Illuminate Conference

Wednesday, April 3, 7-8:30 pm

This pre-conference presentation by Karen Swallow Prior, not a formal part of Illuminate, is free and open to the public.

Conversion: What Can the Evangelical Movement Teach Us about Religious Transformation?

Evangelicals have been defined throughout their 300-year-old movement by an emphasis on the conversion experience. This emphasis emerged from a number of historical and theological developments that continue to this day. Understanding this history can help us better understand the national religious and cultural landscape of the present.

Registration requested

thursday, april 4, 8-9 am

Doors open for Illuminate! Please stop by the Welcome Desk to sign in and get your lanyard.

Registration Information

You don't need to show proof of registration (email, etc) to the workers at the Welcome Desk. They'll simply check your name off our list or add your name if you're a Southern Adventist University student.

thursday, april 4, 9-10:30 am

Each topic is a standalone session held in its own room. Select sessions* repeated on Friday, April 5, from 4-5:30 pm.

Community Catalysts for Empowering the Marginalized ("Unite" Room)

This discussion addresses the value of having artists placed in the most vulnerable areas of our community to work with a variety of underserved populations. What best practices have been identified for using the visual arts as a tool for engaging and equipping a broken world?

Presenters: Charlie Newton, MFA (Splash Youth Arts); Olga de Klein (Heroes); and Chyela Rowe, PhD (CHI Memorial)

Every Moment Illustrated ("Lead" Room)

"Every Moment Holy" (volumes I-III) are collections of liturgies for the ordinary events of daily life written by Douglas McKelvey and illustrated/designed by Ned Bustard. In this session, Bustard will read excerpts from many of the liturgies and weave in explanations for the symbolism found in a number of the blockprint illustrations.

Presenter: Ned Bustard (artist)

"Hound of Heaven" poem / film Screening and Discussion ("Dream" Room)

The Victorian poem by Francis Thompson has carried considerable influence since its initial publishing; Tolkien even presented a paper on it during a 1914 conference. What is it about this long, challenging poem that endures and inspires?

Presenters: Propaganda (artist, and lead actor in the film); Zach Gray, MFA (Southern Adventist University professor); Jud Lake, ThD (Southern Adventist University professor); and Emily McArthur, PhD (Southern Adventist University professor)

Jazz: The Sound of Hope ("Hope" Room)

The parallels between being a disciple of Christ and a student of jazz music are numerous, and not incidental. We will explore: the perspectives of the archived tradition, how it informs and instructs; the student disciple, how understanding and mastery are acquired; and the informed performance, reflecting individual and corporate statements of testimony and praise.

Presenter: Alan Wyatt, MM (Lee University professor)

Myth and Fairy Tales: Lewis and Tolkien Break the Spell of Modernity* ("Belong" Room)

C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, writing what they liked and working together, used myth and fairy tales to call their readers back to Reality.

Presenter: David Beckmann, MDiv (C.S. Lewis Society of Chattanooga)

Nourishing Young Souls with Beauty ("Focus" Room)

A panel discussion on how parents and educators can incorporate the arts—paintings, music, nature notebooking, poetry, and handicrafts—into daily lessons, whether in the home, school, or homeschool.

Presenters: Sheila Atchley (artist); Joyce McPherson, PhD (Covenant College professor, author); Cindy Rollins (author); and Jeannette Tulis (veteran educator)

Session Resources

thursday, april 4, 11 am - 12 pm

the good life in great books / plenary by karen swallow prior (Sanctuary)

Reading well is a kind of practice for living well—not only through the lessons that books teach, but also through the virtues required to attentively and systematically engage with a story.

Presenter: Karen Swallow Prior, PhD (author)

thursday, april 4, 2-3:30 pm

Each topic is a standalone session held in its own room. Select sessions* repeated on Friday, April 5, from 4-5:30 pm.

A Love Supreme: Coltrane's Epic On the Patience and Power of God ("Hope" Room)

This classic recording is arguably one of jazz music’s preeminent “concept” albums, in which Coltrane focused his artistic themes in response to his spiritual awakening following a near-fatal drug overdose. The sustained tone of solemnity and intensity throughout each recorded performance is unmistakable, inviting its audience to respond with reverence and awe.

Presenter: Alan Wyatt, MM (Lee University professor)

Flannery O'Connor and the Difficulty of Becoming a Christian Reader ("Focus" Room)

In her theology of fiction, O'Connor is convinced that Christian readers are looking for redemption. But she also argues that we don't know how to recognize it when we find it. Is there any hope for us?

Presenter: Jordan Rowan Fannin, PhD (Berry College professor)

Good Words for Good Work ("Lead" Room)

Three words that shape the imagination, remind us of the story God is telling, and keep us faithful to it.

