RSA 2023–24 Application

Religion, Spirituality, and the Arts (RSA) is a program of the IUPUI Arts and Humanities Institute that brings together artists, religious leaders, religious communities, humanities experts, and a broad range of publics from diverse backgrounds and disciplinary perspectives for sustained study, analysis, and discussion of religious texts in a classroom environment. Directed by Profs. Karen Baldner and Marti Steussy, these textual discussions will explore the varieties of religious experience and understanding and provide the inspiration for creating new artistic works (e.g. music, poetry, fiction, drama, visual art, dance).

After the seminar portion of the program, artists share their creations through exhibitions and presentations to members of the Central Indiana community, including religious organizations, congregations, schools, libraries, and community groups. 

2023-24 Theme: Is There "Nothing New Under the Sun"? A Conversation with Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes, the Bible's darkest and most cynical book, declares that "everything is vanity." Perhaps "for everything there is a season," but "what gain have workers from their toil?" "The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong ... but time and chance happen to them all." Others hear a more joyous tone in the book's advice to "eat, drink, and be merry," even in the face of life's randomness, messiness, and confusion. This seminar invites participants to respond to Ecclesiastes's unsettling paradoxes and questions, which may feel all too contemporary in their blunt assessment of life's unfairness and insecurities. Where do we encounter these quandaries? How do we deal with unknowns that seem beyond our control and derail our best-laid plans? Can we find inspiration and purpose in the face of increasing natural and social disasters, and if so, where and how?

Faculty

 The faculty list for the 2023-24 seminar is still growing.

So far, the faculty includes:

Karen Baldner, Associate Faculty of Fine Arts, the Herron School of Art and Design at IUPUI

 Daniel Cueto, Composer, Performer, Associate Instructor, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music

Dr. Andy Findley, Lecturer of Classical Studies and Art History, The School of Liberal Arts and the Herron School of Art and Design at IUPUI

 Dr. Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, Rabbi Emerita of Congregation Beth-El Zedeck

 Dr. Marti Steussy, MacAllister-Petticrew Professor of Biblical Interpretation emerita at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis

Meetings

Sessions will be held on Thursday evenings from 6:00–8:30 p.m. at Newfields.

Meeting dates are: 10/5/23, 10/19/23, 11/16/23, 11/30/23, 12/7/23, 1/11/24, 1/18/24, 2/15/24, and 3/14/24.

The annual exhibition will be held on May 3, 2024, at the Harrison Center.

 FAQs

  • Applicants may be anyone in the community who is active in the artistic disciplines, including but not limited to visual arts, sculpture, poetry, music, performance, and digital art.

    Selected applicants must be able to make a commitment to attend all seminar sessions and engage in open and respectful dialogue.

    Seminar participants will produce creative work to be performed and/or exhibited in a public forum. Seminar participants who attend all sessions and contribute as well as contribute art to the group exhibition will receive a $500 stipend at the conclusion of the program.

  • All interested applicants should prepare the following:

    1. Artists Resume

    2. Letter of Application

    Artist resumes should include information about the applicant’s work as an artist, including education, gallery and exhibition experience, links to a professional website (if applicable), and links or attachments to at least three (3) representative works of art.

    Letters of application should include a personal statement of the applicant’s primary field of artistic production, a statement of interest in the program, and how the applicant’s work and interests would benefit their professional development. For best consideration, applicants should also explore the following questions: How do you see your art form interacting with a religious text? How do you imagine this experience will impact your creative work?

  • The deadline to apply is August 28, 2023.

    Applicants should email the two required documents (Microsoft Word or PDF format) to findley1@iu.edu no later than Aug. 28.

    Applications will be accepted from June 15 through August 28, 2023.

  • Faculty review of applications will begin on August 28, 2023, and all participants will be informed of acceptance status no later than September 5, 2023.