Visually Sacred: Conversations on the Power of Images

James is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Northwestern University. He is the author of five books, most recently "Materializing the Bible: Scripture, Sensation, Place." His current research focuses on the secondhand circulation of Christian material culture.
I spoke with James about his path into studying material religion and why materiality is essential for understanding religious practice. We discussed the Bible as a powerful object, how creativity functions in the context of literal interpretations of Scripture, and the ways religious artifacts circulate, gaining new meanings and values. James shared insights on the remixing of objects, the journey of the Gauchi brothers’ Holy Land model, and the ethics of collecting and selling Christian items. We also talked about how we can be surprised by  material culture, the role of intentionality, and how secondhand spaces reveal both the endurance and transformation of Christianity in everyday life, especially in relation to popular culture.

Ryan is a Professor of History at Virginia Commonwealth University. He specializes in American religious history, material culture, and historic preservation. His most recent book is Death and Rebirth in a Southern City: Richmond's Historic Cemeteries. He is also the author of "Gothic Arches, Latin Crosses: Anti-Catholicism and American Church Designs in the Nineteenth Century."​ Ryan is a founding member of the Richmond Cemetery Collaboratory and is the director of the Richmond Cemetery Project (richmondcemeteries.org). He has museum experience at the St. John's Church Foundation, the Winterthur Museum, the St. Augustine Historical Society, and the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, among other institutions.
In this conversation, Ryan and I explore a rich array of subjects, from the Shaker aesthetic to the symbolism of lighthouses in Christianity. Ryan also explains the power dynamics involved in historical Christian burial practices, and how material religion and public spaces interact to reveal important societal values and beliefs.

Lieke is a Senior Researcher at the Center for Art and Society at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen, the Netherlands, and works as a freelance curator. She is the author of "Resonating Sacralities: Dynamics Between Art and Religion in Postsecular Netherlands" and "Beyond the Return of Religion: Art and the Postsecular." She co-edited with others the volume "Museums as Ritual Sites, Civilizing Rituals Reconsidered" and the (open-access) "Bloomsbury Handbook of Religion and Heritage in Contemporary Europe." She previously curated the exhibitions "Mary Magdalene" in 2021 and "The Genesis of Science" in 2024 at Museum Catharijneconvent, and edited their accompanying publications.
In this conversation, Lieke and I explore how contemporary art engages spirituality and can function as a form of material religion. We look at the challenges artists face in expressing the sacred within a largely secular culture, how migration shapes religious imagery, and what it means to curate exhibitions that take spiritual themes seriously. We also reflect on how the sacred continues to surface within modern visual culture.

Cornelia received a PhD in Philosophy from Georgetown University and holds MA degrees in Philosophy and History from Temple University. She is the author of three monographs, "The Orthodox Icon and Postmodern Art: Critical Reflections on the Christian Image and its Theology," "Tradition and Transformation in Christian Art: The Transcultural Icon," and "Icons in Time, Persons in Eternity: Orthodox Theology and the Aesthetics of the Christian Image." Her earlier work includes the edited volume "Reviewing Orpheus: Essays on the Art and Cinema of Jean Cocteau." She is also the translator with M. Spanos of "St. Paisios the Athonite, With Pain and Love for Contemporary Man."
In this episode, Cornelia and I explore how the material and relational dimensions of Orthodox worship—from the intimacy of confession to the tactile presence of sacred objects—mediate time, eternity, and divine presence. We also discuss how modernism and postmodern thought intersect with Orthodox theology, including the challenges icons pose to contemporary aesthetics and the ways photography can gesture toward the eternal present.

Jeffrey is Professor of Religion at Washington & Lee University. He is the author of books and essays including "From the Heart: A Memoir and a Meditation – On a Vital Organ," "Arts of Wonder: Enchanting Secularity" which received the 2013 Award for Excellence in Constructive-Reflective Studies from the American Academy of Religion and was also named to the New Museum’s list “Favorite titles from the past year,” and Levinas and the Philosophy of Religion. In addition to these original works, he has also translated several books of philosophy and theology from French to English.​​
In this conversation, I spoke with Jeffrey about how art can mediate the invisible, evoke wonder, and challenge the disenchantment of modernity. Jeffrey shared his experiences with significant artworks and how they inspire a contemplative way of seeing, emphasizing the heart as a site of spiritual encounter. Our dialogue also touched on material religion, the sacredness of everyday life, and the interplay between philosophy and art in understanding meaning in a secular age.