With a few inexpensive moves to turn bare walls into venues, churches are using visual displays for a range of purposes. Some complement lessons taught in worship (one church asked members to submit art pieces in response to a sermon series on thriving). Others bridge cultural divides with the secular world (such as a show at a Fort Wayne, Ind., church featuring local artists’ creations from discarded objects and materials).
In one indicator, some 400 churches with gallery ambitions have bought “Seeing the Unseen: Launching and Managing a Church Gallery” at $30 per copy, according to Cameron Anderson, executive director of Madison-based Christians in the Visual Arts, which publishes the handbook. A precursor edition didn’t sell as well 10 years ago, even though it listed for only $5.