NEWS: UNIVERSITY EVENTS: AT THE INTERSECTION OF ART, HISTORY AND FAITH
At the Intersection of Art, History and Faith
Mar 11, 2010
Combining his passion for art and history with his commitment to ministry seems natural for student association vice president Preston Cottrell, but a few years ago it looked as though he was throwing away the chance of a lifetime.
After completing high school at an art magnet school in Florida, Preston’s path seemed clear: professional art school—one school offered him a full scholarship—then a career in art or design.
Instead, Preston went to college to study history, with an eye to be a history professor. “I went to the Honors Symposium at Harding [in Searcy, Ark.],” he notes, “and enjoyed seeing how professors had both a Christian and intellectual side to them.”
At first blush the move from art to history may seem jarring, but he sees two important connections: observation and creativity. “People miss the important subtleties in life,” Cottrell says. For him, great art displays those subtleties, in the same way good history fleshes out the story of the past. “I want to see the subtleties of life around me,” he says.
But seeing life’s details is not enough.
Whether art or history, “if it doesn’t connect to the culture around me, it can only go so far.” The creative process of connecting what he observes with those around him informs his art and his academic pursuit. Both art and history combine observing the details and communicating them creatively.
So where does Harding Graduate School fit into his story? “I’ve always been interested in Christianity and Spirituality,” he says. “And I had a second major in vocational ministry.” After some of his undergraduate professors recommended he look into Harding Graduate School, Preston attended a campus preview event.
He was skeptical. “I had understood that an intellectual pursuit and ministry were mutually exclusive,” he notes. “I feared coming to the Graduate School would cap off my academic side.” What he found surprised him.
The first thing he noticed was that the recruiting process was about discernment. “There was a dialogue. There was a desire to know me.” In addition, the connections he saw between study and Christian life intrigued him: “I realized that the professors and students don’t have a vision of separating their ministry from their academics.”
“[The students and professors] had an authenticity to them that made their academics a part of their real lives.” What he experienced was enough for him to come as a student seeking the M.A. with an emphasis in Historical Theology.
Not surprisingly, observation and creativity have played a significant role in his studies and his growth as a student. “Looking at Scripture and exegesis—those are observation. Applying what we see, patterning our lives after the image of Christ—that is creativity.”
“God is creative,” he reminds us. “I have seen that when ministers fail to see God creating anew in their ministries, they lose energy.” Since God is creative, observation is necessary to discern where he is working and transforming.
Cottrell has found ways to weave together the three strands of his academic career in his thesis, which explores the parallels between the Fanning/Richardson controversy and the aesthetic debates in the broader culture during the same period.
Even with his studies, he has not given up on art. He continues to paint, and has shared his skills with the campus community, such as by using art concepts to enrich chapel experiences. He is slated to graduate with an M.A. in Historical Theology this spring.
He and his wife, Alana, are looking toward ministry in the Northeast. “Harding Grad has been a maturing time,” he says. “Blending my art, historical interests, and ministry has helped the process of becoming what God wants me to be.”
