures, and vocation groups to connect others with those who love what they love.

Our greater hope is that the presence of Art House in east Dallas will do more than just facilitate conversations and convene creative community. In efforts to encourage and equip individuals, we have confidence that corporately we will be a community whose gifts and creativity work together for the common good of Dallas and beyond.

We would love for you to stay connected with us and learn about opportunities to get involved:

1. Follow us on Twitter.

2.Join the Art House Dallas Facebook group. Check out more of the event photos (courtesy of Ann West) in the Facebook album and tag yourself so we can keep connecting faces with names.

Jenny White is a native Texan who recently returned from a 5-year adventure in Washington, D.C. She serves as the Executive Director of Art House America’s new location in east Dallas, where she loves drinking coffee at the Pearl Cup, going to concerts at Granada Theatre, cycling around White Rock Lake, and cooking in her tiny kitchen.

Dallas: Coming Full Circle

I’ve been thinking a lot about those moments when life comes full circle. I’m not talking about births and deaths, but about all the small circumstances in between that serendipitously bring us right back to where we started — oftentimes when we least expect it. 

Earlier this summer, I was sitting at the Great White Table in the Art House kitchen munching on Andi’s highly addictive freshly toasted pecans and sipping on watered-down Simply Lemonade. Charlie and I were taking a break from planning Art House Dallas and talking about one of his own recent experiences with life coming full circle. 

This particular story involved a trip to Los Angeles and an unexpected reunion with his favorite 1976 Fender electric piano — one he had sold as a young musician trying to cover rent. The most amazing part of the story was not the number of years that had passed (32), or the distance the piano had traveled (from Northern California), but the location in which he was reunited with this beloved instrument (a garage). It turns out that three guys from The Daylights, a band he had been working with the last two years, had acquired the piano through a friend and wanted to show Charlie their new addition, not knowing it had once been his.  

Like a time machine, this experience transported Charlie to past years and the magnificent way his circumstances were woven together for his good: as a musician, husband, father, producer, and now advisor to these talented young musicians not so different than he was when he first laid eyes on that Fender piano. 

I love that our Creator would use a reunion with a vintage instrument to remind Charlie (and all of us) of the amazing ways He leads and shapes us over the years through His beautiful and creative control over every detail in our lives. Every step. Every relationship. Every possession. Every dream. Every plan.

Charlie’s story deeply resonates with me because I am a planner. It’s in my Type-A, independent, middle-child blood. I’m especially guilty of believing I have “creative control” over my life story, often forgetting the fact that this is my Creator’s specialty.

Almost two years ago exactly, I entered the Art House for the first time. Like someone who had been there a hundred times before, I came in through the kitchen door and sat down at the Great White Table (the best place in the house). I had recently made the career transition from politics to entertainment through my job with the Wedgwood Circle and our team was in Nashville to help co-host a musician retreat at the Art House.

Maybe it was the amazing aroma of the food Andi was preparing at her new Wolf range, or the fact that I felt so welcome in a home I had just stepped into thirty minutes prior. But as I sat at the Great White Table, I knew that my jump from the White House to the Art House was no mistake. At that moment I felt like I had hit the jackpot.

After only a short time I realized that Andi and Charlie were kind of like Walt Disney, creating a magical place of learning and laughter, full of fellowship and delicious food. They provided a place where we could all let go of our busy lives to rest, making room for long conversations with new friends and fishing adventures at the river flowing behind their house. As far as I’m concerned, it was my Magic Kingdom.

I had never before seen a place where hospitality, music, learning, cooking, and discipleship all came together in perfect harmony. I could almost hear Julie Andrews in the background singing, “These are a few of my favorite things.” Actually, they are all of my favorite things. I saw a picture of the kind of life I wanted to lead, a vocation that I didn’t even know existed. Andi calls it the “art of caring” and I was hooked from the first time I sat down at her kitchen table. 

This was the first of two pivotal moments that would eventually lead me to where I am now. I returned to real life in Washington, D.C., and what I didn’t recognize as a particularly meaningful story began to unfold.

Within six months, Wedgwood Circle instituted a new 501(c)(3) branch of their organization, which I would be running. The aim of this non-profit was to encourage and equip artists and patrons. Coincidently (or not) one of the greatest supporters of this mission and a board member at Wedgwood Circle was a Dallasite named Brad Reeves. 

It was at this fine gentleman’s house in Dallas that the second of two pivotal moments occurred: I once again found myself sitting across the table from Charlie Peacock. Little did I know that part of his journey to the Lone Star State involved scouting potential venues for a new Art House location. In my hometown.

