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Christianity and Art
Gordon College Orvieto (Italy) Semester. The Orvieto program is designed to provide contemporary American students with a vivid experience of tradition in art, spirituality and worship, and civic life, and to inspire young artists of Christian faith to re-connect with the religious artistic traditions of the past to enable them to respond creatively to the past in order to shape a human future in art and culture. While the Orvieto Semester is clearly art-intensive, it is not restricted to students majoring in art. http://www.gordon.edu/geo/orvieto (E)
Educational institutions worldwide
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
Christian universities, colleges and organisations offering degrees and courses in art history, art education, visual arts, architecture, theology and the arts, liturgical art, church architecture, and iconography
PAN-EUROPEAN
European Leadership Forum. Seminars and workshops on the arts as part of the yearly conference of ELF. Several lectures about the arts are to be found on their website (also audio files to download). https://euroleadership.org/ (E)
AUSTRIA
Katholisch-theologischen Privatuniversität Linz, Institut für Kunstwissenschaft und Philosophie. Interdisciplinary program that combines art history, theology and philosophy. https://ku-linz.at/kunstwissenschaft (D)
Karl Franzens Universität Graz, Institut für Systematische Theologie und Liturgiewissenschaft. https://systematik-liturgiewissenschaft.uni-graz.at/de/ (D)
Österreichisches Liturgisches Institut, Salzburg. Offer a course to improve the understanding of the Catholic liturgy. www.liturgie.at (D)
St. Virgil, Ernst-Grein-Straße 14, Salzburg, a Catholic conference and educational centre that places a lot of emphasis on the dialogue between the church and contemporary art. With an exhibition space and an artist in residence program. www.virgil.at (E, D)
Universität Wien, Institut für Kirchengeschichte. Johannes Rauchenberger teaches Art and Religion. https://kg-ktf.univie.ac.at/ueber-uns/ (D)
BELGIUM
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. KADOC, the Documentation and Research Centre on Religion, Culture and Society. KADOC is an interfaculty research centre of the K.U. Leuven focusing on the study of religion, culture and society. KADOC collects and makes available heritage (monographs and journals, audiovisual and textual records) concerning the interaction between religion, culture and society in Flanders in its national and international context from the second half of the 18th century. The centre also organises colloquia and study days, exhibitions and concerts. kadoc.kuleuven.be (NL,F,E)
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. Liturgical Institute. https://theo.kuleuven.be/en/research/centres/liturgical_institute (NL, E)
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. HERKUL, interdiscipilnairy Institute for Cultural Heritage. Deals with questions like "What exactly is cultural heritage? How can we better understand, preserve and appreciate this heritage? And how does it contribute to our wellbeing and sustainable development?" https://nieuws.kuleuven.be/en/content/2020/cultural-heritage-takes-centre-stage-in-new-ku-leuven-institute
BULGARIA
Academy of Serbian Orthodox Church for Fine Arts and Conservation, Belgrade. http://www.akademijaspc.edu.rs
St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo, Christian Archaeology and Art at the Faculty of Theology: Todor Enchev chief assistant professor; Department of Church Arts, Faculty of Orthodox Theology: Desislava Ivanova, Senior Assistant Professor. https://www.uni-vt.bg/eng/ (Bu, E)
DENMARK
Universtity of Copenhagen, Faculty of Theology, Centre for Christianity and the Arts. The Centre was established in 1991 with the purpose to study the relationship between the history of the arts and the history of Christianity. In 1995 a particular study program in Christianity and the Arts was established. Presently, the research is mainly carried out at the Centre for the Study of the Cultural Heritage of Medieval Rituals and through the research project In-visibilis; in addition there is a collaboration with the Faculty of Theology at the University of Oslo through the project Sensibility and Transcendence. http://www.teol.ku.dk/english/dept/christianity_and_the_arts (Dan, E)
ENGLAND
All Nations Christian College, Christian College offering arts-based modules. All Nations is an international cross-cultural mission training college in the UK which recognises the importance of the creative arts in missions. Over the last years the college has delivered a series of innovative arts modules which are integrated in to the BA Hons Degree programme in Biblical and Intercultural Studies. The arts modules are streamlined in to the areas of music, performing arts and the visual arts. At every level they are integrated in to the learning experience alongside personal development, Biblical studies, cross-cultural awareness and practical ministry skills. In the area of performing arts, we offer performing arts in context and performing arts in practice modules, engaging in contemporary issues through performance and learning skills of teaching and facilitating workshops. In the area of music and worship we offer world worship music and ethnomusicology modules which explore global forms of worship. In the area of the visual arts we study contemporary art forms alongside western culture and examine the relationship between art, culture and identity. Our courses are externally validated by the Open University. Some of our modules can be accessed as short courses. http://www.allnations.ac.uk
