Pro Co Event Flyer

Do you Pro Co?

The Proskyneō Collective is a network of artists seeking to demonstrate the beauty of God in the world through our art, our action, and our lives. Proskyneō – a greek word for worship – literally means ‘to kiss one’s hand in reverence’. We believe worship is more than singing songs in church; it is a multi-faceted expression of God’s people to give love and honor towards our Creator.

Join us for an evening of interactive art, a presentation of works by local emerging artists, original music, and the opportunity to connect with other creatives in the Northern Palm Beaches. Admission is free. There will be an espresso bar open with the proceeds going to scholarship funds for the Jupiter Academy of Music and the Florida Classical Ballet Theatre in memory of Makayla Sitton.

7 PM, Friday, December 11, 2009
The Borland Center Lobby - www.theborlandcenter.com

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Art is a party. Music is medicine. Beauty is essential. 

Artists Anonymous

"Hi, my name is Mike and I'm an Anonymous Artist."

Creativity is a strange drug. On the one hand, creativity gets expressed publicly through self-promotion. Songs get performed. Photography gets displayed. But this drug has a nasty side effect - self-consciousness. Often I wonder if the artists and musicians who "make-it" are just the ones who are willing to risk more than others. Rejection is a powerful, powerful deterrent to growth.

One of our hopes for Proskyneo is that it becomes a safe place to risk, if there is such a thing. In order to stretch ourselves both in our skill and confidence, we need opportunities that require risk. When I first starting playing guitar, the extent of my public playing was in small groups etc. - 10-12 people max. Then, I had the opportunity to lead a worship band in front of 300 people on a regular basis. At first, I was really scared of messing up. But eventually the fear subsided and I was able to grow in my skill set musically. I'm no professional, but my confidence in what I can do has grown considerably since then.

I was fortunate to get the opportunity to risk in an environment where messing up wasn't a big deal. Sadly, for many artists and musicians, there's just no room to grow. Either you're perfect - a finalist on American Idol - or you need to stick to singing in the shower. Obviously, not everyone should be on American Idol or have their art shown in the Guggenheim. But, if the point is to "demonstrate the beauty of God through our art," it is surely a good thing to open the door for artists of all flavors to get better and to have venues for public expression. The idea of a "collective" is to use our common abilities and relationships to support one another towards that end.

It's Not About Me

"South Florida is mean."

I hear that from people all the time. Of course, there is an element of truth to it, or people wouldn't say it so often. When Amber and I moved to Jupiter in 2001 from Gainesville, we had serious culture shock...and Amber grew up here! It took us several years to grow roots; to find relationships that mattered and connected us deeper than a job or family could. Now we have people around us that have grown to love this place and see the beauty that's really here. But it takes some work...and some dying to yourself.

Musicians and athletes have been a big part of my life. It's easy to pick out the superstars, but as I get older I find myself gravitating towards the ones who are more than their talent. I watched a concert by Donovan Frankenreiter last night. For the encore he said to the crowd, "Let's have a party on stage!" Instead of the normal "bust out a last song and then leave the stage" routine, the concert ended with a mass of people singing, giving him hugs and taking photos. This is not normal for typical prima donna musicians. That dude just exudes life...and it's contagious.

I think the key to changing an atmosphere of "meanness" is to choose to love. To really love, I have to give up my agenda. I can't be a prima donna. It's not about me. Making that choice seems so simple, but it can be so hard. Part of our desire for Pro Co is that it becomes a community where love can be expressed through our art and lives. I think if we're serious - and willing to die to ourselves a bit - we can spread some love around and have a lot of fun in the process!

Telling a Story

“Neither revolution nor reformation can ultimately change a society, rather you must tell a new powerful tale, one so persuasive that it sweeps away the old myths and becomes the preferred story, one so inclusive that it gathers all the bits of our past and our present into a coherent whole, one that even shines some light into our future so that we can take the next step…If you want to change a society, then you have to tell an alternative story.” - Austrian philosopher Ivan Illich

All art tells a story. Pro Co (our little abbreviation for "proskyneo collective", which is really hard to type), is asking - What story are we telling with our art? This goes far beyond questions of aesthetic or even talent. You can be a great artist and tell a destructive story, but you can also be a mediocre artist and tell a great story. We want to be good and tell a good story, of course, but if we want our art to make a difference - to bring change to those who hear it or see it - then having the right story is critical.

As a follower of Jesus, the story I try to tell is one of redemption, healing, and ultimately resurrection. History tells us that we're all pretty much doomed. Isn't that evident enough by looking at the world around us? But we can tell an alternative story where the ending is not determined by history or statistical trends. Our story is filled with unlikely heroes and heroines that overcome in the face of tremendous opposition. True peace and justice in the world is going to come through people like that - people like us - who live out that story.

About the proskyneō collective

The Proskyneō Collective is a network of musicians, artists, worshippers, misfits, poets, dreamers, writers, and friends. Our primary concern is discovering ways to demonstrate the beauty of God in the world through our art, our action, and our lives. Proskyneō – a greek word for worship – literally means ‘to kiss one’s hand in reverence’. We believe worship is more than singing songs in church; it is a multi-faceted expression of God’s people to give love and honor towards our Creator.