For Our Common Life – I Am Black But Beautiful: Christianity, Visual Arts, and Race Making

For Our Common Life is a diocesan virtual formation series focused on reconciliation and the calling of our diocese and its members to strive for justice and peace among all people. The series creates space for speakers from across the Church and our wider communities to share their stories and expertise, sparking meaningful conversation and inspiring ministry within our congregations and faithful action in our local communities. In this session, the Beloved Community Commission is delighted to welcome Dr. Elena FitzPatrick Sifford, Associate Professor of Art History at Muhlenberg College and a member of the Cathedral Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, to present in this talk.

Dr. FitzPatrick Sifford will present on the historic function of the visual arts in reinforcing racial stereotypes within the Church, shedding light on the ways that racialized people have been visually depicted as Others, which helped propagate church teachings that served white supremacist ideologies. The talk will then offer examples of how Black and Brown artists have responded to these portrayals, thereby offering new possibilities for an aesthetic reflection of the Beloved Community.

After registering you will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the Zoom meeting. Register here.

Recordings of previous For Our Common Life presentations can be found on YouTube.