Presenter: Andrew Peterson (author and musician)

How Nature Informs Faith in Mary Oliver's Poetry* ("Unite" Room)

Oliver once wrote, “Maybe the desire to make something beautiful / is the piece of God that is inside each of us.” Through sustained observation and reflection on the natural world, her work often takes readers deep into the mysterious beauties of spiritual life.

Presenter: Daniel Gleason, PhD (Bryan College professor)

Rupture as Invitation: The Generosity of Contemporary Art* ("Act" Room)

How do we look at art we don't like? This talk argues that the friction we might experience when encountering contemporary art can actually be an invitation to contemplation and empathy.

Presenter: Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt, PhD (Covenant College professor)

Wrestling Angels: Recognizing Creative Struggles as Holy Ground ("Belong" Room)

Creators often idealize rare moments of feverish inspiration, and lament the far more common, daily experiences of grinding struggle and disappointment. But what if we’ve been looking at this thing all wrong? What if the roadblocks and “dark nights of the soul” we experience are a vital part of the process of creating expressions of beauty and truth? What if those “forces arrayed against us” offer confirmation that we are indeed about the business of building the kingdom of God?

Presenter: Douglas McKelvey (author and lyricist)

thursday, april 4, 4-5:30 pm

Each topic is a standalone session held in its own room. Select sessions* repeated on Friday, April 5, from 4-5:30 pm.

Blackout Poetry Workshop ("Act" Room)

Create a poem without writing any words. No joke! This form of “found” poetry encourages participants to take an existing printed document–a page from a novel, a song from a hymnal, an article from the newspaper–and birth something new into existence. How? By blacking out selected words and phrases until the remaining verbiage forms a new thought with its own emotional and intellectual reward.

Facilitator: Clarise Nixon, MA (Southern Adventist University professor)

Divining Meaning: Creative Collaboration Workshop ("Focus" Room)

Looking and seeing are not at all the same things. Using his “Subjects with Objects” collaborative project as a case study, author and lyricist Doug McKelvey will explore the process of discerning meanings already inherent in a work, rather than simply imposing one’s own will on a piece. Participants will attempt a “seeing” exercise together, crafting expressions to go along with various paintings.

Presenter: Douglas McKelvey (author and lyricist)

Flesh On Bone: Bringing "Wingfeather Saga" to Life ("Lead" Room)

Crafting an intriguing story is a challenging enough task on its own, but birthing narratives with deeply spiritual messages? Stories created in the method and genre of heroes like C.S. Lewis? That’s a whole other level of responsibility (and anxiety). This session invites insight from the author and an animator of “Wingfeather Saga,” a popular book series and show streaming on the Angel Studios platform.

Presenters: Andrew Peterson (author); Beau Sherman (animator); and Jesse Rademacher, MFA (Southern Adventist University professor)

Narrative Art and Nurturing a Love for Our Enemies ("Belong" Room)

To love our neighbors as ourselves, we must effectively imagine the lives of others. This requires thinking truthfully and compassionately about media because creative works can be used both for dehumanization and rehumanization. We will examine literature, film, television, and music that provide us with opportunities to expand our empathetic imagination.

Presenter: Mary McCampbell, PhD (author)

Printmaking Workshop* (Atrium Lobby)

Experience what it is like to pull a print! Linocut blocks from "Every Moment Holy" and other projects are available for attendees to ink up and apply to paper. All materials supplied; each person will be guided through the process individually. Several blank blocks will be on hand for those who want to both carve and print (takes two sessions). No experience necessary. Limited spots available; sign up on site at the conference.

Presenter: Ned Bustard (artist)

Songwriting workshop, part 1 ("Hope" Room)

Explore principles and practices for crafting effective congregational songs. Participants will learn through experimentation and collaboration as we write a worship song together over the course of two 90-minute sessions (one session per day). Sessions are open to aspiring lyricists and musicians, so bring an acoustic instrument if you want – or just come and actively observe the creative process.

Presenter: Nick Zork, PhD (NYC Church of Advent Hope minister for music and the arts)

thursday, april 4, 6 pm

This event is not a formal part of Illuminate, but conference guests are invited to attend.

Campus Art Gallery Exhibit Opening (Brock Hall)

This BFA student showcase, titled "Insignificance," features drawings and paintings by Southern Adventist University senior Sydney Bischoff. Light refreshments served.

The John C. Williams Gallery is located on the second floor of Brock Hall.

thursday, april 4, 7:30-9 pm

spoken word performance by propaganda (Lynn Wood Hall)

Propaganda is the Thursday night performer at Illuminate. Conference participants will be joined by university students and community guests for this special spoken-word performance in Lynn Wood Hall Auditorium (on the second floor of Lynn Wood Hall).