ASK, Centre for Arts and the Sacred at King’s, is a centre at King’s College, London, for research, teaching and public education in relation to the role of religion in the arts, and the role of the arts in religion. The focus on the arts is broad, and not limited to the visual arts alone. We look at questions of architecture and urban space as well as literature, music, film, dance and theatre. Our focus on the sacred is intended to ensure as rich an interdisciplinary set of engagements as possible, not prematurely foreclosing discussions when they do not obviously relate to one or more of the established religious traditions. Masters in Christianity and the Arts. Ben Quash Professor of Christianity and the Arts. http://www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/humanities/depts/trs/staff/bq.html (E)
The Centre for the Study of Christianity and Culture, University of York, is an initiative which seeks to explore and explain one of the most important influences on art, music, history, literature and architecture. The Centre, which supports teaching and research, produces books and innovative interactive resources, and works with partners to create interpretation schemes for important historic churches, is located in the Humanities Research Centre at the University of York. www.christianityandculture.org.uk (E)
G.K. Chesterton Institute for Faith and Culture, 6a King Street in Jericho, Oxford, formerly the Centre for Faith & Culture, has been the custodian of the Chesterton Library. Numerous researchers have come to do research in the archive. The Center's research is intended to contribute to the renewal of Christian culture and education. Apart from its Chesterton-related work, and the hosting of American students, the Centre edits and publishes the international journal Second Spring. The Centre also represents the UK outreach programme of Thomas More College in New Hampshire and is linked to the G.K. Chesterton Institute for Faith and Culture at Seton Hall University, South Orange, New Jersey. https://www.shu.edu/chesterton/ (E)
King's College London, Department of Theology & Religious Studies, Faculty of Arts & Humanities. One of the longest established Theology departments in the country, King's TRS is a centre of excellence and innovation in the study of religion across disciplines – from Social and Political Sciences to Theology and Biblical Studies, and from Philosophy and Ethics to Religious Studies and the Arts. https://www.kcl.ac.uk/trs/about
Oxford Centre for Christianity and Culture (OCCC). The concern of Regent’s Park College (Baptist College) to make connections between Christian faith and society today underpins all its activities, but finds special focus in the Oxford Centre for Christianity and Culture (OCCC). This institute provides research opportunities for scholars, and brings together practitioners and artists to reflect upon the place of faith and spirituality in their various fields. It promotes research into the nature of contemporary culture, from 'popular' culture such as film and the novel, to the culture which shapes such professional areas as law and science. The Centre provides lecture series each term, as well as conferences and publications addressing the arts and sciences and their relationship to the Christian and other religious traditions. The Centre also offers Postgraduate Studentships to research students in Oxford who are working in areas where faith and culture interact. https://www.rpc.ox.ac.uk/research-life/oxford-centre-christianity-culture/ (E)
Sarum College, Salisbury. Theological College with Centre for Theology, Imagination & Culture. Offers MA Theology, Imagination & Culture. At Sarum College, we are laying the foundation to realise our vision of becoming an international centre for liturgy, worship and the arts. Alongside postgraduate research and studies in these areas, the College is planning to set up seminars with architects, musicians and artists who are interested in studying the connections between these disciplines and Christian theology and worship. Annual Liturgy and the Arts Conference and permanent and temporary art exhibitions. www.sarum.ac.uk (E)
St Mellitus College, London, Theology & the Arts. Dr Sara Schumacher is Academic Dean and Tutor and Lecturer in Theology & the Arts. Sara studied at the Institute for Theology, Imagination and the Arts (University of St Andrews) and completed a doctorate on contemporary church patronage of the visual arts. https://stmellitus.ac.uk/staff/dr-sara-schumacher
University of York. The University of York together with the Churches Conservation Trust created a new (2020) postgraduate programme titled 'Parish Church Studies: Heritage, History, and Fabric'. The online program aims to provide a better understanding of the changing nature of Parish Churches. https://www.york.ac.uk/media/studenthome/studying/programmespecifications/postgraduate/2016/cll/PG%20Diploma%20in%20Parish%20Church%20Studies%20Heritage,%20History%20and%20Fabric%202016.pdf
FINLAND
