"All Art is a gift of the Holy Spirit. When this light shines through the mind of a musician, it manifests itself in beautiful harmonies. Again, shining through the mind of a poet, it is seen in fine poetry and poetic prose. When the Light of the Sun of Truth inspires the mind of a painter, he produces marvellous pictures. These gifts are fulfilling their highest purpose, when showing forth the praise of God.'
–‘Abdu’l-Bahá quoted in Lady Blomfield, “The Chosen Highway," p. 167
The Bahá'is of Fort Wayne are sponsoring a day-long conference on July 19, 2025, during which we will consider how the arts can be employed to build vibrant communities and to deepen our spiritual lives.. Anyone interested in these areas is welcome to attend--artist or lover of the arts. The arts are defined here in the broadest sense, to include anything that brings beauty into world (e.g., crafts, gardening...). In the morning, we will meet as a group and discuss and experience the arts in general. In the afternoon, we will split into groups (music, visual arts, verbal arts, and performing arts). Each group will decide on a course of action related to its area and/or to collaborate on an artistic endeavor. In the late afternoon, we will meet again to perform, display, or discuss what we did in our individual groups.
“I rejoice to hear that thou takest pains with thine art, for in this wonderful new age, art is worship. The more thou strivest to perfect it, the closer wilt thou come to God. What bestowal could be greater than this, that one’s art should be even as the act of worshipping the Lord? That is to say, when thy fingers grasp the paintbrush, it is as if thou wert at prayer in the Temple.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, tablet to Juliette Thompson, 1919
Park on the street or in the driveway.
The event is free, but in order to plan for food and to tailor the event to the needs of the participants, we would like to know how many people are coming. Please register by filling out this FORM.
Below is the current agenda. It will be subject to change before and during the event.
8:30 Continental Style Breakfast
9:00 Kick Off: Start Plenary Session
Readings Related to the Arts
Consultation addressing specific issues
How can the arts help build a vibrant community (Bahá’I community, broader community, and/or neighborhood)?
How can the arts help the effectiveness of devotional gatherings and individual devotions?
10:30 Break
10:45 Continue with Readings and Consultation; Consider making plans to put ideas into action
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Break into three groups (visual, literary, and musical)
Each group will focus on how they would like to spend this time and decide on something to present to the group
Possible ways for groups to spend the afternoon
Collaborate on a project (e.g., musicians perform together or write a song, artists do a group project, literary artists do a joint project)
Continue with consultation on issues related to each specific area
Make plans on how to put ideas into action
2:00 Break (Suggested time, each group can decide whether they need a break and if so, when)
2:15 Continue with afternoon breakout sessions
4:00 PLENARY - The entire group assembles and each group presents the results of their afternoon session
5:00 END
Everyone is invited.
Both Bahá’is and interested non-Bahá’is are welcome.
The focus will be on our cluster but friends from other communities are welcome. You may discover something useful for your own cluster, plus we would love to hear your thoughts and learn from your experiences.
We will provide a light, continental breakfast, lunch, and snacks. If you have food restrictions or preferences, let us know on the registration form or contact us by email or telephone.
Children are welcome, but there will be no children's classes nor child care available. Parents should be responsible for the behavior of their children. Everyone else is expected to enjoy and to be tolerant of the energy of the young.
There will be a piano, jembe drums, and guitars available for the musicians as well as writing materials for the verbal artists. Otherwise, plan on bringing your own material or instrument(s), but feel free to ask us whether we can provide something specific.
Email: thompsoc@pfw.edu
Phone: (260)402-8155