INSPIRE 2012 winners announced

Guest writer Laura Boutchyard, administrative assistant for the Territorial Program Department, interviewed the overall winner of the 2012 INSPIRE art contest for the Southern Spirit. Denardo Crawford, 29, was awarded the honor during Commissioning weekend June 1-3, 2012.

Name: Denardo Crawford
Afilliation with The Salvation Army: Interactive controls system engineer for Kroc Center
Name of winning entry: Know that he Lives

What inspired you to create your piece?
I love comic books. In comic books there is always some kind of light to represent a hero’s power source. I could just imagine, as Jesus is being resurrected, how all of his wounds are healed by his awesome power. I thought the best way to illustrate that was to show the power coming from the old wounds from the nail through his hand.

What does it mean to you to be a Christian artist?
It is very important to me and a part of who I am, both in visual and performing arts. I believe God gave me a gift, so I should use that to illustrate his being to others.

How do/will you use your visual art gifts for Christ?
I have used my graphic artwork for church programs; in fact, a version of this piece was first used on our church program. I think the program should tell a story as much as the songs and the message. I have done murals or backdrops to be used for special meetings such as Advent or Easter. Those are important to me, because I feel they can set the mood for worship. I am also about to start designing graphic t-shirts with Christian/positive messages.

Please explain your process in creating a piece of art.
There seems to be more thinking than actual creating. I try to think about what message I want to get across, with the understanding that what is in my head may not be what everybody sees. Once I have that message, then I spend more time trying to envision how that looks and what things I could use to visually represent that message. From there, it is a “gofor- it” mentality. I try something. Sometimes it doesn’t work and it is back to the drawing board. Sometimes it transforms into something else. And sometimes, it is just what it needs to be. This piece was just what it needed to be.

Please give a description of your winning piece and how it reflects “Knowing Jesus” and anything else you’d like to share.
I feel that to know Jesus is to know the power of his resurrection. That is what this piece is about. I focused on the definition of the word “know” because many of us will have to check ourselves when we ask, “Can we define our relationship with Christ as ‘knowing?’” I am excited about winning. Honestly, it was the last thing I expected. As they were announcing the overall winner, I said to myself: “Awman, I wish they would have broken it down by category. Then maybe my namewould be mentioned…” also funny because that is how my wife found out I submitted anything. I hadn’t told her because I didn’t think I had much of a chance. There is a lot of talent in the Southern Territory. I do think INSPIRE should be done again, and I’m not just saying that because I won, but because it is an opportunity for other people to see the talent that is hanging around in the South.