Dr. Callid Keefe-Perry has received a Post Doctoral Fellowship through the Louisville Institute. He will serve as Lecturer in Practical Theology at Boston University’s School of Theology where he will work with graduate students in supporting their vocational discernment, and teach courses that will touch on theopoetics, Rubem Alves, leadership, and critical pedagogy. As a result of this opportunity, Dr. Keefe-Perry will step down as Co-Executive Director of ARC, but will continue to serve the organization as Senior Editor of the ARTS journal. ARC will steward the journal in collaboration with The Society for the Arts in Religious and Theological Studies, and United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. Dr. Keefe-Perry’s last day as Co-Executive Director is January 31, 2021. Tamisha A. Tyler, ARC’s other Co-Executive Director, will step into the solo ED position.
Dr. Keefe-Perry’s interest and work in the field of Theopoetics extends beyond his 5 year tenure in the Executive Director position. In 2008, he created Theopoetics.net; an online archive for work in theopoetics. Connections from this website led to the establishment of a working group at the American Academy of Religion (AAR) in 2010, and the founding of The Association for Theopoetics Research and Exploration (ATRE) in 2013. ARTE is responsible for co-founding the Theopoetics Conference, and founded the online journal Theopoetics. Dr. Keefe-Perry was also the last board member to join The Society for the Arts, Religion, and Contemporary Culture (SARCC) in 2011, and served as chief architect of the 2017 merger between SARCC and ATRE, which resulted in Arts | Religion | Culture (ARC). Dr. Keefe-Perry is the 9th Executive Director of the historical organization (SARCC) and founding Executive Director of ARC.
During his tenure at ARC, Keefe-Perry led the organization into new partnerships and projects. Most notable is the ARC Emerging Leaders Program (ARCEL); a fellowship program in partnership with the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE) that creates space for six rising young leaders whose sense of calling lives at the intersection of creative practice, spirituality, and work that builds up communities. ARC Board President Ashley Theuring comments on Keefe-Perry’s work in saying “We are excited and proud to see Dr. Keefe-Perry take these next steps in his career. ARC has been profoundly shaped and changed by his clarity of vision, passion, and ability to create spaces of flourishing for all types of people. We wish Dr. Keefe-Perry the best of luck and hope he continues his positive influence in both the academy and his community.”