Helsinki University Department of Practical Theology. Lutheran. One of the international ventures is the research project on visual theology together with the Department of Art History of the University of Jyvaskyla, the Department of Church Architecture and Modern Church Art of the University of Marburg, and the Liturgical Institute of the State University of Groningen; this study investigates the ecclesiastical art and theology of images in Finnish churches. https://www2.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-of-theology (Fi, Sw, E)
FRANCE
Centre Sèvres, Facultés Jésuites de Paris have courses in theology and aesthetics/the arts. www.centresevres.com (F)
Collège des Bernardins, 20 rue de Poissy, Paris, organizes conferences and conducts research about religion and the arts and regularly presents exhibitions. www.collegedesbernardins.fr (F)
Faculté de Théologie Protestante, Palais Universitaire, Bureau 9, Strasbourg: Jérôme Cottin is Professeur de Théologie pratique here, teaching about theology and art. https://theopro.unistra.fr/formation/centre-de-formation-theologique-et-pratique; https://theopro.unistra.fr/faculte/enseignants/equipe-enseignante/j-cottin (F)
Institut Supérieur de Théologie des Arts (ISTA), L’Institut Catholique de Paris. ISTA focuses on the patrimony of the church and contemporary religious art in the world in order to foster theological discernment. https://www.icp.fr/a-propos-de-licp/decouvrez-licp/facultes-et-instituts/ista-institut-superieur-de-theologie-des-arts (F)
GERMANY
Deutsches Liturgisches Institut Trier. Catholic. www.liturgie.de/liturgie/index.php (D)
Institut für Kirchenbau und kirchliche Kunst der Gegenwart, Philipps-Universität Marburg is a research institute of the Lutheran church that focuses on contemporary art and architecture, religion and aesthetics, church and art. It organises the Ev. Kirchbautage about church architecture and publishes together with the Institut für Kunstwissenschaft in Linz the journal Kunst und Kirche. https://kunst-religion.de/ (D)
Kunstforum Matthäus, Hamburg, offers a program of lectures, courses, excursions and art trips led by highly qualified art historians. Founded in 1973 by art historian and theologian Professor Dr. Christian Tümpel as an academy for the church. Wants to explore the art of the art centres of the world with people who want to experience art with an open eye. www.kunstforum-matthaeus.de (D)
Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Arbeitsstelle für Christliche Bildtheorie, theologische Ästhetik und Bilddidaktik (ACHRIBI). This Catholic institute focuses on theological reflection on the role art and images play in faith formation, the history of the church and western culture. https://www.uni-muenster.de/FB2/achribi/ (D)
GEORGIA
Tbilisi State Academy of Arts, Department of Art History and Theory: Anna Mgaloblishvili heads research direction Religious Art in the Modern World. The department of painting also focuses on church murals and icon painting. https://art.edu.ge/aceng/
GREECE
University of Athens: Iconography (Theory and Practice): George Kordis assistant professor. https://gr.linkedin.com/in/george-kordis-856b5918?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F
IRELAND
Irish Centre for Faith and Culture, St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, Co. Kildare. The Centre strives to make a long-term contribution towards serious reflection on the Irish Church’s adaptation to the changing cultural conditions of life. The forging of links with similar Catholic Centres, in particular within Europe, may help to filter a wider experience and parallel reflection into the Irish context. The current director of the ICFC is also the Professor of Faith and Culture in the Faculty of Theology at the Pontifical University, St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth, Co. Kildare. The research centre has organised a number of conferences and has published reports and books as part of its remit. https://seminary.maynoothcollege.ie/the-irish-centre-for-faith-and-culture (E)
The National Liturgy Centre, Maynooth. Has an Advisory Committee on Sacred Art and Architecture. Offers courses in Church Art and Architecture. https://www.kandle.ie/national-centre-for-liturgy/ (E)
ITALY
Mount Tabor, Ecumenical Centre for Arts and Spirituality, Barga. The centre promotes visual and performing arts, organizes educational programs, and facilitates ecumenical exchange. Via Sacra, home of the Mount Tabor Ecumenical Centre in Barga, Italy, provides a context for reflection and discussion about faith and creativity, contemplation and communication, liturgy and beauty. http://www.mounttabor.it (E)
Orvieto Semester, linked to Gordon College, but not only for Gordon College students. The Orvieto program is designed to provide contemporary American students with a vivid experience of tradition in art, spirituality and worship, and civic life, and to inspire young artists of Christian faith to re-connect with the religious artistic traditions of the past to enable them to respond creatively to the past in order to shape a human future in art and culture. While the Orvieto Semester is clearly art-intensive, it is not restricted to students majoring in art. http://www.gordon.edu/geo/orvieto (E)
Pontifical University of Santa Croce, Rome. Ralf van Bühren (https://docenti.pusc.it/?u=buhren) is teaching at the School of Communication and at the School of Theology: History of Christian art, Architectural history, Visual rhetoric (Christian art as «locus theologicus»), History of liturgical art, Visual arts as communication media, Christian art and architecture in Rome (from antiquity to the present). The mentioned faculties offer the Bachelor’s and Licentiate Degree as well as the Doctorate, furthermore a Masters degree in Church History. University website: http://en.pusc.it/ (It,E)