Friday, April 5, 8-9 am

Doors open for Illuminate, Day 2!

registration (for guests who weren't at conference on 4/4)

New attendees, please stop by the Welcome Desk to sign in and get your lanyard. You don't need to show proof of registration (email, etc) to the workers at the Welcome Desk. They'll simply check your name off our list or add your name if you're a Southern Adventist University student.

friday, april 5, 9-10:30 am

Each topic is a standalone session held in its own room.

A Story Without Seams: Loving Your Fictional World Into Being ("Lead" Room)

To be a fiction writer—or a builder of worlds in some other creative genre—is to weave what is on one level an illusion. But there are untrue fictions, and there are true fictions. To conjure believable fictional worlds, we must take the craft seriously, sewing up the seams of our stories. If we are to love our audience well, we must also wrestle with the moral underpinnings of what we make.

Presenters: Douglas McKelvey (author and lyricist); Rebecca Reynolds (author and publisher)

Finding Home: Wendell Berry on the Sacredness of People and Place ("Belong" Room)

Through Berry’s fiction, poetry, and essays, we see a vision of how the transcendent beauty of creation is known in particularity. For this venerable Kentucky writer, human flourishing is a loving stewardship of people and place, appreciating the spiritual fruit of our embodied existence.

Presenter: Thomas Pope, PhD (Lee University professor)

How Early Reformers Used Art to Clarify Their Theology ("Focus" Room)

As devout Catholics, early Reformers would have engaged in pilgrimages and familiarized themselves with important works, making them art savvy. When they were introduced to Luther’s theology, they were clever in how they created or “quoted” older works of art to propagate their message. This session offers a comparative study between art meant for pilgrims and reformation art.

Presenter: Giselle Hasel, MFA (Southern Adventist University professor)

Music for an Anxious Age ("Hope" Room)

Music sung together is a miraculous medium that is equal parts mystery and medicine.

Presenters: Gennevieve Brown-Kibble, DMA (Southern Adventist University professor); Sarah Tullock, MM (Hamilton County Schools teacher, Carolina Kodály Institute & Kodály Institute at UTC)

Songwriting Workshop, Part 2 ("Act" Room)

Explore principles and practices for crafting effective congregational songs. Participants will learn through experimentation and collaboration as we write a worship song together over the course of two 90-minute sessions (one session per day). Sessions are open to aspiring lyricists and musicians, so bring an acoustic instrument if you want – or just come and actively observe the creative process.

Presenter: Nick Zork, PhD (NYC Church of Advent Hope minister for worship and arts)

Square Halo Gallery: Creating Space for Art Without a Home ("Dream" Room)

For over a decade, the Square Halo Gallery in Lancaster, PA, has been a space for contemporary art inspired by the Christian faith. In this session, the curator of the gallery will show examples of the work of several artists who have been exhibited as well as talk about the highs and lows of running a gallery for art that doesn't fit in the Church or in the Art World.

Presenter: Ned Bustard (artist)

Friday, april 5, 11 am - 12 pm

calling and the kingdom of god / plenary by Andrew Peterson (sanctuary)

The difficulty and joy of walking the way of Jesus.

Presenter: Andrew Peterson (author and musician)

friday, april 5, 2-3:30 pm

Each topic is a standalone session held in its own room.

Humanity's Search for Eternal Values in Global Literature ("Dream" Room)

An expat dentist, a refugee chef, and an alienated coal merchant confront readers with the ache of human homesickness—and suggest an unexpected path toward resolution.

Presenter: Emily McArthur, PhD (Southern Adventist University professor)

Hymn Arrangement and Discussion (sanctuary stage)

What’s the creative approach for taking an existing song and modifying it? Does the listener’s familiarity with a song make this task -- crafting a new arrangement with its own merit -- more difficult than starting a song from scratch? How do you decide which songs are good candidates for fresh arrangements and which theories/tools aid in the musical process of addition and subtraction?

Presenters: Peter Cooper, DMA (Southern Adventist University professor); Matthew Kimbley (Southern Adventist University student composer)

Prayer-Writing Workshop: Liturgy as Legacy ("Lead" Room)

In this interactive session, “Every Moment Holy” author Douglas McKelvey will lead participants through a series of exercises aimed at crafting a liturgical prayer—one that might serve to refocus the petitioner on the faithful stewarding of their own unique gifts. Bring a notebook and pen, or other means of writing, to the session.

Presenter: Douglas McKelvey (author)

Prophetic Imagination in Southern Gothic Art ("Focus" Room)

Southern Gothic art–from Flannery O’Connor and Alice Walker to Howard Finster and REM–prophetically critiques the social structures and cultural Christianity frequently encountered in the Bible Belt. How does this art’s commentary, often in the form of lament, teach us to view our surroundings with more discerning eyes.

