Facility workers add the final touches on the art gallery renovation. What has been known previously as a student art gallery will now house the Center for Christianity, Culture and the Arts. CCCA will celebrate its opening with festivities including the dedication and a concert on Metzger lawn. Tomber Su/THE CHIMES
With the goal of reuniting Christianity with the arts by offering exhibits and performances throughout the year, the Center for Christianity, Culture and the Arts launches Friday.
CCCA is meant to be a place to find out what’s happening in the arts at Biola and in the city, Krammes said.
The kick-off event is set to take place from 6 to 10 p.m., with the dedication of the Earl and Green Art Gallery at 7 p.m. The renovation of the art gallery was funded by a $750,000 grant from Howard and Roberta Ahmanson of Fieldstead and Co. in support of faith and the arts. The gallery is named in memory of Roberta Ahmanson’s parents, Earl and Virginia Green.
Following the ceremony, there will be a concert on Metzger lawn featuring five of LA’s legendary musicians: Rique Pantoja, Alex Acuna, Mike Bagasao, Abe Laboriel and Linda McCrary, according to the CCCA launch invitation flyer.
“Ammas: The Paintings of Linnéa Gabriella Spransy,” opening this Friday, is the first exhibit showcased in the gallery since its renovation. Additionally, it is the first exhibit from a non-Biolan artist that the CCCA will feature.
The CCCA hopes to integrate all eight aspects of art — poetry, literature, food, visual art, film, dance, music and theatre — across Biola’s campus, said professor of art Barry Krammes. Though independent from the art department, the CCCA plans to integrate a variety of aspects offered by the world of art from students and staff, as well as some of Los Angeles’ most renowned artists.
“The mission of the CCCA is, first of all, to recover for contemporary Christians a sense of the promise and the prospect of the arts,” said David Nystrom, Biola’s provost and senior vice president.
The CCCA will feature a wide range of events that all fall under the art umbrella, including film screenings, chapels, theater performances, concerts, student ensembles, off-campus excursions and more. The center’s website provides a complete schedule of events for the upcoming semester.
The arts can express Christian truth in perspectives that cause people to reflect in a meaningful way, Nystrom added.
“It gives us the chance to think about and reflect on what it means to be human, and hopefully to connect with the broader Los Angeles community through the arts,” Nystrom said.
Integrating all aspects of art together so that they are not separate but rather in communion with one another creates valuable opportunities for students, said bachelor of fine arts alumna Amanda Rountree.
“It’s the start of breeding cross-discipline communication across Biola,” Rountree said. “I’m really hopeful students will take full advantage of the opportunities they’re providing for upcoming events.”
Senior studio arts major Laura Soto will be featuring an exhibit alongside fellow graduating senior studio arts major Morgan Dixon starting Dec. 9. She is excited for the opening of CCCA and the sophisticated new gallery, Soto said.
“There aren’t a lot of programs I would come back to Biola for after I graduate this semester, but the CCCA seems like they’re starting to engage on a level that expands outside the bubble. That’s intriguing,” Soto said.