Scuola d’Arte Cristiana ‘Beato Angelico’, Milano. A Catholic academy teaching architecture, painting, sculpture, liturgical arts and liturgy. Aiming to conserve and improve the cultural heritage of the Catholic church. For Italian and international students. http://www.scuolabeatoangelico.it (It,E)
LATVIA
Interdisciplinary Research Institute (IRI). Bachelor and master studies in icon painting, graphics and calligraphy. https://en.kra.lv/further-education/icon-painting-school/
Latvian Christian Academy both practices and teaches Icon painting to students. Deeply rooted in ancient Christian Church traditions, it represents the sacred heritage of Christendom. In cooperation with Icon painters from Latvia, Russia, Sinai and Israel the Bible art faculty has been established. Icon painting is taught according to the Church canon. This study program is meant mainly for Orthodox believing students. www.kra.lv/English/eng_courses.htm (Ru, E)
MALTA
The Catholic Institute, Floriana VLT 16, Malta. The Catholic Institute is the cultural centre of the Archidiocese of Malta. The primary aim of the Institute is to foster Christian culture and education in Malta. Its activities include theatrical productions, concerts, courses, seminars, lectures, cultural and educational debates, counselling, exhibitions, prayer groups and retreats. https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=378080565595614&__tn__=C-R
THE NETHERLANDS
Free University Amsterdam
- Professor Wessel Stoker is Emeritus Professor of Theological Aesthetics. Specialization religion and modern and contemporary art. http://www.godgeleerdheid.vu.nl/nl/over-de-faculteit/medewerkers/wetenschappelijk-personeel-m-s/w-stoker/index.asp (NL)
- Prof. Marcel Barnard is Professor of Liturgical Studies. http://www.godgeleerdheid.vu.nl/nl/over-de-faculteit/medewerkers/wetenschappelijk-personeel-a-f/barnard.asp (NL)
- The Institute for Ritual and Liturgical Studies (Irilis) of the Protestant Theological University (PThU) in Amsterdam. http://www.pthu.nl/irilis/
- Professor Wessel Stoker is Emeritus Professor of Theological Aesthetics. Specialization religion and modern and contemporary art. http://www.godgeleerdheid.vu.nl/nl/over-de-faculteit/medewerkers/wetenschappelijk-personeel-m-s/w-stoker/index.asp (NL)
- Prof. Marcel Barnard is Professor of Liturgical Studies. http://www.godgeleerdheid.vu.nl/nl/over-de-faculteit/medewerkers/wetenschappelijk-personeel-a-f/barnard.asp (NL)
- The Institute for Ritual and Liturgical Studies (Irilis) of the Protestant Theological University (PThU) in Amsterdam. http://www.pthu.nl/irilis/
University of Amsterdam
- Prof. Patrick Chatelion Counet is professor of the Bible in Dutch culture. https://nl.linkedin.com/in/patrick-chatelion-counet-45286b11?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F
- Prof. Patrick Chatelion Counet is professor of the Bible in Dutch culture. https://nl.linkedin.com/in/patrick-chatelion-counet-45286b11?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F
University of Groningen
- Centre for Religion and Heritage, University of Groningen. The Centre was established to promote scholarly exchange, train future professionals, advise external stakeholders and engage in public outreach work in this topical and highly contested field. Its projects and events provide a resource for scholars and students, heritage organizations and government, as well as anyone interested in the connection of religion and heritage. The CRH is the successor of the Institute for Christian Cultural Heritage, which has contributed to heritage work in the Netherlands over many years. Building on a longterm engagement with Christian heritage, the Centre draws on the research strengths of affiliated staff in ancient, Islamic, Jewish and Buddhist religious history as well as in theoretical investigations of the secularism and the post-secular. http://www.rug.nl/research/centre-for-religious-studies/centre-religion-heritage/ (NL, E)
- Minor Bible and culture. About the reception of the Bible and apocryphical and early Christian literature in the visual arts; Christian iconography; and the role of the Bible in Dutch culture. www.rug.nl/ggw/education/minbijbcult (NL)
Radboud University Nijmegen
- Prof. S. L. de Blaauw is professor of the history of Early Christian Art and Architecture. www.ru.nl/kunstgeschiedenis/onderzoek/specialisaties/#ProfdrSibledeBlaauw (NL)
University of Utrecht
- Prof. dr. Johan Goud is Professor in Theological Aesthetics at the Religious Studies and Theology Department. http://www.uu.nl/gw/medewerkers/JFGoud
NORWAY
Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Department of Archaeology and Religious Studies: Prof. Sigurd Bergmann is concerned with the visual arts, architecture and religion.www.ntnu.edu/employees/sigurd.bergmann
University of Oslo, Department of Theology: Prof. Christoffersen concerns himself with aesthetics of religion. He is conducting the research project ‘Sensibility and Transcendence: The Holy and the Sublime in the Perspective of the Aesthetics of Religion.’ https://www.tf.uio.no/english/people/aca/sveinc/index.html
POLAND
Renaissance and Reformation Art History Department of the Art History Institute, University of Wroclaw.
