Artists of the Christian faith often feel isolated among their Christian peers. Over the last few decades, Evangelical churches in America have failed to acknowledge the gifts of visual artists. Many Christians, in the words of Francis Schaeffer, have reduced the visual arts to a tract.
Much of this seems to be on the verge of changing, however. Larger churches are beginning guilds to encourage and create community among their artists.
This page will explore Christians presently in the visual arts, encourage community and exploration and relay resources of interest. The painting at left is by Makoto Fujimura.
The Aesthetic Elevator
A blog dealing with art and faith.
"Exploring the visual arts, architecture and community planning in the context of American culture - towards a well-considered visual environment."
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byMFAs offered at Christian colleges
- Biola University
- Apparently I was wrong about Biola having an MFA right now. However, enough people ask about it that they take the names and phone numbers of those inquiring.
- Azusa Pacific University
- From the APU website: The MFA student's primary experience at APU centers on studio activity and the integration of faith and art. Supporting this is a schedule of courses that includes critical issues in art and four semesters of in-depth study of the relationship of students' Christian faith and their lives as contemporary artists. Each student gains regular exposure to aesthetic or stylistic positions through faculty members and visiting artists and speakers. The program focuses not only on the refinement of visual skills, but also on the articulation of one's work and the cultivation of one's spirit and mind. Students bring creative force and imagination to their own development - qualities that can be stimulated and encouraged.
Flickr group: Visual art and the Christian faith
If you use Flickr and are a visual artists of the Christian faith, join this group: Visual artists of the Christian faith
Basswood and padauk. 2005
Terracotta and jade. 2001
Ash and padauk. 2004
Christian Art Organizations
- Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA)
- Christians in the Visual Arts exists to explore and nurture the relationship between the VISUAL ARTS and the CHRISTIAN FAITH. Founded in 1979, CIVA first met to consider the place of the Christian artist in the church and in the world-at-large.
- International Arts Movement (IAM)
- IAM is a catalyst arts organization committed to cultural and spiritual renewal. Its programs support individual artists in their work and embrace the entire arts community. IAM is active in Tokyo and New York City, with affiliations in Orlando, Los Angeles, and London.
Its vision: a fusion of creativity and faith that expresses and illustrates God's intimate and merciful identity in the world. - Artists in Christian Testimony
- A.C.T. is building a mission board and non-profit umbrella empowerment ministry for arts ministry and missions specialists who are doing the Church's Kingdom ministries worldwide.
- barking phish
- Barking Phish is a faith-based movement informing culture through the visual arts.
- Imago
- Our neighbors to the north, promoting the artistic development of Christians in theater, dance, fine arts, music, film and literature.
- Brehm Center
- At the Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and the Arts we believe in the revitalization of the church through the arts. By engaging expert faculty, visiting scholars, and world-class artists, the Brehm Center investigates the theory and practice of artistic ministry.
- Christian artists in the U.K.
- I just ran across this and it seems to be a good website with a lot of information geared towards Christian students studying art in the United Kingdom.
- Arts Centre Group
- Another U.K. effort, "the ACG has a long and distinguished history of supporting Christians who work in every area of the arts and media."
Books Relating the Church and the Arts
A Profound Weakness: Christians & Kitsch
Amazon Price: (as of 10/13/2008)
The Creative Call: An Artist's Response to the Way of the Spirit (Writers' Palette Book)
Amazon Price: $10.87 (as of 10/13/2008)
The Heart of the Artist
Amazon Price: $11.55 (as of 10/13/2008)
Thriving as an Artist in the Church: Hope and Help for You and Your Ministry Team (Willow Creek Resources)
Amazon Price: $11.55 (as of 10/13/2008)
The Arts in Your Church
Amazon Price: (as of 10/13/2008)
Artist guilds in churches
- Franklin, Tennessee
- The People's Church
- Chicago, Illinois
- The all-too-enormous Willow Creek
- Lincoln, Nebraska
- Lincoln Berean Church, of which I've been a part in the past.
- Canvas OC
- We are always looking for poets, percussionists, visual artists (live and exhibit), video artists, dancers, and musicians to join our community. We are a church that is in tune with our culture? We encourage creativity and embrace the arts as a powerful expression of life and spirituality. The artistic expression of our community is not merely to demonstrate or teach, but to inspire. We seek for the arts to be more than a trend and the artist to be more than just a token in our church. Our sincere desire is to avoid making a symbolic gesture towards the arts and to immerse ourselves in all things creative.
- The Journey
- Has an art gallery in the works on it's website; a St. Louis church. Can't link directly to the gallery (can't link directly to the gallery, as their website is Flash).
- Hope Arts
- A church in Austin, Texas with some very nice mixed media and collaborative projects.
Books on Theology and the Visual Arts
Art and the Bible (L'Abri Pamphlets)
Amazon Price: (as of 10/13/2008)
Beholding the Glory: Incarnation through the Arts
Amazon Price: $18.00 (as of 10/13/2008)
Theology and the Arts: Encountering God Through Music, Art, and Rhetoric
Amazon Price: $13.46 (as of 10/13/2008)
Art Needs No Justification
Amazon Price: (as of 10/13/2008)
The Arts in Your Church
Amazon Price: (as of 10/13/2008)
Books of Christian Artist's Work
The Art of Sandra Bowden
Amazon Price: $49.99 (as of 10/13/2008)
The Psalms: An Artist's Impression
Amazon Price: $20.00 (as of 10/13/2008)
Makoto Fujimura: New York works
Amazon Price: (as of 10/13/2008)
Makoto Fujimura, Hours
Amazon Price: (as of 10/13/2008)
Makoto Fujimura, Images of Grace
Amazon Price: (as of 10/13/2008)
Christian Artists
- Makoto Fujimura
- Very significant artist, must see.
