Rachel Hostetter Smith: Religion Through Contemporary Art

Rachel is Gilkison Distinguished Professor of Art History at Taylor University. She has been a Visiting Scholar at the American Academy in Rome on two occasions, a participant in NEH Summer Seminars on Medieval Art in Paris and York, has been a seminar leader for artists and scholars in the US and abroad, and has taught in South Africa, China, Italy, and British Columbia. Rachel is a founding director and current President of the Board of The Association of Scholars of Christianity in the History of Art. The recipient of the Best Article of the Year Award from the journal Explorations in Renaissance Culture, she publishes on a wide range of topics in the arts. ​In this episode, Rachel and I discussed questions around the place and role of spirituality in contemporary art. We talked about her recent book on the subject and her various projects across a broad range of projects and exhibitions. We also explored how diverse artists navigate spirituality, cultural differences, and environmental consciousness through their artwork.