https://uni.wroc.pl/en/faculties/faculty-of-historical-and-pedagogical-sciences/
ROMANIA
The Patriarch Justinian University of Bucharest, Faculty of Orthodox Theology, Department of Sacred Art. https://unibuc.ro/studii/facultati/facultatea-de-teologie-ortodoxa/?lang=en
School of Fine Arts, Cluj Napoca: Icon painting. https://www.ceebd.co.uk/ceeed/un/rom/ro023.htm
Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Iasi, Department of Sacred Art, Orthodox Theology Faculty, Romania. https://www.uaic.ro/en/studies/faculties/faculty-orthodox-theology/
RUSSIA
Institute of Orthodox Theology and Sacred Arts, St. Petersburg, Faculty of Iconography.
Sacred Murals Studio in St. Petersburg. Philip Davydov, head. https://www.sacredmurals.com/
SCOTLAND
Institute for Theology, Imagination and the Arts (ITIA), University of St Andrews. ITIA is a research institute based at St Mary's College, the Divinity School at the University of St Andrews. ITIA aims to advance and enrich an active conversation between Christian theology and the arts - bringing rigorous theological thinking to the arts, and bringing the resources of the arts to the enterprise of theology. As part of this, it seeks to explore the role of the imagination in the arts, as part of a wider theological interest in the imaginative aspects of our humanity. ITIA pursues this aim through rigorous academic research, undertaken by its staff and postgraduate communities, as well as high quality publications arising out this research. ITIA offers undergraduate and postgraduate taught courses, and hosts events such as conferences, seminars, colloquia and performances. www.st-andrews.ac.uk/divinity/admissions/pg/mlittres/itia (E)
Leith School of Art, an Edinburgh Art College. Leith School of Art is a unique art school. We are a small, vibrant community committed to the teaching and practice of art and design. The teaching itself is a creative process; we constantly renew and refresh the courses to stimulate and nurture the growth of each person’s artistic gift. Our aim is to create a school with a vital artistic life emphasising both tradition and innovation, to produce work of distinctive quality and character. www.leithschoolofart.co.uk (E)
University of Glasgow, Centre for the Study of Literature, Theology and the Arts. The Centre for Literature, Theology and the Arts was founded in Durham in 1982 and relocated to Glasgow in 1991. Though the Centre has its base in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies (School of Divinity), it has close links with other departments in the Arts Faculty, particularly English Literature, and the Department of Art History. Though the centre takes its context in a primarily Christian and (post-Christian) environment seriously, it also works on Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Chinese Religions. www.gla.ac.uk/schools/critical/research/researchcentresandnetworks/centreforthestudyofliteraturetheologyandthearts (E)
SERBIA
Academy of Serbian Orthodox Church for Fine Arts and Conservation in Belgrade. Todor Mitrovic, Associate Professor.
SPAIN
Escuela de Arte Cristiano - Instituto Diocesano de Teología, Plaza de Palacio, 1, Alcalá de Henares. Started in 2011. Focuses on visual arts, music and architecture. The school offers courses, seminars, lectures, excursions and dialogue with national and international artists. https://www.obispadoalcala.org/escuela-arte-cristiano (Sp)
SWEDEN
Credo Academy, a Christian study centre in Stockholm, which focuses on cultural analysis, worldview studies, apologetics and evangelism.
SWITZERLAND
Ecole Superior de Vitrail et de Creation Sion, 61 Rue de Manege. Subjects: Ceramics and glass/windows.
Ecole de Vitrail et de creation, Monthey. The Stained Glass Arts and Fine Arts College, Monthey. The Stained Glass Arts and Fine Arts College focuses on all aspects of stained and plate glass arts. Open to all, the College’s courses promote both technical and artistic development. www.ecolevitrail.com (E, F, Jap)
Kompetenzzentrum Liturgik Bern, part of the Theological Faculty of the University of Bern, focusing on liturgical studies, homiletics, hymnology and church aesthetics concerning the liturgy in Reformed and Catholic churches in their ecumenical, interreligious and intercultural relationships. www.liturgik.unibe.ch (D)
UKRAINE
Lviv National Academy of Arts, Sacred Art, aiming at the revival and popularization of the Ukrainian icon painting, its original stylistics. The achievements of the sacred art of the Knyaz era, Galicia-Volhynia school of icon painting of the 14th-16th centuries, as well as the achievements of the Ukrainian artists of the first half of the 20th century were taken as the main directions of the educational and creative activity of the chair. The creative work of teachers and students of the Sacred Art chair is being carried out in the following basic directions: church interior complex decoration; church polychromy in fresco, painting, mosaics, stained-glass windows, sgraffito techniques; implementation of iconostasis and wall altars project; painting icons in tempera, encaustic (and other) painting techniques. Plus theoretical disciplines (technology, history of art in speciality, icon theology, iconography). https://lnam.edu.ua/en/faculties/fine-arts-and-restoration.html
Pedagogical University of Odessa: Iconography.
