Art in Heaven

Art in Heaven is an annual competition run since 2004 for students in RE and related areas. It gives a chance to be creative and imaginative about big spiritual or religious questions: It is all about spiritual ideas and students’ imaginative expression. There is a wonderful web art gallery. Last year about 30,000 entered, and some of the best are on show. Teachers and students are warmly invited to join in with their own ‘Art in Heaven’. The closing date is 31st July.

Art in Heaven has five themes for 2011.
The themes are:
Spiritual Words
Stories of Truth?
Journeys
Festive visions
God: Who? Where? How? If?
The entry form can be downloaded from www.natre.org.uk
More details about the themes
God: Who? Where? How? If?

This competition has often asked: where is God? Who is God? Does God speak? This year, all these questions can be part of the theme, and the new focus is on your questions for God: Where are you, God? What do you want me to do? Do you love us all? What are you like? Why are you invisible? How can we find you? Why can’t I find you? Where were you when evil happened? Where are the signs of your love? Are you real, or made up?
What questions would you like to ask God, and how might a person who knows everything and loves everyone reply? This theme is just as much for atheists and agnostics as for believers in different faiths: the atheist may say: ‘Where is God? Nowhere at all.’

Festive visions: Divali and Hannukah, Eid and Easter, Red Nose Day and New Year, the festivals of life erupt in colour, splendour and community in every faith and any life. Students might choose the festival they celebrate, or the one they are learning about and express its key moment, or its big idea with colour and a viewpoint all their own. Festivals are all about vision: the past is visualised and remembered while the future is seen in a visionary way. What is your festive vision? Fireworks or peace? Light, love or All Hallows Eve?

Spiritual journeys: Religious texts are full of journeys: from Eden or Nazareth, to Makkah, Bethlehem, Tarsus, Heaven or Nirvana. Life is seen as a journey in many religions. If life is a journey, then what are the milestones, signposts, guidebooks and service stations on the way? What speeds you up or slows you down? What are the destinations? In this theme, winning work will develop great creative ideas about journeys of faith and life, expressing their own ideas as maps, pathways, roads to freedom or random wanderings.

Stories of truth? Every religion tells stories, but are they true? Do they tell us the truth? For younger pupils, this theme involves taking stories they love from religious traditions and expressing the key moments or ideas artistically. Start with any story: Jacob or Moses, the Guru or the Buddha, the Prophet or http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifthe Christ, stories told of creation, parable, paradox or meaning. Add a question mark and use the stories of faith as starting points for your own ideas about truth. Or explore or question atheist or scientific stories as well as those that come from faith.

Students are invited to plan to make an entry to send in before the end of the summer term – closing date is 31st July. There will be 3 £100 prizes funded by dare2engage for entrants in this age group. A note of up to 400 words in discussing and evaluating the work is an important part of the student’s entry.
For more details

Don’t forget - you can see hundreds of interesting entries and other winners on the web gallery.
Please click on the link for ways to introduce the competition to pupils/students: 1_Enter_Art_in_Heaven_2011.ppt
For further details of the competition, please contact Lat Blaylock: lat(at)retoday.org.uk