- Janeric Johansson
- Interesting installations, but not the best website.
- Marguerite Malwitz
- Fabric arts, missions minded artist.
- Amy Smith
- Beautiful, beautiful work.
- Sandra Bowden
- CIVA president and artist.
- Paul Hobbs
- Paintings and collages.
- Paul Nielsen
- A shameless plug.
- Liturgical Arts - Visual arts
- A list of some more . . .
- Monte Mickley
- Nebraska photographer, brother of a close friend.
- David Thistlethwaite
- Author of "The Art of God and the Religions of Art."
- Doug Johnson
- Friend of Monte Mickley.
- Geinene Carson
- Founder and director of ArtsLink.
- Michael Schrauzer
- Catholic artist's work, great fun and good craftsmanship.
- Tim Jones
- Northwest Arkansas painter I'm getting to know.
- Liviu Mocan
- A Romanian sculptor.
Christian Art Publications
- Image Journal
- A literary and arts quarterly founded in 1989, is a unique forum for the best writing and artwork that is informed by-or grapples with-religious faith
- ARTS Magazine
- ARTS: The Arts in Religious and Theological Studies is the journal of The Society for the Arts in Religious and Theological Studies published by the theology and arts program of United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities.
- God's Friends
- Issue of an Episcopal publication on Visual Art as Incarnation.
Articles on Christians in the visual arts
- McKenzie Study Center articles
- Articles from McKenzie Study Center (a institue of Gutenberg College) discussing the arts, media, and literature.
- Creative Spirit
- Belhaven College's visual arts publication.
- Washington Times on the Brehm Center
- Jen Waters writes about the Brehm Center.
- Manifesto: Christians and the Arts
- This article is the result of a project put together by a number of people in South Africa. Some of the highlights can be seen in this blog entry.
Christian Art Retreats
- Grunewald Guild
- Celebrating the relationship between art and faith for 25 years.
- Still Point
- This one is still in the works . . .
- L'Abri
- This isn't necessarily for artists, but it has a strong track record in supporting artists of the Christian faith.
- Glen Workshop
- Put on by CIVA
Christian Galleries
- Museum of Biblical Art
- MOBIA is conveniently located at 1865 Broadway, on the corner of 61st Street in New York. Thanks to generous funding from the American Bible Society and the Founding Members of the Museum of Biblical Art, admission to MOBIA is now free of charge.
- White Stone Gallery
- Works by Makoto Fujimura, He Qi, Sandra Bowden among others.
- MissionaryArts.com
- The concept: to help missionary artists supplement their financial support through the sale of their art.
- Museum of Contemporary Religious Art
- Saint Louis University's Museum of Contemporary Religious Art (MOCRA) is the world's first museum of interfaith contemporary art. (Not exclusively Christian art.)
Discussion Forums for Christians in the Arts
- Christian Forums Creative Arts Discussion
- Somewhat regular posting on all topics, with occassional conversations of depth.
- Arts and Faith
- These boards seem to have mostly drawn people with an interest in film and music, but there is some good discussion on visual art as well.
- Image Journal Forums
- Some of the best discussion I've found online on the arts is here. Very well-informed, geared first towards literature but covering visual art as well.
Redeeming the Arts: An issue paper
- Redeeming the Arts: An issue paper
- From the prologue:
For an established and respected mission organization to recognize the arts as strategic to the life and mission of the church, and to commission a paper about the arts in the context of faith and redemption, is both visionary and long overdue. Apart from a small number of important voices in the latter part of the 20th century, the church as a whole has been virtually silent on the topic for generations. There is an evident need to find ways to speak of the intrinsic value of the arts, what they are able to contribute to our faith communities and the cultures in which we live, and the unique ways in which they are able to move our spirit and shape our thinking.
Evangelical communities have been inclined to neglect the arts. There are of course many reasons for this tendency . . .
Feedback and guestbook
Let me know how helpful this lens was to you . . .
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d-artist
great site! I am a Christian Artist and sign my name with the Ichthys to show the world who I am...stop by my lenses and view my Christian Artist lens...5*s Posted August 13, 2008 |
You should look up the artist Brian Sherwin. He does the interviews at www.myartspace.com.blog for the Myartspace site and according to his Facebook profile he is not only a Christian, but also conservative. Very odd mix.
Posted July 23, 2008
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WhitU4ever
My husband did all of the art work for the Lincoln Berean School of the Arts when it started. My husband and I are both artists. Thanks for this lens... what a find! Posted July 02, 2008 |
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Bedouins_International
Wow, you've certainly done your research...thanks for all the info! I'm looking forward to exploring the links you've found to other organizations who are using art to demonstrate their faith. Posted May 09, 2008 |
Great site! I enjoyed checking out the other artists.
Visit mine: Bill Vivrett Creative Expressions
Posted February 28, 2008
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More Links
- Theological Aesthetics
- Wikipedia page on theological aesthetics.