Ukrainian Catholic University, Lviv, offers courses in a wide range of academic and practical disciplines like theology, history, languages, psychology, cultural studies, Christian art and icon-painting. For the international public we offer exciting summer programs and a study abroad semester at UCU.
WALES
University of Wales Lampeter, The Bible and the Visual Imagination Research Centre of the Theology and Religious Studies Department. The Research Centre brings together staff and students interested in the visual representation of biblical narrative. The distinctive aims of the Centre are implied in the title: by Bible, we mean both the Old and New Testament as well as Apocryphal literature, under visual we include not only the traditional fine arts but also popular depictions of scriptural piety, and by the term imagination, we want to draw attention to the artist's creativity, the role of the artistic impulse that gave rise to such creative expressions as well as the role of the reader’s imagination in visualizing biblical characters and scenes. https://imagingthebible.wales/ (E)
University of Wales Aberystwyth, Centre for Studies in the Visual Culture of Religion. A Research Centre run by Professor John Harvey, University of Wales Aberystwyth, School of Art. https://johnharvey.org.uk/index.php/centre-studies-visual-culture-religion-3/ (E)
NORTH AMERICA
CANADA
ICS, Toronto, ON. Courses in Art, Religion and Theology. The Master of Worlview Studies-ART may be taken either full-time or part-time. The duration of the program for full-time students is one year, September to September, either beginning or ending with a summer session in Orvieto, Italy. https://www.icscanada.edu/academics/master-of-worldview-studies/art-religion-and-theology (E)
The King’s University College, Edmonton, Art Department. Studio art, art history. www.kingsu.ca/faculties/arts/art/course-list (E)
Living Water College (Catholic). This college has a three-year Fine Art program. The first year is a broad education in visual arts, music, drama and creative writing. In the second and third year a focus-subject is chosen. In the third year the students have their apprenticeship under the guidance of a mentor and make a creative slab stone project. The purpose is to form a new generation of storytellers on an artistic, intellectual and spiritual level and to share Christ with the world. https://www.livingwatercollege.com/
Redeemer University College, Ancaster, ON. Studio art, art history. www.redeemer.ca/academics/departments/art (E)
Regent College, Vancouver, B.C. Courses and conferences dealing with the arts. www.regent-college.edu/ (E)
Toronto School of Theology, the University of Toronto, and Toronto’s cultural institutions explore the range of ways that the arts intersect with spirituality and theological understanding. Students will investigate, through a wide offering of interdisciplinary courses, the visual arts, architecture, music, literature, the performing arts, film, and media from theological, historical, liturgical, and pastoral perspectives. Read more
Trinity Western University, Langley, B.C., School of Arts, Media and Culture (SAMC), BA in Art and Design: painting, drawing, photography, digital design, ceramics, art history and theory. www.twu.ca (E)
USA
--- Christian universities and colleges offering degrees in art history, art education and/or art and design
Baylor University, Waco Texas, Dept of Art. Art and Design. www.baylor.edu (E)
Belhaven College, Jackson, Mississippi. A four-year Christian liberal arts college offering degrees in dance (ballet and modern), theatre, music, visual arts and creative writing. www.belhaven.edu (E)
Biola University, Los Angeles, BFA. At Biola University, art majors are equipped with the aesthetic, technical, and conceptual skills necessary for success in the 21st century. The art program emphasizes understanding and responding to contemporary visual arts culture - its socio-political, philosophical and spiritual concerns. Art students are trained academically and spiritually to become servant-leaders who as artists/designers, understand the complex world in which they live and are a positive Christian influence. www.biola.edu Part of Biola is also the CCCA, Center for Christianity, Culture and the Arts, see http://ccca.biola.edu.
