By John Schuessler

Shortly after she began attending Church of the Redeemer in Kenmore,

Wash., painter Angela Rockett learned that her presence was an answer to the rector’s prayer. “I found a church that was very warm and very

artistic as well,” she said.

The Rev. Canon John Fergueson, rector, found in Mrs. Rockett the skills needed to lead a renaissance of the visual arts. When she arrived a year and a half ago, the church was in transition after sharing its space with a Greek Orthodox congregation for nearly a decade.

Fr. Fergueson, who has been at Redeemer for 24 years, explained the

“visual” history of the church, located in a small town north of Seattle, that has become known as a destination for artists. He described its 1964 building as “a very unique piece of architecture, a

Northwest style building, 40 feet from floor to ceiling with Douglas fir columns — a large box, so you can do all kinds of creative things with it.”

When Fr. Fergueson arrived, the congregation had yet to adapt to the open space. “They still had 7-foot banners, and the church was crammed full of dark brown furniture that had been moved from the old building.”

A group of artists took up the challenge of creating pieces suited to the space, but after a decade, that initial group of artists got tired. Then the Orthodox arrived, with an iconographer, and the two congregations began making icons together.

“We lived with their art. It fit with what we were doing,” Fr. Fergueson said. “Four or five times our Holy Weeks coincided, and in order to use the space, we did things we could do together.”

Now with the leadership of Mrs. Rockett, a committee of nearly a dozen

persons is creating contemporary images on traditional themes. They

meet to plan for the seasons of the church year. Mrs. Rockett does most of the designs.

“It’s not easy to design by committee. I keep everyone involved, but someone needs to set the standard,” she said. Work parties are held as needed to complete the art. Members include quilters, knitters, and an architect who knows how to hang the large pieces securely.

She has advice for other churches attempting the same. Have the rector’s support and have him or her see the concepts before getting too far into a project. Keep communication open, not only with the rector, but with the Altar Guild in order to avoid color clashes with the flower choices. Mrs. Rockett says she also has a good working relationship in exchanging ideas with the organist and choirmaster,

Sheila Bristow, who arrived at the same time.

Mrs. Rockett relies on sermons and adult Christian education classes to provide ideas for the art. For example, the painting and altar frontal for Advent were inspired by the teaching of Fr. Fergueson in a class last fall to prepare the congregation for the season. Conversely, the art sometimes inspires the preaching. Mrs. Rockett recalled Fr. Fergueson pointing many times to the Advent piece in one sermon.

“Faith and art are deeper than the rational, and art opens you to deeper faith,” Mrs. Rockett said. She said parishioners use art as part of their meditative focus. As her husband, a writer, describes it, “at Redeemer, arts are part of the worship, not just decoration.”

Fr. Fergueson said art is about making ancient things speak in new ways.

“My goal is to get people to start thinking about how to express these

classic themes in a contemporary way rather than saying that stuff is passé and not relevant any more. So I open them up, give the background of the seasons, the themes, and these folks kind of run through the opening.”

“These folks” include more than visual artists. Many other art forms

are expressed in the worship life at Redeemer. The Easter Vigil in April incorporated original works by parishioners: a short story about

Israel’s deliverance through the Red Sea, an imaginative essay on creation, and a jazz interpretation of Ezekiel 36:24-28.

The church also is reaching out to the broader community by using some of its other space for an art gallery. A Stations of the Cross exhibit of works by local artists is on display through May 25, and the church has issued a call to artists for a Pentecost exhibit.

Learn in depth about the arts at Church of the Redeemer by clicking here.

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