Trinity Fellowship Church in Richardson built a new sanctuary two years ago. The church was designed in the shape of a cross, and the walls are embossed with small crosses. The 'gold-leaf' cross seemed so appropriate,'' associate pastor Keith Hileman said. The gold leaf reflects everywhere. Art had sometimes been ignored because of a church's physical location or use by other organizations, church leaders said.
Some churches share space with schools or private businesses.
Adding art has required rethinking how churches use space and building materials. That means designing art that represents the theology of the church - a notion that is not far from Catholicism. At St. Joseph Catholic Community in Arlington, a new church that can seat 1,600, art was extensively researched and carefully chosen in accordance with history and Catholic theology. Texas artists were commissioned to carve wood statues of 15 saints and create oil paintings of the Stations of the Cross. Novinski was hired to design a series of stained-glass windows.