FIRST FRUITS

JANUARY 14 - FEBRUARY 1, 2019

a Traveling Exhibition by CIVA

The entire Judeo-Christian narrative is filled with images of feasting, fruitfulness, and faithful labor. This exhibition explores the concept of “first fruits”, an ancient tradition of sacrificial yielding back to God the best portion of life’s blessings in gratitude. 24 Contemporary artists from around the country have undertaken the task of reflecting this idea in literal, metaphorical, personal, historical, and cultural contexts.

CIVA thanks Joel Sheesley for serving as the juror for this exhibition, a daunting task given the unusually large number of submissions. Sheesley is a painter and Emeritus Professor of art at Wheaton College. He currently works with The Conservation Foundation in northeastern Illinois, painting the Fox River Valley landscape, where he contributes a valuable aesthetic dimension to the foundation’s overall concern for environmental education. Joel’s paintings have been exhibited widely and upcoming shows for 2016-2017 include the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, Michigan; the Lubeznik Center for the Arts, Michigan City, Indiana; and the Walford Galleries at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois.

CIVA stands for Christians in the Visual Arts. It is an American visual arts organization working to enhance and explore the relationship between Christian faith and the visual arts. It was founded in 1979.