Boston College, courses in art history, studio art and film studies. Publishes journal Religion and the Arts. www.bc.edu/schools/cas/finearts/ (E)
Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI, Department of Art and Art History. The mission of Calvin's Department of Art and Art History is to provide pedagogical excellence within the context of a Christian liberal arts education by preparing students with the skills, knowledge, and values, necessary for becoming effective agents of cultural renewal in the visual arts. Calvin offers B.A. programs in studio art, art education and art history as well as a rigorous B.F.A. program for students intending to pursue full-time careers in art. The department also houses a liberal arts-based pre-architecture program. https://calvin.edu/arts/majors-programs.html (E)
Dordt University, Sioux Centre, IA. Art history, studio art. https://www.dordt.edu/academics/programs/art-ba/art-history and https://www.dordt.edu/academics/programs/art-ba (E)
Gordon College, Wenham, MA, studio art, art history. The department offers three major areas of concentration - painting, sculpture, and printmaking/drawing, and is in the development stages for a unique graphic design/web/new media curriculum with internships in digital design firms. Our curriculum bridges tradition to innovation and contains a strong figurative foundations program with use of professional models. www.gordon.edu (E)
Gordon College Orvieto (Italy) Semester. The Orvieto program is designed to provide contemporary American students with a vivid experience of tradition in art, spirituality and worship, and civic life, and to inspire young artists of Christian faith to re-connect with the religious artistic traditions of the past to enable them to respond creatively to the past in order to shape a human future in art and culture. While the Orvieto Semester is clearly art-intensive, it is not restricted to students majoring in art. http://www.gordon.edu/geo/orvieto (E)
Messiah College, Grantham, PA. Studio art, art education, art history. You will study the best art of the past and the present in both art history and studio art courses. You will learn to make connections between what you are studying in your major and in your liberal arts courses and you will develop the ideas and the skills necessary for mature work as an artist, educator, or historian. www.messiah.edu (E)
Valparaiso University, Gretchen Buggeln (Duesenberg Chair in Christianity and the Arts. http://www.valpo.edu/christ-college/faculty/
Wheaton College, Wheaton, Ill. Wheaton College is a top-ranked, academically rigorous Christian liberal arts college. Studio art, art history. www.wheaton.edu (E)
--- Theology and the Arts programs
Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and the Arts at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, Calif. MA, MDiv, PHD. The center aspires to be an evangelical arts think tank, with five stand-alone institutes focused upon worship and music, film and moving images, art and architecture, drama, journalism and creative writing, preaching and the study of the "emerging church," which incorporates painting, dance and other fine arts into worship. www.brehmcenter.com (E)
Brehm Texas, an initiative of the Brehm Center for Worship, Theology and the Arts at Fuller Theological Seminary. Based out of the Fuller Texas campus in Houston, the vision of Brehm Texas is to revitalize the church through the arts for the common good. Our mission is to gather church leaders, artists, academics and creatives for the purpose of exploring the varied role of the arts in the life of the church and, in light of those gatherings, to produce resources that serve the church in a global context. https://www.fuller.edu/brehm-center/ (E)
Duke Divinity School, Durham, NC. Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts (DITA) promotes a vibrant engagement of Christian theology and the arts at Duke Divinity School and beyond. Through DITA, we aim to demonstrate what theology can contribute to the arts and what the arts can contribute to theology. Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts pursues its aims through an integrated program of teaching, research and artistic engagement. DITA is directed by Jeremy Begbie, Thomas A. Langford Research Professor of Theology. https://arts.duke.edu/duke-initiatives-in-theology-the-arts/ E)
Graduate Theological Union California, Berkeley, CA, Center for Arts, Religion and Education (CARE). https://www.gtu.edu/centers/care (E)
Princeton Theological Seminary, Overseas Ministries Study Center. Each year one majority world artist in residence participates in OMSC’s Residential Study Program for a full academic year (September-May). While all former OMSC artists in residence have worked in visual media, we are expanding this program to include majority world artists who work in painting, photography, film, architecture, sculpture, literature, music, or dance. While pursuing their work, the artist in residence participates in OMSC programs and seminary community life. Our staff works with the artist in residence to schedule opportunities for them to share their work in exhibitions, readings, or performances and at our Annual Gala in the Spring. https://omsc.ptsem.edu/artist-in-residence-program/
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Center for Theology and the Arts, Louisville, KY. Courses and degrees in theology and the arts. https://www.sbts.edu/theology/degree-programs/ma/theological-studies/ (E)
United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, New Brighton, MN. An ecumenical graduate and professional school that integrates the arts into theological education across the curriculum, offers a master's degree in theology and the arts, and provides co-curricular opportunities for the exploration of the arts in relationship to religious faith and ministry through artists in residency, lectures, exhibits, and concerts. The academic journal ARTS: The Arts in Religious and Theological Studies is the publication of the Society for the Arts in Religious and Theological Studies, published by the theology and arts program of United Theological Seminary. https://www.unitedseminary.edu/academics/m-a/ma-theology-arts/ (E)
