"And Who is My Neighbor?": Refuge, Sanctuary, and Representation in Modern Art and Visual Culture

Session will present: On location
Affiliated Society or Committee Name: Association of Scholars of Christianity in the History of Art
The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) remains one of the most enduring narratives in religious traditions, raising profound questions about community, responsibility, and the boundaries of moral obligation. In an era of heightened political tensions, worldwide immigration on an unprecedented scale, and shifting social landscapes, the question "And who is my neighbor?" resonates with urgent contemporary significance. This session seeks to explore how religious traditions have grappled with the concept of neighborliness, hospitality, and ethical otherness, particularly through the lens of modern and contemporary visual art.

We invite scholars, artists, critics, and curators to submit proposals examining artistic representations of neighborliness, inclusion, and exclusion in various religious and cultural traditions from the 20th century to the present. How have artists engaged with the themes of hospitality, belonging, and social responsibility? In what ways do contemporary artistic practices challenge, subvert, or reaffirm religious conceptions of community and care? How do religious iconographies and theological discourses shape contemporary responses to the ethical dilemmas of our time?

Possible topics may include, but are not limited to:

  • The role of religious art in shaping concepts of hospitality and neighborliness
  • Artistic responses to migration, displacement, and borders in religious contexts
  • Community-based and socially engaged artistic practices inspired by religious ethics
  • Intersections of race, gender, class, and sexual identity in religiously inflected artistic representations of the "neighbor"
  • Sacred spaces, public art, and the politics of accessibility
  • The impact of interfaith artistic collaborations on contemporary understandings of community

Keywords:
Geographic Area: Global
Topics: Modernism
Topics: Religion
Topics: Migration
Topics: Spiritual Practice

Chairs:
Ronald R. Bernier, Association of Scholars of Christianity in the History of Art (ASCHA) and Rachel Hostetter Smith

Painting the Future: Contemporary Street Art in Belfast
Jeryn Mayer, Houston Community College
Cristo en el Valle
Kimberly Sandoval, MFA Candidate, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Abstract Submissions Closed