I was excited to update Charlie on the progress at Wedgwood, especially some of our new ideas that developed as a direct result of my time spent at the Art House: a host family network for musicians, another artist retreat, and meals for artists traveling through town. These were the very concepts that excited and motivated me at my job at Wedgwood, which is why it seemed perfectly normal in that moment to tell Charlie how inspired I was by his work at the Art House. I added (not realizing the power of my next sentence) that I was enjoying my job so much that the only project that would ever tempt me away from Wedgwood would be working for Art House. That animated the imaginations of Charlie and Brad and led to an idea. That led to a conversation. That led to a job offer. That led to a move. That led to Art House Dallas.

Two weeks ago, I returned to the Great White Table. Right back where it all started. My great Full-Circle moment. I had sat at that kitchen table many times during this particular Art House Dallas planning trip, but as I watched Andi cooking beef stew in the kitchen, I was struck by the amazing ways that God loves to creatively bring us full circle in life. Not just back to a table where I first caught this vision, but back to my hometown to carry out this vision for an organization that I love. With people that I love. In a city that I love. 

Here’s to a whole new chapter of giving up creative control to see what God does next.  I’ll keep you posted. 

Jenny White is a native Texan who recently returned from a 5-year adventure in Washington, D.C. She serves as the Executive Director of Art House America’s new location in East Dallas, where she loves drinking coffee at the Pearl Cup, going to concerts at Granada Theatre, cycling around White Rock Lake, and cooking in her tiny kitchen. She is still in search of a Great White Table of her own.

To learn more about Art House Dallas or to share a big (or small) full-circle moment in your life, contact her at jenny.white@arthouseamerica.com.

Creative Community For The Common Good

A few weeks back I was privileged to sit with trustworthy friends and wrestle, yet again, to find the smallest, most potent words to describe what Art House means. This kind of exercise has played out many times in the last twenty years. We’ve been trying to put our vision into words since we first imagined the place and purpose that became The Art House home in Nashville, and our non-profit, Art House America. As we like to say, the name Art House designates place, while Art House America is an organizational title.

The new batch of language-tinkering was precipitated by a vision for an Art House Dallas. Specifically, an Art House in the Munger Place historic district. New, enthusiastic hearts from Dallas had entered the Art House America story. We needed to be of like mind and mission. In Nashville, we don’t get asked, "What is Art House?" as often as we used to. If you embody something for twenty years, it takes a little of the burden off explanation.  

Our Dallas team, though — folks like Jenny White, Brad Reeves, and Kate Miner — are going to have to use words, at least for a little while. So we came up with a new answer to the question, “Tell me, what’s the Art House about?”

It’s about: Cultivating creative community for the common good — encouraging everyone to live imaginative and meaningful lives.

That’s as true a description as we’ve ever come up with. I like it.  

I’m from Sutter County in northern California. That’s farmland. I know something about cultivation. It’s about setting the stage for good to happen. If you respect the soil, you increase your chances of bearing good fruit. A farm is nothing if not a creative community of people bringing good things into being that did not exist before. It’s done for the good of all. When a peach goes to market, it’s no respecter of persons. It exists for the common good. A peach’s desire for you is simple: eat, enjoy, be enriched, and nourished.

Like a farm that nurtures good health, Art House America is in the business of cultivating creative people who bring good health to people and planet. Sometimes these creative people are artists in the most traditional sense — makers of music, theater, films, dance, paintings, and metalwork. You know the kind. With the word “art” in our name you know we take this seriously. Just as important, though, is our work of encouraging everyone, in everything, to live imaginative and meaningful lives. We really do believe that every human being is made to be a creative contributor, to play his or her role in the artful, meaningful life of caring for people and planet. We really do believe, along with C.S. Lewis, that the imagination is the “organ of meaning,” and that its fruit is creativity of every kind.   

What’s the Art House about? It’s about: Cultivating creative community for the common good — encouraging everyone to live imaginative and meaningful lives. Good start, Dallas! You’re on your way.

To reach Charlie directly: charlie.peacock@arthouseamerica.com

To inquire about Art House Dallas: arthousedallas@arthouseamerica.com

Charlie is a record producer, Sr. VP of A&R for Twenty Ten Music, and Co-Founder of Art House America.

April Update: Imagining More Than We Know

Dear Friends:  

As I'm looking at the calendar, I am amazed that we are already in April. Even more surprising is the fact that tomorrow marks six months since we officially launched Art House Dallas. I remember standing on the stage last October, sharing pieces of our vision. Our words were merely the first draft to a story which would eventually take on new characters, places, and plot lines over the next six months. 

