RSA 2025–26 Application

Religion, Spirituality, and the Arts (RSA) is a program of Herron School of Art +Design 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. 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. 

Artists accepted to participate in the RSA seminar will be matched with an emerging student artist artist to proceed with through the program and receive will receive compensation of $1500 to offset their artistic production costs and to compensate for their mentorship efforts.

2025-26 Theme: And Who is My Neighbor?

In a time when good intentions are often met with suspicion or misinterpreted as insincere, the story of the Good Samaritan may feel too idealistic or too generous to be real. And yet, its enduring power lies in its radical invitation to imagine a world shaped by compassion. Told in response to a simple yet profound question - "Who is my neighbor?" - this parable features an act of remarkable kindness performed not by a familiar ally, but by a stranger from a misunderstood and marginalized group.

This year’s seminars invite participants to explore themes of identity and otherness, inclusion and exclusion, and the challenges of ethical conviction in a complex world. Through dialogue and creative expression, we will examine what it means to respond to others with care, courage, and empathy.

Faculty

 The faculty list for the 2025-26 includes:

Prof. Karen Baldner, Print Maker, Book Artist, and Associate Faculty of Fine Arts, the Herron School of Art and Design at IU Indianapolis

 Dr. Matthew Condon, Senior Lecturer of Religious Studies and Classical Studies at the School of Liberal Arts, IU Indianapolis and RSA Seminar Lead

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

Dr. Andrew Findley, Lecturer of Classical Studies and Art History at the School of Liberal Arts and the Herron School of Art and Design, IU Indianapolis and Managing Director of the RSA

Prof. Natalie Solmer, Professor of English at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis and founder and editor in chief of The Indianapolis Review

Meetings

Sessions will be held on Thursday evenings from 6:00–8:30 p.m. at Newfields, The Harrison Center, and Herron School of Art + Design.

Meeting dates are: 9/18, 9/25, 10/16, 11/6, 11/20, 12/18, 2/12, 2/26, and 3/26

The annual exhibition will be held on May 1, 2026, 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, writing, 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.

    Artists accepted to participate in the RSA seminar will be matched with a emerging student artist to proceed with through the program and will receive compensation of $1500 to offset their production costs and to compensate for their mentorship efforts. Requirements of the program include:

    • Attendance and participation in all scheduled sessions (10 total, including crit sessions and the final exhibition).

    • Work a minimum of 4 studio hours per month with student artist mentee.

    • Complete an art project inspired and informed by the academic portion of the seminar. Artists are expected to work in their primary medium, present their work for peer and faculty critique, and submit their work to the RSA for inclusion in the curated exhibition. 

    • Complete at least one collaborative art project with their student mentee that is inspired and informed by the academic portion of the seminar. 

    • Agreement to grant IU Indianapolis and the Herron School of Art and Design the right to share your RSA work in the in-person and online exhibitions, as well as related promotional material. Artists retain the permanent rights to anything that they produce in the RSA.

  • All interested applicants should prepare the following:

    1. Artists Resume or CV

    2. Letter of Application

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

    Letters of application should be a maximum of 2 pages and 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 July 25, 2025.

    Applicants should email the two required documents (Microsoft Word or PDF format) to findley1@iu.edu no later than July 25, 2025.

    Applications will be accepted from May 3 through July 25, 2025.

  • Faculty review of applications will begin on July 25, 2025, and all participants will be informed of acceptance status no later than August 15, 2025.