creative

January 25, 2018

Is the rise of ‘creative entrepreneurship’ killing the arts?

Capitalism is routinely ridiculed as an enemy of the “true artist,” with much of the finger-pointing bent toward profit and efficiency. Such forces, we are told, inevitably cause creators to drool only for money, care nothing for beauty, and cater exclusively to common consumer tastes. Continue Reading...

August 03, 2016

What Eric Whitacre’s ‘virtual choir’ teaches us about globalization and community

The rise of globalization and the expansion of trade are continuously decried for their disruptive effects, particularly as they apply to “authentic community.” Indeed, our strides in global connectedness have often come at a local cost, with the small and familiar being routinely replaced by the big and blurry, the intimate with the superficial, and so on. Continue Reading...

May 12, 2016

Faith at Work: A Symposium on Economic Flourishing in the Christian Life

The faith and work movement has grown significantly over the past decade, yielding a range of researchers and institutions that seek to explore the intersections of work, economics, and the Christian life. Continue Reading...

May 10, 2016

Seeing the Creator Through Coffee

“Good work…does not disassociate life and work, or pleasure and work, or love and work.” These words, written by Wendell Berry, pulse throughout the work of Laremy De Vries, owner and chef of The Fruited Plain Café, a sandwich and coffee shop in Sioux Center, Iowa. Continue Reading...

September 28, 2015

Kickstarter: Capitalism’s Superior Alternative to the NEA

Several years ago, as a music student in college, I remember hearing constant complaints about “lack of funding for the arts.” Hardly a day would go by without a classmate or professor bemoaning the thin and fickle pockets of the bourgeoisie or Uncle Sam’s lack of artistic initiative. Continue Reading...

August 20, 2015

Overcoming ‘Anti-Foreign Bias’ in Trade and Immigration

Many conservatives exhibit a peculiar tendency to be pro-liberty when it comes to business, trade, and wages, but protectionist when it comes to the economic effects of immigration. It’s an odd disconnect, and yet, as we’ve begun to see with figures like Donald Trump and Rick Santorum, one side is bound to eventually give way. Continue Reading...

April 28, 2015

Chalk Art For The Life of the World

In his review of the Acton Institute’s film series, For the Life of the World: Letters to the Exiles, Andy Crouch noted its artistic merits, observing how well it conveyed “deeply Christian themes in widely accessible ways.” Continue Reading...