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Religion in the Americas is intimately entwined with kitsch, from the Precious Moments Chapel in Carthage, Missouri, adorned with murals reminiscent of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel but featuring Precious Moments figurines, to Veggie Tales, a children's TV show, to readily available votive candles depicting saints and celebrities. In 1939, Clement Greenberg defined kitsch as low-quality, mass-produced visual material divorced from true aesthetics and the goals of art, primarily driven by economic and social factors. Ed Simon suggests that Greenberg's view of kitsch is limited and traces its origins back to the maximalism of Western baroque and rococo styles under capitalism.

This panel aims to delve into the intersection of kitsch and spirituality, exploring how the divine is portrayed, commercialized, and consumed through a broader lens of kitsch. Despite lacking Benjaminian aura, kitsch possesses a unique ability to invest objects with significance, prompting questions such as: How does kitsch facilitate spiritual devotion in the Americas? How has it been racialized? Can kitsch serve as a critique of religious and governmental establishments?

We welcome submissions exploring various topics, including: the aesthetics of kitsch and its impact on religion and spirituality, the expression of syncretic religious traditions through kitsch, the role of kitsch in supplanting organized spirituality, its function as a source of joy and communal celebration, and the significance of kitsch-inspired religious objects in contemporary culture.

Contributions challenging conventional perspectives on kitsch, especially those addressing its intersections with race and regionalism in America, are encouraged.