NEWS: World-Renowned Artist Makoto Fujimura to Join Leadership of Fuller Seminary

DIRECTOR OF FULLER’S BREHM CENTER

The Brehm Center faculty and staff join in a profound sense of appreciation for this new appointment. “Mako Fujimura’s vision and generative creativity widen the Brehm Center’s artistic horizons and expand our missional reach. I couldn’t be more excited,” says Joe Gallagher, who has been serving as interim director of the center.

“Through his art, his organizations, his writings, and now role as the director of the Brehm Center, Mako becomes a bridge between the global conversation on faith and art and Fuller’s own global reach and impact,” says Todd Johnson, Brehm associate professor of worship, theology, and the arts. “Now we at the Brehm Center will work with Mako on sustaining and expanding that bridge.”

A revised leadership team working with Fujimura will include Nate Risdon as program director, Joe Gallagher as operations director, Todd Johnson as theological director, and David Taylor as director of Brehm Texas. Founders Bill and Dee Brehm are delighted with this significant appointment and the restructure that will merge the Brehm Center with some of Fujimura’s existing endeavors. “Fuller will expand its reach toward New York City,” says Fujimura. “This is a major alignment to expand culture care and to see the Brehm Center as the heart of a missional expansion into the world. 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.”

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. The fit between the mission of the Brehm Center and Mako’s magnum opus of ‘culture care’ has a surprising and timely symmetry that we are eager to embrace. Mako has built an unmatched community of artists of faith around the world over the last three decades with whom we hope to join our own global network of nearly 45,000 students and alumni to galvanize a new day in theology and the arts.”

About Fuller Seminary:

Fuller Theological Seminary is one of the world’s most influential evangelical institutions and the largest multidenominational seminary. We offer 18 degree programs—with Spanish, Korean, and online options—through our Schools of Theology, Psychology, and Intercultural Studies as well as 20 centers, institutes, and initiatives. Approximately 4,000 students from 90 countries and 110 denominations enroll annually, and our 41,000 alumni have been called to serve as ministers, counselors, teachers, artists, nonprofit leaders, businesspersons, and in a multitude of other vocations around the world. For a comprehensive view of Fuller, visit www.fuller.edu.

About Brehm Center:

Named for Fuller Seminary trustee William K. Brehm and his wife, Delores Brehm, Brehm Center was founded in 2001 with its mission to revitalize the church and culture through the arts. Today it provides a spiritually nurturing community that guides and resources Christian leaders to critically engage culture, explore their calling, and creatively integrate worship, theology, and the arts. The center does not operate as a separate school at Fuller; rather, a Brehm Center emphasis can be pursued in tandem with a variety of Fuller degree programs in the schools of Theology, Psychology, and Intercultural Studies.  

If you have any questions, please contact Media Relations Specialist Reed Metcalf at 626.584.5662 or reedmetcalf@fuller.edu.

Image: used by permission of Fuller Seminary.