Wesley Theological Seminary, The Henry Luce III Center for the Arts and Religion, Washington D.C. At Wesley Theological Seminary (WTS), the arts are a medium of theological expression. In a working studio, creative processes intermingle with religious ideas. Invited Artists-in-Residence from around the world. Courses in art history, studio art and liturgy. Courses in the arts deal with aesthetics, non-verbal languages of theological proclamation, historical precedents, and contemporary examples. The creation of artistic work is assigned by many professors as a means of theological expression. Offers Certificate in Theology and the Arts (Master) and Doctor of Ministry in Religion and the Arts. New program starting in 2021: Curating Community through the Arts: a new Doctor of Ministry (DMin) Track. The arts generate and sustain communities. By studying and supporting the arts, faith leaders can discover new ways to bring people together, both in church and beyond. Explore the role of art, architecture, literature, and film in community formation using tools from biblical studies, theological aesthetics, and cultural studies. https://www.luceartsandreligion.org/ (E)
--- Study of Liturgy, Liturgical Art and Church Architecture
Augustana College, Hovland Center for Liturgical Art, Sioux Falls, IA. https://www.augie.edu/arts/art-galleries-exhibits/hovland-center-liturgical-arts (E)
The Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and the Arts, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California. Educates artists in theology and theologians in the arts. www.brehmcenter.com (E)
Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Grand Rapids, MI. The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship aims to promote the scholarly study of the theology, history, and practice of Christian worship and the renewal of worship in worshiping communities across North America and beyond. It is an interdisciplinary study and ministry center dedicated to both understanding and revitalizing the practice of Christian worship. It has a website with a wealth of articles, resources, bibliographies etc., also on liturgy and the visual arts. www.calvin.edu/worship (E)
Concordia University, Center for Liturgical Art, Seward, NE. The Center for Liturgical Art works with architects, liturgical consultants and master artisans in the design of worship space and the creation of ecclesiastical art. The CLA also promotes the use of visual art in worship, encouraging artists to assist the church in its ministry and providing educational outreach programs in the visual arts through the stewardship of God's gift of art. https://liturgicalart.org/ (E)
Hexaemeron offers courses in icon painting, carving and embroidery in different places in the US. http://www.hexaemeron.org
Pontifex University, a North American Master of Sacred Arts Program in the Orthodox tradition. http://www.pontifex.university
AUSTRALIA
Australian Catholic University, Brisbane, Queensland, Melbourne, Victoria. Art history, Visual arts and design. At the Faculty of Education and Arts, Dr Michael Griffith, Associate Professor of Literature and Language. https://www.acu.edu.au/study%20at%20acu/find%20a%20course/creative%20arts (E)
Excelsia College, Sydney. Australia’s first and leading Christian Arts college, provides outstanding opportunities for academic, artistic, professional and spiritual development in a supportive, creative and collaborative learning environment. Through excellence in Christian higher education, we seek to benefit the community as we equip people for Christian life and leadership in a range of influential vocations. www.wi.edu.au (E)
The Faith and the Arts Summer School is a practical week-long residential program that offers the chance to focus on a variety of creative arts. It also explores the artist’s relationship with God, themselves, and others through teaching, worship and sharing in the unique and picturesque setting of the Poatina Christian community in Tasmania’s heartland. https://www.faithandthearts.org.au/ (E)
Whitley College, Parkville, Australia: offers classes in theology and the arts.
ASIA
CHINA
Fu Jen Catholic University, Hsinchuang has an art department. www.fujen.org (Ch, E)
Nanjing Union Theological Seminary, Nanjing. Applied church art and Christian art history. From its initial 1952 union of twelve seminaries in eastern China, Nanjing Seminary was ecumenical and nondenominational (but from a Protestant background). Nanjing Seminary has several teachers of Christian art and music. https://en.ccctspm.org/churchinfo/186
KOREA
Christian Fine Art Dept. of Mokpo City.
Catholic University of Daegu, Gyeongsan-Si Gyeongbuk. Design, painting, sculpture.
MALAYSIA
Chong Kensen (pastor and painter) teaches Art and Theology at seminaries and conferences. Also curator of the First International Christian art show in Kuala Lumpur in 2009.
PHILIPPINES
Ateneo de Manila University. Rooted in the principles of humanistic Jesuit education, the School of Humanities is one of Asia's leading institutions of critical thinking, creative pursuits, and reflective practice. Drawing on philosophy, faith, literature, language, the arts, and culture, the School of Humanities provides an integrative education that forms articulate, reflective, and creative persons who are grounded in Philippine culture, receptive to other cultures, respectful of religious traditions, and committed to faith and justice. The faculty employs teaching and scholarship to preserve and enrich the humanities, promote human flourishing, and contribute to social transformation. The Fine Arts Program continues the Ateneo’s distinguished tradition in creative writing, theater arts, and visual arts. It upholds artistic excellence shaped by a rigorous practice of craft, a critical appreciation of theory and history, and a heightened sense of imagination and expression.
Institute for Studies in Asian Church and Culture (ISACC), Quezon City. ISACC was established in 1978 as a reflective arm of the church and a catalyst towards biblically-based responses to political, social and cultural issues in the country. It has evolved from an initially marginal prophetic voice operating within a largely conservative church community into a major influence in the life and witness of the churches, with a reputation for committed and creative responses to issues of national concern among NGOs and other progressive elements in the country.
University of Santo Tomas in Manila, College of Fine Arts and Design. Fr. Alex Bautista, artist and professor of Christian Church art.