About

Creative Arts Collective

About Us

The Creative Arts Collective for Christian Life and Faith is a hub for Christian arts. As a faith-based institution, we believe that God is active in the world and that God’s creativity (acknowledged or not) is lifting people’s eyes and drawing them to one another and to the Divine. Our prayer is that God would use this initiative for God’s delight, making much of the inspired gift of creativity for people, the Church, and the world.

The Creative Arts Collective for Christian Life and Faith launched in Spring 2024 on the campus of Belmont University as a major nationwide initiative. Funded by a $32 million grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc., the initiative aims to inspire people from diverse contexts to discover and live the beauty and wisdom of the Christian story and encounter God through the arts, seeking to reinvigorate Christian arts traditions across the United States.

Their grantmaking initiative supports expressions of the Christian story and faith that inspire moments of awe and wonder through art and art experiences. The grant program seeks to create, educate, and network by supporting initiatives across the nation that commission the creation and curation of art, educate, and nurture Christian imagination. This unique endeavor awards grants for a variety of projects and programs across multiple media, including sacred and popular music, performing arts, digital animation, sculpture, architecture, and more.

Positioned at the intersection of faith and artistry, the Creative Arts Collective is a vibrant community dedicated to exploring the divine through the lens of creativity. We believe in the transformative power of the arts to connect us with God’s profound narrative, uplifting spirits, and uniting hearts in a shared journey of discovery. Whether you’re a painter, musician, writer, or creator of any kind, you’ll find a home here—a place to grow, inspire, and be inspired.

Join us in weaving a tapestry of artistic expression that reflects the beauty, complexity, and depth of Christian life and faith.

Meet Our Team
Discover Our Theme

Our Mission

The Creative Arts Collective’s mission is to explore and nurture the integral relationship between Christianity and the arts. Our heart and efforts are to inspire people from diverse contexts to discover and embrace the beauty and wisdom of the Christian story and encounter God through the arts. In short, we grant works of art that helped lead someone to an encounter with and spend more time with God in the context of the Christian story. 

Our Mission

The Creative Arts Collective’s mission is to explore and nurture the integral relationship between Christianity and the arts. Our heart and efforts are to inspire people from diverse contexts to discover and embrace the beauty and wisdom of the Christian story and encounter God through the arts. In short, we grant works of art that helped lead someone to an encounter with and spend more time with God in the context of the Christian story. 

The Objectives to our Mission

There are three tiers of objectives that will help us realize this mission:

Create

We will award grants for works of art, either newly created or curated, that inspire moments of awe and wonder rooted in the context of the Christian story. 

Educate

We will seek to grant projects and even organizations whose work will help expand and inspire Christian imagination. 

Network

We will host, partner with, and help propagate communities of artists, and networks of artist communities, through convenings in cities and towns across the U.S.; an annual arts festival hosted at our hub from Belmont / greater Nashville; and by extending our reach through partners in other regions across the country. 

About Belmont

Located near the heart of thriving Nashville, Tennessee, Belmont University consists of nearly 8,800 students who come from every state and 33 countries. The University is nationally recognized for its innovative approach as well as its commitment to undergraduate teaching (U.S. News & World Report). As a Christ-centered, student-focused community, Belmont’s mission is to develop diverse leaders of purpose, character and wisdom who possess a transformational mindset and are eager and equipped to make the world a better place. With more than 115 areas of undergraduate study, 41 master’s programs and five doctoral degrees, Belmont University aims to be the leading Christ-centered university in the world, producing leaders who will radically champion the pursuit of life abundant for all people.  

Belmont’s Mission & Vision

Our mission: We are a Christ-centered, student-focused community, developing diverse leaders of purpose, character, wisdom and transformational mindset, eager and equipped to make the world a better place.

Our vision: To be the leading Christ-centered university in the world, radically championing the pursuit of life abundant for all people.

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