Art, Gender, and Racial Justice in the Life of the Church

Register HERE

In a world marked by intersecting injustices—racialized violence, gender oppression, ecological devastation, and the alienation of contemporary life—Christian leaders are called to cultivate communities capable of truth‑telling, healing, and courageous imagination. The workshop introduces artivism—the fusion of art and activism—as a transformative practice for justice. We will explore how artivist expressions re‑semanticize bodies, objects, and public spaces to expose injustice, reclaim human dignity, and generate new forms of communal meaning. Participants will learn how intersectionality functions not only as an analytical tool but as a spiritual practice that reveals the complex ways power operates in our congregations and communities. The session concludes with conversation and Q&A as we imagine how theo‑artivism might animate preaching, worship, and public witness in the PC(USA) today.

Dr. Lis Valle-Ruiz is a Teaching Elder serving as Associate Professor of Homiletics and Worship and Director of Community Worship Life at McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, Illinois. Her…