We are the most effective way to get your press release into the hands of reporters and news producers. Check out our client list.



Renowned Artist Makoto Fujimura to Join Leadership of Fuller Theological Seminary
Contact: Reed Metcalf, Fuller Theological Seminary, 626-584-5662

PASADENA, Calif., Sept. 3, 2015 /Christian Newswire/ -- Fuller Theological Seminary is pleased to announce that Makoto ("Mako") Fujimura will join the seminary as director of the Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and the Arts. Fujimura's appointment, effective September 1, 2015, follows a yearlong international search process. Master painter Mako Fujimura is a respected leader in the conversation between Christian faith and art. A devoted believer, world-renowned artist, and cultural influence, his leadership has had a profound impact around the world.

Fujimura is the craftsperson of a movement toward renewal called "culture care." This magnum opus work, Culture Care, is his alternative to "culture wars," born from the integration of his work as an artist and his commitment to his Christian faith. He says it is worship that integrates all of his endeavors, acting as the heartbeat of a legacy that dovetails beautifully with the task before Fuller and with the original vision of the Brehm Center.

"I hope to be a catalyst for innovation in the future of seminary education," says Fujimura about his new appointment, "integrating the best of the arts into the church, seeing cities as classrooms for that integration, and helping the church to become the leading practitioner of culture care. My role will be to provide an integration point for worship, theology, and the arts by practice, mentoring, and modeling."

A respected authority on culture, art, and their intersection with faith, Fujimura's essays have appeared in IMAGE Journal, American Arts Quarterly, TIME, and World magazines. He was a Presidential appointee to the National Council on the Arts, the founder of the International Arts Movement, and is a highly-demanded lecturer. His paintings, done in the traditional Japanese style of Nihonga, have gained international acclaim. He also holds the unique honor of being the first person commissioned to produce an illuminated manuscript of the four Gospels in nearly 500 years.

Says President Labberton: "There are a handful of elder statesmen at the nexus of faith and art in the evangelical world, and there is no one like Mako—he is an articulate, visionary leader and team-builder. The fact that these characteristics are embodied within a world-renowned artist who is committed to the gospel and the church is a unique match for us."

Fujimura will be a "vision director" working toward a "robust, imaginative experience for Fuller students," says Fujimura. "My goal for all of us is to experience our God as the author of beauty. My studio is where I experience the presence of my calling the most, and is also where I can offer an integrated experience to others. We will treat culture-at-large as the 'common grace' gift of God and a path toward exercising Christian love toward our neighbors. There are many outside of the church who already practice what we are calling culture care, and we all need to learn from each other."

Read more at Fuller.edu: bit.ly/1LOYlV9