Leah Dankertson

What’s your current role at Mars Hill West Seattle?

I’m not sure exactly what to call it but I’m serving as the Art lead at West Seattle. This means organizing and installing quarterly art shows in the art walk, installing artwork/design around the campus, and hopefully in the near future, organizing art groups and events.

Tell us about yourself – job/family?

For the last two and half years I’ve been working as a graphic designer and photographer for University Book Store. It’s been a great place to strengthen my portfolio. Currently I’m doing mostly retail/print design, but my hope and goal for the future is to eventually be designing books/publications and creating more food/product/editorial photography…maybe go out on my own (eek!).

When did you become a Christian?

I became a Christian when I was around 5 or 6 years old. I distinctly remember sitting with my mom on our big brown couches and praying that God would forgive me and come into my heart. I grew up in church, did the whole youth group experience, went to Christian college, and throughout it all God has been a faithful pursuer and protector – so patient, as he has slowly been transforming my heart and mind since childhood. Softening legalisms built up from growing up in church culture, opening my eyes to see the idols and strongholds in my heart and mind, and ultimately waking me up to my new identity in him. The last three years, though, I would have to say have been some of the sweetest – he has given me victory over some lifelong sins and shown me the sweetness and satisfaction found in his Word and time spent with him. I only wish I could have known this type of relationship with him sooner in my life – but I realize it has truly been Him, crafting my story of sanctification.

Where are you from & how did you end up in West Seattle?

I’m a born and bread Seattleite, grew up in south Seattle (Highline High School, anyone?) and a lot of my family lives in the area, not to mention that I attended church here in West Seattle for 23 years. But I was anxious to get out of Washington at the end of high school and so went to off Biola University in Los Angeles and Pratt Institute in New York. Ultimately I decided to move back to Seattle after graduation (I missed the green of the Northwest!) in 2004. Eventually landed at Mars Hill and then was excited when they decided to start the West Seattle Campus.

When did you first set foot in Mars Hill?

February 2005. I ran into a friend from college at a coffee shop who was attending and she invited me. The church I had grown up in had gone through some pretty saddening changes and disunity while I was away at college, so I was eager to find a church that was unified, that would challenge me, and that was faithful to scripture. I remember attending that first Sunday – Pastor Mark was preaching about the funeral of Sarah in Genesis – and I sat in that seat and knew instantly that this was the place God wanted me to be for this season. There was no hesitation – a week later I joined the gospel class and in a month or so later I became a member.

How did God lead you into making art?

I have always been a very visual person and was heavily involved in theater most of my young adult life. I was pretty much set on either becoming a drama teacher, film director, or journalist until I started my first photography class in high school. I remember thinking that very first day, “I wonder if this is something that I will fall in love with?” And I did. I couldn’t help it really – it’s drama and movement, and lighting, and story all rolled up into one tiny little package! Plus, the summer before I had had the opportunity to go to Europe with a group from my friends school and had finally seen all of the masterpieces that I had read so much about in books as a kid – the Mona Lisa, Pompeii, the Rosetta stone, Venus di Milo. I remember standing under the Sistine Chapel, totally overwhelmed and in awe, and knowing that my life would never be the same.

What’s a favorite section of text from the Bible?

A favorite!?! Well, Isaiah never ceases to impact, wow, and convict me, but recently I spent a few months going through the Psalms and was impacted by Psalm 37:

“Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will
Give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteousness shine
Like the dawn, the justice of your cause
Like the noonday sun.

Be still before the LORD and wait
Patiently for him; do not fret when
Men succeed in their ways,
When they carry out their wicked schemes.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath,
Do not fret – it leads only to evil.
For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

I love the promises in this psalm, as well as the progression – which speaks so well to this time in my life:
TRUST in the Lord
DELIGHT yourself in the Lord
COMMIT your way to the Lord
BE STILL before the Lord
WAIT patiently for Him

What was the last movie you really enjoyed?

The last movie that took my breath away was “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” – directed by Julian Schnabel (who is primarily a fine artist). Based on the book of the same name, it is the story of a man who suffers a tragic stroke that leaves him paralyzed and “locked in” – meaning he can hear and understand and thinks he is normal, but actually cannot move or speak. So it’s the story of him learning to communicate through blinking – he wrote the whole book – blinking!!! It was beautifully shot from his perspective, moving, and well…like I said, took my breath away.

Your current favorite music/artist/albums?

I love love love music, so this is a toughie! But if I had to say the ones that impacted me most this year it’d have to be… Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, Wild Sweet Orange, Sigur Ros, Rosie Thomas, The Arcade Fire, Phil Wickham, Radiohead, Ryan Adams, Coldplay, Iron and Wine, Derek Webb

Your current favorite artist?

