About Renewal Arts
The Creation of Renewal Arts
Caux Mountain House, Switzerland
Renewal Arts is an international network of artists and those passionate about the arts from different disciplines, cultures and beliefs who share the conviction that the different forms of art can be positive and powerful forces for changing one’s personal life, one’s environment and the wider world. Our vision is for the arts to play their part in creating a society that is guided by principles of justice, kindness and generosity.
It grew out of Initiatives of Change, a global network open to people of all cultures, nationalities, faith traditions and beliefs who work towards change, locally and globally, starting with change in their own lives. Frank Buchman, the founder of Initiatives of Change, saw a role for artists as the bearers of the banner of spiritual regeneration in a world where political priorities had been misplaced and personal change was an untried commodity. For more than fifty years, artists inspired by this concept worked with his international fellowship.
“If art is that which touches the soul then art is the most essential element for the future.”
Gunnar Soderlund, founder member of RA
In August 1997, a group of artists led a conference on Creativity at the Initiatives of Change conference centre in Switzerland. The enthusiastic response to it encouraged this group to think of creating a network of artists who wanted to share their experience of the transforming power of art. Renewal Arts was born and in 2000 a conference dedicated to the arts was called, welcoming artists and those who simply wished to immerse themselves in artistic discovery. With the theme ‘Arts in Perspective’, it was held in at the same conference centre at Caux in Switzerland. Since then Renewal Arts has hosted an international forum every other summer.
Legal bodies have been set up in the United Kingdom, Sweden and Germany to support the international network.
The network of more than 600 people has links in more than 35 countries.
“Art helps us to a better understanding of ourselves, what we are and where we come from. It guides us to higher levels of our existence”
Uwe Steinmetz, German composer and musician