“Context” was the watchword for this year's Faith & Form /IFRAA Awards jury, which reviewed a field of 140 entrants distributed among all categories. Context was important for several reasons. On a pragmatic note, the jury was eager for more contextual information in the entries themselves. In architecture and interior design, they wanted to have a better understanding of the neighborhood, existing conditions, adjacencies to the projects, and the context in which design decisions were made. In the arts, the jury was curious about the context in which works were to be displayed or used: are they part of a worship environment, or are they in a privately held collection not associated with a community of believers? The distinctions about context, the jury members felt, were important in their consideration of whether a certain work of art or architecture was appropriate, given the conditions around it (not only the physical context, but the context of the faith community supporting the work). Context as a factor in the jury's assessment of architecture and art resulted in a varied and “ecumenical” posture about style. As you will see from the results, traditional architecture and art are represented in this year's award winners, as are more contemporary and cutting-edge works. In some past awards programs, individual jurors would not consider work in a style or tradition that challenged their own design or artistic predilections. This was not the case with this year's jury members.

Another interesting development in the jury's commentary was its interest in attracting more entries that were not worship spaces: community outreach facilities, fellowship halls, educational environments, convents, and monasteries. The Call for Entries for the awards program states that any kind of project, used for worship or not, can be submitted to the awards program as long as it supports a religious purpose. That purpose should be part of the mission of a faith community. This means that a work of art or architecture does not necessarily have to be part of a worship environment, as long as it serves a religious purpose.

Projects that dealt with existing conditions, made welcome additions, or dealt with existing shortfalls in religious environments and made them stronger--the jury applauded such work as important to the ongoing life of communities of faith. Recognizing that more of this type of work is being done than newly commissioned “stand alone” projects, next year Faith & Form will dedicate an entire issue to religious architecture and art that supplements or augments existing conditions.

The jury hoped that the awards program would attract projects for faiths outside of the Christian/Jewish/Muslim traditions (although the dearth of Islamic projects submitted means that the program needs to attract more architects, designers, and artists working in that realm). And it should appeal to younger generations of would-be artists and architects. Recognizing this well of creative energy, the awards program in 2012 will add a new category: Student Work. Students of architecture, interior design, art, graphic design, textiles, furniture, and metalwork will be invited to submit school projects designed in response to a religious program or purpose. There will be more information about this new category before the awards website opens for submissions on April 1, 2012.