I just finished a novel that would be a candidate for good discussions among Christian artists – The Submission by Amy Waldman. In this story the protagonist is Mohammed Khan, an American-born and -educated architect, son of Muslim immigrants from India, who wins an anonymous contest to design a 9/11 memorial. When his identity is revealed, the design jury, the public, American Muslims and the artist himself face conflicts of interest involving grief, entitlement, fairness, faith, and what art can or should do in the context of a public tragedy.
Integrity is one theme of the story. How does a non-practicing Muslim face the sudden hostility his very name evokes? Does he owe loyalty to his roots, his ancestry, when his whole life has been a secular American success? In what ways and to what degree is he responsible to himself, his art, his people? Who are his people?
Should the jury stand behind ther choice in the face of virulent opposition? Who gets to decide whether to build the winning design – the loudest, most strident voices or some kind of majority vote, the politicians or the art experts? Should the artist withdraw his design for the sake of a peaceful end?
Integrity is one theme of the story. How does a non-practicing Muslim face the sudden hostility his very name evokes? Does he owe loyalty to his roots, his ancestry, when his whole life has been a secular American success? In what ways and to what degree is he responsible to himself, his art, his people? Who are his people?
Should the jury stand behind ther choice in the face of virulent opposition? Who gets to decide whether to build the winning design – the loudest, most strident voices or some kind of majority vote, the politicians or the art experts? Should the artist withdraw his design for the sake of a peaceful end?