Spaces for Spirit: Adorning the Church

This is THE very best book out there on liturgical art - not only are the photographs and visual concepts amazing, but also the text is fantastic!!! If anyone can find this book for the suggested retail price or less, I will buy as many copies as you can get your hands on.

A wonderful approach to making art for sanctuaries, not the "bumper sticker on fabric" approach favored by so many church banner books. Some of the designs are dated, but the text will give you something to chew on. For example, she doesn't look favorably on the idea of lavish floral arrangements for altars every Sunday, saying that the altar is supposed to be a sacred space, not a florist's display window. At my church, I adapted one of her ideas using origami cranes as pieces to form a much bigger design suspended over the altar. It was hugely appreciated by the congregants of my liberal church.

This book will inspire you to really think about liturgical art in terms of spiritual reflection and growth, not just decoration. Ms. Chinn's work is inspiring and awesome. My only complaint was that there aren't many examples of projects in small worship spaces.