I love contemporary conceptual work, more realist expressionistic work by Daumier, Delacroix, Goya… basically, if it gets me or others thinking and asking questions, or turns on a lightbulb (not literally) I’ll definitely spend some time with it.

Leah will regularly contribute articles on the designs and decorations at the West Seattle Campus. Continue to check back on the Art blog for write-ups on the artistic design aspects of the West Seattle Campus, information about future Art Walk showcases, and potential Gallery Night events.

At Mars Hill Church West Seattle, there are many gathering spots in the building where various interactions occur. Of course, there’s the Auditorium/Sanctuary (or whatever you like to call the big room with the pews and cross on the stage) where we worship and hear teachings about Jesus. There’s the Commons, the large room where the coffee stays hot; the resource center stands stocked with books; and the Info, Serve, and Community kiosks provide ways to get plugged in. These are just a couple of examples; there are even more places downstairs. But in between the Auditorium and the Commons is a hallway that is as focal a gathering point as any other spot in the building. It’s not just any regular sort of hallway, but a bright, wide corridor where you’ll witness people chatting, praying together, or perusing the displays of artistic paintings, photos, and multi-media art displayed on the walls. Which is why we call this hallway The Art Walk.

(Click on any picture to view a slightly larger version of it.)

During any visit to the West Seattle Campus, you’ll likely hear one of the pastors refer to the “Art Walk” during announcements or the closing of most services, usually in notifying the congregation that elders and members of the Prayer Team are available to meet you there if you have specific prayer requests. But the art gallery aspect of the Art Walk is one way we show God’s glory in the gifts He’s given us, as well as a way to engage the culture of Seattle, a rather artistic city itself.

Currently on display in the Art Walk is a series of paintings by Brittany Sponseller, a Mars Hill Member in Ballard. (Actually, she’s now Brittany Ingram, having just recently married Daniel Ingram in October. Congratulations Ingrams!)

With each work bathed in scripture and some literally dripping with various hues representing mood and tone, these paintings evoke the artist’s personal reflections of herself and her identity In Christ. In these works, Brittany shares her personal contemplations and meditations of God’s Word meshed with her struggles with sin, embedding into each painting thoughts with which many of us can relate. While similar in style, each canvas is its own work and carries a distinct message. But akin to the individual books of the Bible, all combine to point to One theme: Jesus, Our Lord and Savior, The Word become flesh (John 1:14). And The Word is prominent in Brittany’s work. Whether bright and inviting, or dark and introspective, each piece is worthy of a few minutes of consideration, soaking in the scripture and the message. Below, we’ll share a few examples:

Remarkably red, “Rags” uses the colors of filth and blood and quotes Isaiah 64:6 in that our righteousness is like filthy rags. This painting is a stark reminder that when we’re honest and compare ourselves to a holy God, no one is righteous, not even one. Our righteousness is like filthy rags, worthy of disposal. As Brittany mentions in her statement, “If the penalty of sin is death, then death is mine.” (with appreciation to Brian Geishler, who wrote this eloquent excerpt about Brittany’s work when it appeared in Ballard last winter).

Blood red is the foundation of “How Vast.” Representing the moment of Christ’s greatest triumph, on the cross, baptized in blood and bearing our sins, it incorporates the hymn How Deep The Father’s Love and Christ’s words of great mercy “Father forgive them…” as well noting the completion of His victory: “It is finished.”

Golden yellow hues show the majesty of God in “Behold,” expressing His great power working in our transformation: “You are a new creation…the old has gone…the new has come.”

Other works on display include Green (Luke 23-31), Return (Isaiah 44:22), As You Have Said (various phrases, including Titus 3:5-6), All Things (Romans 8:28-30), Grace (1 Corinthians 15:10), and Response, a layering of scripture and phrases of reflection on struggle, within which is a snippet of Mark 9:24: “I believe; help my unbelief!”

You can contact Brittany on The City (requires City account and login), as some of her work is for sale and she is also willing to create original commissioned pieces. You an also check out her new blog: Art By Britt.

As you can see, the Art Walk is more than simply a hallway. The Art Walk is a gallery for God, a witness of His gifts, grace, and beauty. Though the display usually changes every quarter, the focus remains the same: Jesus. We live for Him. We paint for Him. We take and display photos of Him evidenced in Creation. The Art Walk stands to serve His Glory.

Continue to check back on the Art blog for write-ups on the artistic design aspects of the West Seattle Campus, information about future Art Walk showcases, and potential Gallery Night events.