Giving Tuesday, 2023
Dear Vita Poetica friends,
A Banner in the Wilderness//Moses was a Wizard (Ex. 17) by Scott Aasman. 2022. Digital drawing. Published in the Summer 2023 issue of Vita Poetica.
Where do you turn for comfort and hope in these unsettling times? For many artists, the act of making something out of nothing — a reflection of our own Maker — is a powerful journey of healing, faith, and transformation. It is a turning toward life, and by sharing what we make, we turn toward connection with others. In that shared experience, we know we are not alone.
We find this throughout this year’s issues of Vita Poetica, from Matthew James Babcock’s “Praise Be” to Jen Schneider’s “on time and quiet passings :: fly monarch(s) fly,” to Maura H. Harrison’s depiction of dead bugs on the bumper of her car. Terri Brown-Davidson reminds us that Frida Kahlo painted while “On My Back in Bed.” In “How to Walk in Space: Untethering,” Joel Peckham likens the passing of a loved one to those “first spacewalkers stepping out from the hatch,” full of “both terror / and delight.” And our continual offerings of creative-contemplative practices, a feature unique to our journal, draw upon the life-giving power of creativity and the reminder that we are part of something larger than ourselves.
Though this work of touching spirits can seem nebulous and abstract, in the reality of daily life, an artist's day is filled with tools to care for, supplies to replenish, invoices to pay, and all the behind-the-scenes details that make for the effortless grace and seamless experience we aspire to bring to others.
So this Giving Tuesday, we want to invite you behind the scenes to become part of our process. In these weeks before the year’s end, we’re requesting donations to help sustain our efforts and help us grow. For some time now, we’ve had the intention to start a membership space that supports artists of faith, with a directory and discussion boards. We’ve also discussed the possibility of putting out an annual print anthology. The limitations of time and resources have delayed us, but we hope to forge ahead with some of these projects in the near future. And we can't do so without your support.
Simply as a guide, we have outlined below what a specific donation amount can fund. But any amount you’re able to give is welcome and greatly appreciated.
$25 gives a year’s Vita Poetica membership (a feature soon to come) to an artist of faith
$50 funds one editor's quarterly stipend
$75 pays for an ad listing
$100 provides an honorarium for a workshop teacher
$300 covers our submissions management service for a year
$500 funds an online membership platform (forthcoming) at the basic level for one year
$1000 covers exhibitor and travel fees for an art & faith conference
$2000 funds a single print run of 100 copies of a print anthology
As readers and supporters of Vita Poetica, you share our belief in the value of the unseen. Your gift helps us, and other artists of faith, make the unknowable present and palpable in the world. We are truly grateful for your support, today and throughout the year.
With deep gratitude on behalf of the Vita Poetica team,
Julie Wan
Co-Founder & Board Chair
Vita Poetica
Shedding by Lucy Bell. 2023. 36 x 48 in. Oil on canvas. Published in the Summer 2023 issue of Vita Poetica.
