Monday, September 13, 2010

CANA HISTORY:VISION:CONNECTION.



CANA is the name of the village where  according to John's Gospel Jesus, turned water into wine at a wedding. CANA also stands for  Christian Artists' Networking Association, and is the  newer (since 2002) name  for the Traditional Media unit of the ICMC.
For over twenty years the TMU, under the leadership  of Kathleen and Bruce Nicholls,  built contacts and connections with artists,media workers and  missions organizations all over the world.
These connections were deepened and strengthened  in different ways: They published a regular newsletter `Symbols and Reality.'
They  organized a number of regional, National and International conferences in India, south East Asia and Eastern Europe, as well as contributed to many similar events in the UK and elsewhere. 


 I  was asked to take leadership of this organization in the early 2000s, and since that time CANA has published newsletters, maintained an ongoing  and growing base of digital contacts, organized three international conferences (SE Asia and Eastern Europe)and continued  to  form and build  relationships with a variety of other like minded international arts organizations. And as I am very much a `learner' when it comes to arts organizations, non profits, ministry and mission, I went back to school (Fuller Seminary) to start to build  learning and relationships  in these areas. I now have an MA in global Leadership.


CANA'S VISION?
To see the arts restored to their rightful place in the glocal church.
CANA'S MISSION?
To learn better ways of connecting and empowering artists.

In the closing years of the 20th century and the opening years of the 21st, the Global Village has grown more connected.  New means of networking and communication have sprung up....and yet the  arts remain  vital to the expression of `glocal' diversity.




The world we live in wants to balance global digital connection 
with respect for this  cultural diversity.

Some talk about `the death of distance'….
but others talk about  `the death of secularism'
as traditional values rub shoulders
with post modern philosophies in cyberspace

We live in an age when most of the Christians,and therefore
 most of the Christian artists live in what some
call(ed)`the two thirds' or `Majority World.'
(and many live in what are now dubbed as `the emerging economies’)

Their concerns and questions,
 are, in many ways,
THE concerns and questions  for us today.

We are coming to understand
the vital role of story, symbol,  image  and metaphor
in giving form  to the expression and communication
of our deepest values. This is true in our own community,
as well as those communities we are reaching out to,
or are reaching out to us.
We believe in artistic excellence.
We also believe in building bridges between
different cultural traditions.
We believe that art, life, idea and practice are woven together
in different ways  in different cultures.
We want to learn from, and be enriched by
 our dialogue with each other.



CONNECT.


Would you like to receive
our SYMBOLS AND REALITY
Newsletter??
Would you like specific information
about what we are planning for the future?
We have held successful conferences in Thailand(02) Bali (05) and Bulgaria (08)
We are in the early planning stages of an  international arts event for 2012.
Would you like to be kept informed of future developments?
Please connect with us and let us know the best way of connecting with you!!

Steve Scott
CANA,
9933 Business Park drive
Sacramento, CA 95827
USA

or
Send us an Email 
info.cana.arts@gmail.com