AN INTERVIEW WITH SACRED ARTIST KATE CAPATO

The mission of Kate Capato from Visual Grace is to share the beauty of God! We do this first in a personal sense, by seeking and knowing God as Beauty. Then, by leading others to experience Beauty through opportunities for encounter, using sacred art.

Today, we take you behind-the-scenes of an artist’s role in the church, the challenges facing artists today, and the powerful purpose of beauty in the church. We hope you enjoy this interview with Kate!

– What is the role of the artist in the church?

Within the broad sense of the church body, the artist’s role – no matter the genre or material used – is to express the beauty of God. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the artist has to overtly communicate the “face of Christ.” It could be a landscape or even an abstract work, but the goal in their heart is to bring beauty a connection to God. There has to be unification of the faith, no matter the theme or type of art.

– What about the role of art in the church?

Specifically in a Church building, there are more “parameters.” The role of the artist within a church building is to help the laity, first and foremost, to enter deeper into the mass. To help contemplate the mysteries of our faith. Whether that’s through architecture, painting, sculpture, music, it should all be pointing to the heavenly banquet.

There shouldn’t be ambiguity. Abstract art does not belong in the church building because it can bring confusion. Abstract art can have belonging in other places within the faith, but any art in the church needs to be clear to help the laity to enter deeper into the mysteries of our faith.

Things like iconography or clear symbolism in architecture like embellishments of flowers, or gold – these are aspects that are clear that will point us toward heaven. They help all of us inside the building to enter into the banquet, so that we’re ultimately reminded that this life is not permanent. Heaven is the goal!

– What problems do you see the church dealing in understanding beauty?

Unfortunately, we have a lot of problems we’re dealing with. We’re coming off of a 60’s/70’s era where art was wiped from the churches. For many reasons, people were afraid of icons. The Protestant culture infiltrated Catholic culture, idolatry swept in, and also just ugly aesthetics happened in that era that many can agree on.

Most “modern” updates to churches were ugly, and didn’t point to the heavenly abode. People swapped the roots of our faith and our tradition for what was trendy at the time, and that’s a problem.

I say that because the Catholic faith is timeless. It overarches time and space because it’s of the Lord. When we desire to be trendy, to appeal to meet young people, or whoever, fill in the blank, you’re risking losing a lot.

Fads fade. Clothing fads change, and you want a wardrobe that will sustain and last, and you’re not just constantly investing in cheap something over and over again. The same thing with the church. When you fall into the temptation to be trendy, in a few years, it’s just going to be obsolete and ugly. That’s what we’re riding off of now. A lot of churches that were built in that era are either empty because of the fear, or ugly because of trends.

– What can help combat this problem?

I think that education needs to happen for a lot of people. Anyone hiring artists to do beautification of the church needs to know what to look for. 

We need to hire Catholic artists, architects, sculptors, whoever they might be, they need to understand the purpose of a Church is, they need to understand what the purpose of the faith is, and what the ultimate goal of the art is. If they don’t understand that, it will not serve the ultimate goal and you won’t be able to experience the divine like you should when you enter into a church. The goal isn’t for themselves as artists, but bringing us to the footstool of heaven. 

Someone versed in their faith, deep in theology, and understands that, will seek to do that in all aspects of their artistry. Whereas someone who is not, may not even know that that should be the goal. Not that they’re bad people, they just don’t have that awareness. And they might be very skilled at what they do, but that doesn’t mean they’re right for the job because they have the skillset. If they don’t have the theological foundation, they’re lacking something that’s very important for a church. 

– What are unique challenges faithful creatives face?

We’re a Church family, and we all need to play our part.

For some artists who have the skillset, sometimes they can donate their time and talent, but they can’t do that consistently. They need to feed their families. So they’ll need support. If there’s a family or group that has the funds but not the skill set, then they can partner together. More people are growing in awareness of their need for beauty, and with more support in this area, I think our spaces of prayer could be really transformed. 

– What about challenges within the church?

