“I registered for this! Join me?” This was a text message from my good friend Sarah on February 13th with the link to an Eventbrite event: “Behold the Beautiful One: Mary, Mother of Beauty,” a retreat for artists hosted by a group of Catholic artists.
I will be honest. I became intrigued, as we had just started a group for artists in Chicago. I couldn’t help but go straight to their website to find out who was behind this mysterious name: “Arthouse2B.”
On their website, arthouse2b.org, I found more information about Erin K. McAtee and Claire Kretzschmar. Their friendship, with the “help of lockdown,” brought to life something very unique, something that felt, to me, like a piece that had been missing in the Catholic world: an organization for Catholic artists with three main values: Artistic Integrity, Deepening Spirituality, and Nourishing Hospitality.
That was not all, the retreat was only the tip of the iceberg, they do so much more. One of their first events was a Mass for artists, during the pandemic. Now it is their main regular event, followed by museum tours, gallery talks and exhibitions, performances, and much more!
After hearing all of that, I knew they had something good going. And I knew that I had to check it out!
I immediately contacted Erin, and being so excited about the retreat, I offered my help with putting a video together, so they could reach a bigger audience and get their message out to the world.
And I was coming with expectations to this retreat. Have I mentioned it was in New York? We should have high expectations from the “City That Never Sleeps”, right?
Let me tell you, my expectations were far exceeded. It was a 3-day weekend retreat with the perfect organization, amazing speakers, and people that I fell in love with!
Arthouse2B even helped people from out of town find accommodations. Big shoutout to Peter Murphy who hosted me for three nights, as I flew to New York on Thursday, to take full advantage of my trip and explore the city. (I took some amazing photos of the Brooklyn Bridge, a bucket list shot!)
During the retreat, I was working all in. On Friday I had the chance to shoot the first interviews for our short film (above), as well as enjoy talks by Sr. Magdalene Teresa, SV, and Sr. Elena Marie, SV. Saturday started early for me, I got to Annunciation Church in West Harlem at 7:00 am and finished shooting at midnight. (You gotta get used to long days in the film industry 🙂 ). But I could’ve kept going. I was “hyped” to work, build relationships, and serve others to build community. The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, the Sisters of Life, and the Dominicans of St. Joseph Province were the icing on the cake, they led us in forming a strong relationship with our Lord, inspiring us to create more, but most especially to create more for the glory of God.
On Sunday morning I needed to catch my flight back to Chicago, with over 200GB of footage, and my suitcase packed with equipment. I was already editing in my head. I knew then that what I do is much more than just making videos and taking pretty pictures. It is about spreading the Good News and doing everything I can for the glory of God.
The retreat helped me to realize some things; It is my duty to do my job, as an artist, and in my life in general. I have to double down on my work, productivity, building relationships, or even posting on my social media. Without God, I can’t. Without me, God won’t.
We constantly receive graces, but we have to act upon them and lead our lives in the right direction.
A few months back in 2023, I was trying to contact the right people in the Eucharistic Revival, as I really wanted to be a part of the Eucharistic Congress that would be taking place in Indianapolis and take photos during this special event. Without going too much into the details, only a few weeks before the Congress I found out that I wouldn’t be able to make it. I was sad, but I knew I had to accept it.
“Thy Will be done”, is one of my favorite prayers, and learning how to accept God’s Will. I thought it was not meant for me to be in Indianapolis for the Eucharistic Revival.
How wrong I was, God had a different plan for me! Only two weeks before the Congress I had two offers to spend the entire 5 days in Indianapolis, with full coverage of transportation and accommodation, and I also got hired by Relevant Radio to help them with video coverage of the event.
I couldn’t have been happier, meeting with what felt like the entire Catholic world. There were so many well-known ministries, groups, and brands there, like Word On Fire, Exodus 90, and Hallow. And even more exciting speakers: Bishop Barron, Jonathan Roumie, and Fr. Mike Schmitz to name just a few. But guess who else was there?
Arthouse2B was not only there, but they also put together their own event with amazing performances. There was music by Sean Erickson, a ballet dance performance by Claire Kretzschmar, and an art showcase by Desiree Hinshaw. Fr. Malachy Napier, CFR, gave a “fervorino” speech, which was very inspiring, and really struck us directly in our hearts. Father mentioned how we should be rooted in the Eucharist, and Jesus Christ will lead us to beauty, truth, and life. This has to be reflected in the art we are creating.
Just the day before I met with Erin for coffee, I was so excited to share with her how our “Chicago Catholic Artists” group is growing, and that we will have the first Holy Mass for artists in Chicago with Bishop Bartosic (October 18th at 7:00 pm, at St. Gregory the Great Church)!
My friend sending me that text on February 13th was a genesis moment, as Makoto Fujimura would call it in his book “Culture Care”¹. They are those small moments that only with time do we realize how important they were, and how they changed our lives.
Arthouse2B is shaping New York’s artistic scene, and they are doing great, simply because they inspire others to do good, too. Now with this example and the experiences of the National Eucharistic Congress, we are shaping artists here in Chicago.
The retreat helped me realize two things; The first thing is the importance of community, especially in the world of artists where sometimes we can get “stuck” in our heads, lose our inspiration, or feel burned out. The community can help solve all of these problems. By providing a space where we can be encouraged, brainstorm ideas, and connect with each other, our community allows our hearts to be restored.
The second thing is leadership, people need a leader to show them the right path, challenge them, and show them empathy in difficult moments.
We as artists have an important mission. We have a duty to attract people to God by producing art that will reflect His perfect Beauty.
Makoto Fujimura calls artists outsiders, “mearcstapa”, or border-walkers because we are here to translate the beauty of God into the form of the art we practice. We have to operate in both worlds: The first is one of our ‘tribes’; that is, our families, our friends, and our churches. The second is the rest of the world. We have to go forth to tell stories and attract people to God with the art we create, tell them about Him, and rebuild today’s culture of death into a culture of life.
I dare you to go and create something beautiful!
You can support Arthouse2B’s mission today by donating any amount on their website.
¹ Makoto Fujimura – “Culture Care: Reconnecting with Beauty for Our Common Life” – 2017
