"New Vista: A Theology of Making” Reception

All are welcome to join contemporary artist Makoto Fujimura and the art@pts initiative on November 3 from 7-9 p.m. for a public reception celebrating “New Vista: A Theology of Making” at Princeton Theological Seminary’s Erdman Center. The reception will include a gallery talk by Fujimura; the screening of a new, short documentary; and a book signing. Copies of Fujimura’s Art + Faith: A Theology of Making (2021) will be available for purchase.

Fujimura’s process-driven, refractive, “slow art” has been praised by David Brooks of the New York Times as a “small rebellion against the quickening of time.” Fujimura uses Nihonga (Japanese-style painting) materials using pulverized minerals, gold, silver, and other materials used in 17th century Japan, but combing them now with space-age materials to create a durable surface. Many of the paintings layer up to 150 layers in order to get maximum refraction built into the pulverized minerals. Therefore, these paintings have a different “look” depending on the light, and on what angle the viewer looks from.

“New Vista: A Theology of Making” will be on display until November 26. Entry is free and open to the public. All are welcome to visit the Erdman Center at Princeton Seminary during the building’s operating hours.

The art@pts initiative seeks to promote the place of aesthetics and the arts in the intellectual and spiritual life of the campus and its surrounding communities by providing welcoming spaces for artists to display their work and by fostering dialogue about the significance of the creative arts at the interaction of faith, academy, and society. “New Vista: A Theology of Making” is the first in a series of exhibits to be offered at Princeton Seminary.

Makoto Fujimura graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bucknell University, then studied in a traditional Japanese painting doctorate program for several years at Tokyo University of the Arts. Fujimura’s art has been featured widely in galleries and museums around the world and is collected by notable collections including The Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, The Huntington Library, and Tikotin Museum in Israel. His art is represented by Artrue International in Asia.

As well as being a leading contemporary painter, Fujimura is also an arts advocate, writer, and speaker who is recognized worldwide as a cultural influencer. His writings include Refractions (NavPress), Culture Care (IVPress), Silence and Beauty (IVPress), and the highly anticipated Art + Faith: A Theology of Making. A presidential appointee to the National Council on the Arts from 2003-2009, Fujimura served as an international advocate for the arts, speaking with decision makers and advising governmental policies on the arts.

Fujimura is a recipient of four Doctor of Arts honorary degrees, from Belhaven University in 2011, Biola University in 2012, Cairn University in 2014, and Roanoke College in 2015. His 2011 Belhaven University commencement address has received notable attention, being selected by NPR as one of the 200 “Best Commencement Addresses Ever” and CNN as one of the top 16 "greatest commencement speeches of all time." His 2019 commencement address at Judson University was called “Kintsugi Generation,” laying out his cultural vision for the next generation.

Fujimura founded the International Arts Movement in 1992, now IAMCultureCare. His work there led him to a position as a vision director of Brehm Center at Fuller Theological Seminary from 2015-2019. He established Fujimura/Brehm Studio in Pasadena from 2012-2017, and created the first Fujimura Fellows program which continues under Fujimura Institute.

Fujimura also co-founded Academy Kintsugi with his wife, Haejin Shim Fujimura, the managing partner at Shim & Associates and CEO of Embers International.

For more information about Fujimura and his works, visit his website.

The Erdman Center is located at 20 Library Place. Guests visiting campus may park in the Wright Library parking lot. The Erdman Center’s operating hours are 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturdays, and 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sundays.

Register to attend on Eventbrite. We look forward to seeing you there!

All guests are expected to adhere to the Seminary’s current health and wellness guidelines, including being fully vaccinated and boosted, if eligible. Our health and wellness protocols regarding COVID-19 change based on the guidance of our local health departments officials and numbers of cases in our region. As a result, protocols are fluid and requirements regarding the use of face coverings, distance, and testing may change. For the latest guidelines, click here.

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