Art by Daniel Buffenmeyer, Young-Ly Hong Chandra, Amy Gilles, Julia Hendrickson, Jocelyn Mathewes, Matthew Whitney, & Michael Winters

On view May 17 - July 12, 2026

Throughout Scripture we read that God leads us in paths of righteousness, makes known to us the path of life, and makes our paths straight. He records our wanderings and bottles our tears; He sets the boundaries of our time and place; His presence is with us in the heights and depths. 

The artists in this exhibit have recorded their wanderings, whether paths and places intentionally set down or ones they come upon. They have taken note of their places. 

Amy Gilles, Matthew Whitney, and Michael Winters walk or bike particular paths in their cities, recording their movement through the places they live by collecting objects, making photos, and drawing maps. 

Julia Hendrickson and Jocelyn Mathewes create paintings and cyanotypes, respectively, from the regional nature surrounding them, from recording particular California raindrops to the seasonal flora of Appalachia.  

Daniel Buffenmeyer seeks out God’s presence in wild woods, places untouched by human hands, and Young-Ly Hong Chandra’s pieces remind us of God’s presence wherever we go, placemaking in the midst of migration.  

Much like God knows our daily wanderings, trials, and joys, these artists are intentionally attuned to the places and paths around them. May we also seek to be present to the people, places and paths God leads us to as well.

Daniel Buffenmeyer earned a BFA in Printmaking from Tyler School of Art (Temple University) in Philadelphia. Some of his past involvements include: Curator for Lebanon Valley Council on the Arts and adjunct professor at Lebanon Valley College. Currently, Daniel exhibits throughout South-Central Pennsylvania, and works both on location and from his studio in rural Pennsylvania. See more of Daniel’s art at Buffenmeyer.com.

Young-Ly Hong Chandra is a Seoul born, interdisciplinary artist. With her roots across multiple cultures and countries, she explores layered  boundary crossing in physical, cultural, material and spiritual realms through making soft sculpture, painting, drawing, experimental filmmaking and site specific installations.

Her work-process engages contemplative gazing at her environment and her mediums and ushering their own stories out, through her bodily labor. It often involves repetitive acts of cutting, stretching, wrapping, squeezing, stroking and knotting. See more of Young-Ly’s work at younglyhongchandra.com.

Julia Hendrickson is a practice and process-based visual artist and theologian. She lives a Covid conscious life, as a mechanism of inclusion and care, in the Los Angeles Plain ecoregion. Julia works serially with watercolor and salt, digital formats, and relief prints. She expands the Benedictine tradition of ora et labora to opera Divina, daily work as prayer, with each artwork being a manifold conversation with the Divine. As a professor, Julia facilitates reflections about the role of art in the world and self-filmed digital studio visits she models this on social media. Julia has an M.F.A. from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Print | Media and an MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary. These dual degrees distinctly inform her thought and studio practice. She is a Fujimura Fellow and strives to be generative in acts of Culture Care. While waiting for paint to dry, she takes long walks, documents flowers, and reads a lot of books. See more of Julia’s work at juliahendrickson.com.

Jocelyn Mathewes is a mixed-media interdisciplinary artist living with her family in rural Appalachia in East Tennessee. She earned a B.A. in Studio Art and English Literature from Messiah College, and her work has been exhibited in galleries, museums, and community spaces across the United States and internationally. Working primarily in alternative photographic processes—especially cyanotype—alongside film photography, collage, and mixed media, her practice investigates the unrepeatable moment: what it means to document time passing through a body, a season, a place.

In 2020, she founded EAT/ART space, a dining room pop-up gallery in Johnson City that celebrates hyper-local Appalachian artists and culture, and has hosted 19+ exhibits since its founding. She is the current executive chair of her local public art committee, and releases a monthly newsletter featuring arts events across the Southern Highlands, connecting creatives throughout East Tennessee, Western North Carolina, and Southwest Virginia. Her work has appeared in publications including The HAND Magazine and Cyanotype: The Blueprint in Contemporary Practice by Christina Z. Anderson, and has been collected by the Reece Museum. See more of Jocelyn’s artwork at jocelynmathewes.com.

Matthew Whitney (he/his/him) is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and pedestrian. He works between drawing, painting, photography, collage, video, performance, and group facilitation, with a focus on the metaphorical and spiritual power generated through the everyday rhythms of walking, making things, and stillness. He has a BA in Art from Whitworth University and an MFA in Visual Art from Vermont College of Fine Arts. See more of Matthew’s work at matthewwhitney.com.

Michael Winters is a photo-based artist in Louisville, KY. His artwork has been featured in galleries including Kentucky Museum of Art & Craft, Georgetown College, and Intersect Arts Center. His work has also been featured online on Vice and in print in CIVA’s Seen Journal. Michael led Sojourn Arts from 2007-2025. He now works as a Marriage and Family Therapy Associate and is a church member of Sojourn East. See more of Michael's art at michaeltwinters.com.

Paintings by Matt Armstrong and Craig Hawkins

On view September 11 - November 8, 2026

OPENING RECEPTION: Friday, September 11th at Sojourn Midtown (1207 S. Shelby St.)

“Arising from over 25 years of exploring the supernatural, Manifest is an art exhibition that features recent works by two longtime friends and artists, Craig Hawkins and Matt Armstrong. Over the years, their friendship has been bonded by a profound desire to express their pursuit of a deeply personal faith through creating artwork. Hawkins’ work delves into a narrative thread of trees, while Armstrong’s focus turns to a visual depiction of prayer. Each piece is an opportunity to find common ground to explore, question, and imagine how the supernatural may be made manifest to each of us.”

— Matt Armstrong & Craig Hawkins

Matt Armstrong, born in a Chicago suburb in 1980, moved to Georgia with his family at the age of six. Growing up surrounded by southern culture, he found inspiration that shaped his perspective on both life and creativity. In 2003, he graduated from Valdosta State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis in studio art. Since then, Armstrong’s work has been exhibited, published, and collected both nationally and internationally. He has also been a resident artist in Akureyri, Iceland; Berlin, Germany; and Atlanta, Georgia, where he currently lives and works. To learn more about Armstrong and his art, visit www.mattarmstrongart.com. 

Craig Hawkins, a studio artist and educator in South Georgia, centers his studio practice on drawing and painting. With an M.F.A. from the University of Georgia, he skillfully balances being a dedicated studio artist and respected professor at Valdosta State University.

Ancient Hebrew and Greek Scriptures hold a special place in his heart, shaping his creative approach. Hawkins delves into their rhythmic narrative patterns, infusing his art with symbolism and motifs that echo their wisdom. His work beautifully blends chronicles and creativity, using visual art to channel ageless insights. Hawkins states, “My work is a reflection of my experience with scripture, a result of my experience growing up in the south, a response to the inherent value of everyone, and a perceived need for beauty and community in the world.” To learn more about Hawkins and his art, visit www.craighawkinsart.com.