Because of the 60’s/70’s era, we are fighting a generation who thinks art doesn’t belong in the church. The younger generation wants the tradition back. It’s coming, we’re growing in that awareness of the importance of beauty inside the church. It’s not a decoration, or a distraction, it’s essential to the building up of our characters and our spiritual life – we can hear the Lord through beauty.

There’s a lack of awareness of the great need and value and beauty. There’s always a project or an important cause that the money could go to instead.

But we can go back to Scripture, and see Mary Magdalene pouring out the expensive oil on His feet (Mark 14:3-9). 

Christ says, “You will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.”

That story helps us see what she did was beautiful and good, to adore the Lord in that way, to pour out expensive materials for Him. When we adorn the church, we’re adoring the Lord.

We pour out these gifts to worship Him, but it also enriches our own souls that we may be brought into His divinity. It’s not in vain or just an extra, it’s essential to our salvific journey.

People don’t see beauty in the church in that way, and that’s why I do what I do in terms of mission. To try to help educate people in that way because I recognized that was the first step to being able to do more work in the church.

We remind people, “I need this.” And I see it in their eyes when we do this mission. I see it when we bring original works of sacred art and talk about what beauty really is. People’s hearts just get on fire. Tears fill their eyes. 

People say, “I didn’t realize how much I needed beauty.” The heart needs beauty, and it’s hard to recognize it until you taste it again.

People are used to bare walls, but when you walk into those places, do you genuflect? Does your body say, The Lord is here. Or do you chit-chat, run around, or do other things that aren’t appropriate for a place of worship? Because the place doesn’t tell us that it’s a place where the King of Kings resides?

Think of the Sistine Chapel – people feel this when they’re there, they flock to it. It’s God’s presence you feel, God is Beauty, who we experience through our senses. We need to make sure we are using our sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell, all to point back to the Lord correctly. 

“When we adorn the church, we’re adoring the Lord.“

– When in comes to commissioning sacred art, who hires artists and what should they be looking for? 

Usually, a church committee, pastor, or private donor are the ones who commission artists. For churches, they might hire architects, sculptors, painters, or iconographers. 

You want their skillset to be of excellence, but that’s just a small part of what you should be looking for.

You should see that these individuals are deeply rooted in the faith and seek to glorify the Lord in their work. Check out their portfolios. See it’s not infiltrated by lies of the culture because that’s a question of where their heart resides. That’s important when you’re having people fill places of worship with their art.

You might think, “I can direct them.” But you’re still risking the lies of the evil one getting in if that artists isn’t consecrating their work to the Lord and seeking to glorify Him. And it will affect all those who look upon their work. 

– What’s something people don’t often think of about the sacred art process?

That it takes time! In an Amazon day and age, we’re used to overnight turnarounds, and we can fall for the cheap product instead of seeking out excellence. When you find artists who work in traditional manners, they’re going to take longer. And this is good because our souls need to learn how to patiently await beauty.

– What do you want for the church with regard to beauty? 

I want people to be weary of getting mass produced things for the church. There’s a beauty to commissioning something new that still upholds tradition. We don’t have to only work with the past Renaissance. God is doing something in the artist today that is relevant for our culture that’s still rooted in tradition but it has the breath of life that’s needed today. 

Working with an artist to create something unique for your church and our current society, that is founded in the tradition of our faith – that kind of sacred art is good and needed.

Even cheap materials do not serve the King of Kings well. Let’s not be afraid to bring things of value. And trust that the Lord will provide. Let’s create original works of art that meet the culture where it is and bring it into the everlasting tradition of our faith.

Bring Beauty into Your Own Church!

Imagine your church with beautiful, original sacred art inspired by the Holy Spirit – just like those masterful works of sacred art in historic churches that take your breath away and lead you further into prayer. What would it be like to be immersed in beauty in your own local church as you worship on Sunday morning? Pay attention to that draw of your heart!

Here are two ways you can bring beauty into your own church:

Commission Kate for your own parish community, and play a role in bringing a vision, intention, or moment of Scripture to life. Learn more about the process here!

Check out Kate’s current offerings and invest in an original work of sacred art, ready to adorn the walls of your church, home, or organization, and bless all who gaze upon it!

What else do you want to know? Leave your questions for Kate in the comments below!