The annual art symposium seeks to address the impact of technological advances on the art industry and whether technology has affected human creativity.
“The Digitization of the Christian Imagination” conference on Saturday, hosted by the Center for Christianity, Culture and the Arts, will examine challenges and opportunities ignited in recent years by the digital revolution. Five artists with experience in the field of media and visual technology will share their experiences of being entrepreneurs in their field.
“The digital revolution in many instances has knocked out the middle man. Suddenly, artists are finding themselves as entrepreneurs, or as the direct source for their creative output,” said Barry Krammes, professor of art and director of the CCCA.
A SHIFT IN FAME
The inspiration for the conference came from “PressPausePlay,” a documentary discussing whether technology is advancing or hindering artists, and an article by The Atlantic on the transition of the artists’ image to a creative entrepreneur.
“Suddenly anyone can make a film, anyone can be a photographer, anyone can publish a book and be self-published, and in some instances a person can be catapulted from obscurity to some sort of a recognizable force,” said Krammes.
Many art classes on campus discuss the impact of technology on artists, said Dan Callis, professor of art and art department interim chair.
“It’s something that we talk about in our department, but still don’t get to see it played out in different sets of practice, so to see someone who that’s their primary practice to come and present––I’m very excited about that,” Callis said.
COMPACT AND CONSISTENT
Last year’s conference, Razor’s Edge, discussed how micro-narratives fit into a Christian context. In previous years, the annual arts symposium was spread out over three days. However, this year’s conference takes place throughout one day in hopes of making the event more compact and consistent.
“We would like to make it a more reasonable length of time, and then people can really have a wonderful experience in a compact way,” Krammes said.
A LACK OF AWARENESS
Despite advertising efforts by the CCCA, many students have not heard of the conference. Moses Sambo, junior communications major, does not plan on attending the conference because he had not previously heard of the event.
“I think if I knew a little bit more about what’s going on I would, but for me it’s just an art show with just some concert that I haven’t seen yet or heard much about it. This is actually my first time seeing this,” said Sambo.
However, Lindsey Reed, junior music education major, said she wishes that she could attend the conference if did not have a busy schedule.
“I know in the churches, art isn’t always something that is as really seen as a positive way to share the gospel with people or to impact people in a positive way for Christ, so I think that it’s really great that Biola’s doing something like this,” Reed said.
The all-day conference is free to students and the general public. Over The Rhine, a folk music band, will host a concert at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. The concert is free for students but $10 for the general public to attend.
