We asked Samantha Curley, co-executive director of Level Ground, to share her artistic playlist for the theme of provoke. An artistic playlist is a compilation that draws on any and all realms of creativity that acts as the proverbial soundtrack in an artist’s head as she approaches her own work. So, enjoy the pieces and people that help inspire Samantha as she works to be an innovator of ideas and curator of safe space.
1. How To Survive A Plague
This Oscar nominated documentary about the redemptive power of collective anger provokes us with the question: What do we need to become today in order to bring about life, justice, and reconciliation in our communities and the world?
2. Resisterectomy
An installation piece by Toronto-based artist, Chase Joynt, provokes us with the nature of embodiment. More info can be found here.
3. Walter Brueggemann with Krista Tippet
The people we later recognize as prophets, says Walter Brueggemann, are also poets. They reframe what is at stake in chaotic times. Brueggemann provokes our sense of the prophetic imagination on this episode of On Being.
4. The Devotion Project
This series of 10-minute, short films celebrates the commitment and love of those too often considered to be other. This project provokes our sense of what family and love look like on the margins.
5. “I Was Wrong, I’m Sorry, and I Love You”
This is one of the more provoking titles for a music album, especially coming from a renowned Christian artist. Derek Webb asks us to consider what it means to be wrong and to apologize.
6. Post Secret
What provokes us more than the secrets we keep from one another, from God, and often from ourselves? This project has provoked millions to send in their secrets and inspired countless videos, books, spin off projects, and TEDtalks.
SAMANTHA CURLEY is the Executive Director of Level Ground, an organization that uses art to create safe space for dialogue about faith, gender, and sexuality. Sam studied Communication Sciences at Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) and Theology and Art at Fuller Seminary (Pasadena, CA). She is from Chicago, Illinois and worked for Young Life for four years before moving to Los Angeles. She has editorial and writing experience and enjoys baking bread and composting. You can follow her personal ponderings at samsstorybook.com.