Refrigerator Art
- Rhonda Oglesby

SoulPerSuit is an art centered bible study. As much as the words “art” or “craft” strike fear into some of you, there’s no bones about it, this is an art project. But it’s not an art project that’s being judged by a teacher or critiqued by the art community. It’s art that’s going on the refrigerator. God’s refrigerator.

A refrigerator art gallery is nothing like the fancy galleries outside the home. It is not tucked away downtown where you have to pay for parking and deal with a snooty art director to see art behind a red velvet rope that someone you don’t know says is good. No, refrigerator art galleries are found in the heart of every home where it’s seen everyday and considered priceless by the art director who is a personal acquaintance and not a critic.

Parents don’t reject their child’s art because they’ve colored the sky purple and the grass blue. When a parent hangs their child’s art on the refrigerator, it’s not because it’s been critiqued and judged worthy but because it is their child’s work and it was made out of love. Refrigerator art is not a display of artistic ability. It’s a display of the love and acceptance between a parent and their child. Some of you have evidence of this in reams and reams of artwork made in your home on a daily basis that you can’t bear to throw away.

A child doesn’t suffer fear and trepidation in making art. How else is it that they can sit and, in 5 minutes flat, make you an entire illustrated story book about their favorite stuffed animal, “Chim Chim”, before you walk out the door to go to the grocery? Have they spent 30 minutes everyday for the last week sketching “Chim Chim” until they get it ‘right’? Have they completely visualized the beginning and end of the story so that it’s without plot holes? Have they chosen the right medium and color palette appropriate for their audience? No! Why not? Because they are making art to express love. “Here, mommy. This is for you.” “Here, daddy. Let me read you my story.” Do you accept it because it’s good? No, you accept it because it’s a hug on paper, it’s butterfly kisses in crayon, it’s “I love you” in color.

Making art is an expression. Before a child has learned all the right words to say and how to say them, they show you their love. They want to share a hand full of sticky jelly beans with you, they pick you a fist full of dandelions, they draw you a picture. As adults we learn that there still are some things for which the words simply don’t exist. We’ve just forgotten about the crayon and the glue and the construction paper.

SoulPerSuit is not going to teach you how to be an artist but it will remind you how to express yourself as a child through images, textures, smells, tastes and touch. It is a bible study where art is used to worship God. And God will fully embrace it because of His relationship with you, His child, and not because you’re an artist.