Wendell Berry, the great American writer and activist, once said: "In the effort to tell a whole story, to see it whole and clear, I have had to imagine more than I have known." As the Director of Art House Dallas, I have the privilege of watching many of our imaginings begin to unfold. 

I imagined more gatherings like our launch party where creatives could come together and be encouraged. I didn't know our Art House Exchange events would fill the back room of Molly Maguire's pub month after month with amazing people hoping to connect and create. 

I imagined equipping a small number of songwriters to write music for the common good. I didn't know we would have a sold out Song Project with 60 songwriters gathered together to learn how to tell stories about God's beautiful work in their lives.

I imagined a place where this community with so many talents, hopes, and ideas could have a place to create, converse and carry out their God given vocations. I didn't knowI would be sitting with an architect six months later looking at the first draft of drawings for this place of purpose.

As Ephesians 3:20 reminds us: "Glory belongs to God, whose power is at work in us. By this power he can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine." 

Yes, there are so many parts in all of our stories that remain hidden from us, but we can rest in the fact that our Creator sees each of our story "whole and clear."  Thank you for being with us for the first six months of our story. We take joy in these milestones which allow us to look back and see God working mightily in our midst. I hope you'll continue along with us in this journey of imagining and waiting expectantly for God to provide. 

Grace and Peace,

Jenny White

Executive Director

March Update: "The Darkest Hour is Just Before Dawn"

Greetings from Dallas, where it is 75 degrees and the blossoms are bursting out of their buds with enthusiasm. We made it through the winter.The cold, dark days are brightening and Creation gently reminds us of our hope; that our Creator is "making all things new."

I spent the end of last week in Nashville with the rest of the Art House America board for our annual Meeting.  We sat comfortably around the table at the Art House, enjoying Andi's homemade granola and thanking God for the good work He has carried out over the last year in Nashville, Dallas and beyond. As we planned for the future of Art House, Japanese citizens watched their plans for their future crushed by the devastating earthquake and tsunami. Like so many of you, the images flashing across the television make us feel small and powerless to help. I am so thankful that we serve a God who has given us imagination and creativity to carry out His renewing work and that we do not have to standby paralyzed with discouragement at the broken world we live in. 

The power of creativity is never so important or relevant as in times of tragedy. So often we relegate the idea of creativity to that of paint on a canvas or lyrics in a song. Yet, what is more creative than what the 50 Japanese workers are were trying to accomplish inside the nuclear plants to come up with innovative strategy to stop toxic radiation. We honor these men and women whose sacrificial offering of creativity goes so far as to give their own lives to save the health of their fellow citizens.  Many of us will never be called to offer that kind of creativity, but we ARE called to use the gifts God has given us to inspire the world with hope. Whatever our gifts may be, we have an amazing opportunity to keep telling the stories of how our Creator is at work in our lives, making all things new.

One of America's best singer/songwriter's, Emmylou Harris, wrote that "the darkest hour is just before dawn." During this time of tragedy, lyrics like these remind us of the unique power music has to speak truth and hope to a watching world. Last month, Charlie spent the day with 60 musicians in Dallas to encourage songwriters to write music which tells good stories of God at work. I hope that you will check out the Song Project video (http://vimeo.com/20619966) to be encouraged by how God is working in the hearts of songwriters in Dallas and beyond. Our greater hope is that through the Song Project and other Art House America events, we will be a creative community writing stories and songs like Emmylou  which give hope to our souls. 

Keep up the good work of creating and telling good stories with your life. Our world needs it now more than ever.

Grateful to be on this journey with you!

Jenny White

Executive Director

February Update

Hello friends:

The new year is off to a great start for Art House Dallas and there is already so much to be thankful for. We have been busy meeting with studio designers, musicians, producers, and other talented folks who are helping us plan the new Art House space in East Dallas.

Yesterday, I was walking with a friend through the raw space and imagining what might be happening a year from now in the newly renovated space... musicians recording their next album, a small group of songwriters meeting in the living room to come up with new lyrics, and young music students down the hall learning to play guitar for the very first time.  While we are waiting for these dreams to become a reality, we are not waiting for Art House renovations to be complete before we start building up the creative community in Dallas. From events like our monthly Art House Exchange (read about the 1st Exchange below) to our first annual Song Project, we hope to provide many avenues to encourage and equip people to use their creative gifts for the common good of our city.

Thanks for being a part of our story by attending Art House events, volunteering your time and praying for our future endeavors.  I look forward to keeping you posted on the good work that God is doing here in Dallas.

Take care!

Jenny White
Executive Director