Rethinking Sacred Arts

To say that the term sacred arts requires “rethinking” implies that there is an accepted definition, ready to be reconsidered and overturned. Yet no such consensus exists. The essays in this volume confront foundational, often overlooked questions: What do we mean by “sacred arts”? Are there boundaries that delineate sacred from secular arts? Can an object be inherently holy, or does sacredness lie in its use?    Bringing together leading scholars and practicing artists, this first volume of the new Sacred Arts series explores these and other questions across visual art, architecture, music, poetry, and liturgy—bridging disciplines from art history, musicology, and aesthetics to theology. Its contributors blend rigorous scholarship with lived faith, illuminating how sacred arts are created, perceived, and understood.   Ideal for practitioners and scholars alike, this volume offers a vital resource for anyone probing the spiritual dimensions of art within an academic or liturgical context.