Born and raised in Argentina, Silvina Sironi has used her love of art to catechize young people for almost ten years. She draws and paints, but her primary medium is carved icons.
Nell O’Leary joined Silvina to learn about her new mission in the Word on Fire Institute as the leader of the Art for Evangelists community.
Nell O’Leary: Silvina, please share with us a little about your passion for art, education, and community that you bring to our newly formed Art for Evangelists Community here at the Word on Fire Institute.
Silvina Sironi: Visual arts have always had a place in my heart, even from a very young age. Beauty calls to us and invites us to ponder. There is something powerful about an image that can transmit the radiance of truth in such a way that it helps us to apprehend and believe, even when our minds struggle to fully comprehend. As humans, we are unique in our ability to speak, but also we are unique in our capacity to produce beautiful items. Art and the word are a symbolic way to communicate meaning, and they complement each other. That is why both belong to any truly human endeavor, especially evangelization, where we try to proclaim the Good News of a God who is all good, all beautiful, and all true.
The Community focuses on exploring art through the lens of the beauty of our faith and on sharing participants’ ongoing projects in a workshop-style format. Is it okay to join if you’re not a visual artist? Who is this for?
Absolutely. The Community is not only for artists but for anyone interested in learning more about how artistic endeavor, and beauty in general, can be incorporated into their lives as evangelists, in whichever environment they may be. Teachers, “accidental” graphic designers in charge of parish communications and online presence, those involved in creating beautiful items for liturgical use, parents who want to incorporate beauty into their homes as a way to form their children’s sense of the beautiful—all are welcome!
Beauty calls to us and invites us to ponder.
You have a monthly rhythm for Community members. Can you tell us a little about what people can expect when they join?
I will post every Tuesday morning, sharing the theme and resources for the month and will highlight a different aspect of the central theme each week. Each post will contain some questions to ponder and will be open to comments and questions from everyone.
Once a month, we will have a live meetup focused on knowing each other, sharing current projects for artists, networking, brainstorming, and discussing better ways to evangelize through art.
Why is art so important as a vehicle for transformation of our own hearts and then evangelizing with that love to others?
God created us in his image. This is a mystery we can spend our lifetime pondering. An aspect that shows us that reality is our human capacity to create beauty and order out of chaotic materials and potential. Following the pattern of our liturgy, at the moment of bringing our offering to the altar the artist presents the “fruit of the earth and the work of human hands” to the Lord, so that his presence can be made manifest. Art is a vehicle for the splendor of truth and goodness to shine forth and be seen, much like a light: “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).