Presenter: Mary McCampbell, PhD (author)

Rhythm & Restoration: Therapeutic Drumming's Capacity to Heal ("Hope" Room)

Presenters explore this treatment modality, focusing on its use within a framework of trauma-informed care for youth. The workshop will be heavily experiential ... drums provided!

Presenters: Tatiana Rolles (Youth Villages); Tron Wilder, PhD (Southern Adventist University professor)

The Divine Thread in Movies That Move Us ("Belong" Room)

In this visually driven talk, we explore eternal themes embedded in secular films. Unraveling the universal story of our original connection with God, separation, and eventual reconciliation, this presentation examines scenes to show how filmmakers unintentionally weave this divine thread into the narrative fabric of the most impactful movies.

Presenter: Zach Gray, MFA (Southern Adventist University professor)

friday, april 5, 4-5:30 pm

Each topic is a standalone session held in its own room. Select sessions* are repeats from Thursday, April 4.

On-Campus Archaeology Museum Tour (Meet at "hope" room for shuttle ride)

Southern Adventist University's Lynn H. Wood Archaeological Museum displays more than 200 objects from Egypt, Babylonia, Persia, Syria-Palestine, Greece, Cyprus, and Anatolia. Illustrated through hundreds of photographs, drawings, and pieces of original art, the permanent collection is designed to introduce artifacts in their ancient life setting. Highlights include an ancient Babylonian brick stamped with Nebuchadnezzar's name, a complete series of lamps from the Chalcolithic to the early Arabic periods, handwritten cuneiform tablets from the ancient Ur, and a series of Syrian toggle pins from the Middle Bronze Age.

A van will be available to quickly transport guests across campus from the conference to the museum and back.

Tour Facilitators: Afton Logan and Karis McConnell (museum docents and archaeology majors at Southern Adventist University)

Creative Writing Roundtable / Showcase ("Unite" Room)

Have an original poem or other creative writing excerpt that you’re willing to read? If you’re shy about presenting your own work, but enjoy sharing your favorite authors with others, read a selection that inspires you. Want to simply come and listen? That’s great, too! Limited presentation slots available; sign up on site at the conference.

Facilitator; LaEsha Sanders, MFA (Southern Adventist University professor)

How Nature Informs Faith in Mary Oliver's Poetry* ("Lead" Room)

Oliver once wrote, “Maybe the desire to make something beautiful / is the piece of God that is inside each of us.” Through sustained observation and reflection on the natural world, her work often takes readers deep into the mysterious beauties of spiritual life.

Presenter: Daniel Gleason, PhD (Bryan College professor)

Myth and Fairy Tales: Lewis and Tolkien Break the Spell of Modernity* ("Belong" Room)

C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, writing what they liked and working together, used myth and fairy tales to call their readers back to Reality.

Presenter: David Beckmann, MDiv (C.S. Lewis Society of Chattanooga)

Printmaking Workshop* (Atrium Lobby)

Experience what it is like to pull a print! Linocut blocks from "Every Moment Holy" and other projects are available for attendees to ink up and apply to paper. All materials supplied; each person will be guided through the process individually. Several blank blocks will be on hand for those who want to both carve and print (takes two sessions). No experience necessary. Limited spots available; sign up on site at the conference.

Presenter: Ned Bustard (artist)

Rupture as Invitation: The Generosity of Contemporary Art* ("act" Room)

How do we look at art we don't like? This talk argues that the friction we might experience when encountering contemporary art can actually be an invitation to contemplation and empathy.

Presenter: Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt, PhD (Covenant College professor, author)

friday, april 5, 6-7 pm

For Illuminate guests who have a conference lanyard.

pre-concert dinner on site at performance venue (collegedale community church)

This special meal takes place at the Collegedale Community Church, approximately 5 minutes from campus, in its fellowship hall (left side of church, look for signs).

friday, april 5, 7:30-9 pm

closing concert / performance by andrew peterson (collegedale community church)

Songwriter and recording artist Andrew Peterson is the Friday night performer at Illuminate. This special concert takes place at the Collegedale Community Church, approximately 5 minutes from campus.

Admission to the concert is included as part of the registration fee for those who purchased Illuminate tickets. For any others wishing to attend, a limited number of individual concert tickets are also available.

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Wednesday, April 3, 7-8:30 pm

thursday, april 4, 8-9 am

thursday, april 4, 9-10:30 am

thursday, april 4, 11 am - 12 pm

thursday, april 4, 2-3:30 pm

thursday, april 4, 4-5:30 pm

thursday, april 4, 6 pm

thursday, april 4, 7:30-9 pm

Friday, April 5, 8-9 am

friday, april 5, 9-10:30 am

Friday, april 5, 11 am - 12 pm

friday, april 5, 2-3:30 pm

friday, april 5, 4-5:30 pm

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