ARC Transition Announcement

Dear ARC family,

What a season this has been. COVID has brought such a bitter harvest. We have lost people. Livelihoods have withered or altered radically. The contours of our social networks have been deeply marked. The “old normal” is gone forever. This has been as true for ARC as it has been for any of its stakeholders.

In the beginning of the year of 2021 we, the Board of Directors, announced with much enthusiasm the hiring of Tamisha A. Tyler as Executive Director of ARC. This was done in a process of transition in leadership and fiscal restructuring. In the bright light of the new year, we looked forward to continuing the mission of ARC into its next stage guided by her clear vision. But the tectonic changes that were underway were pressing in on our own foundations. Our programming was canceled, and resources were steadily depleted. We were unable to continue to keep her on staff.

It is with great sadness that we announce that Tamisha Tyler was laid off in July due to lack of finances. Tamisha Tyler has been a dedicated, capable and exceedingly competent employee. We are grateful for all the work and programming she has done these past months and wish her success in her future endeavors.

As we survey the contours of this new normal and the place of ARC in it, we will be sending out more details about what is next for us as an organization. If you have any questions, please, email us at adminarc@artsreligionculture.org

Press Release: Tamisha A. Tyler, MDiv named Executive Director of Arts | Religion | Culture (ARC)

On October 16, 2020 ARC’s Board of Directors named Tamisha A. Tyler the Executive Director of ARC. Ms. Tyler currently serves as Co-Executive Director of ARC along with Dr. Callid Keefe-Perry, who is transitioning to serve as a Lecturer at Boston University and will continue to serve as Senior Editor of the ARTS Journal. Ms. Tyler will move into the position on February 1, 2021 and will be the first woman of color to hold the Executive Director position in ARC’s 58 year history.

Ms. Tyler is currently finishing her PhD at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA. In her dissertation, she is developing a theopoetic methodology by engaging science fiction writer Octavia E. Butler. She holds a B.A. in Black Studies from California State University, Long Beach and a Masters of Divinity in Worship, Theology, and the Arts from Fuller Theological Seminary. During her time in seminary, Ms. Tyler took on several leadership roles including Student Body President and President of the Brehm Collective—a student led group connected to the Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and Arts. Ms. Tyler also received fellowships from the Brehm Center and the Louisville Institute. She is a current fellow of the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE) as well as The William E. Pannell Center for Black Church Studies. Ms. Tyler began her journey with ARC as a Board Member before leaving the board to assist in leading the organization as Co-Executive Director. Dr. Patrick B. Reyes, former Vice President of the ARC Board and current Senior Director of Learning Design at FTE says, “Tamisha embodies what Octavia Butler often wrote into her heroines: creativity, empathy, intuitiveness, and a drive towards the freedom of her people. ARC and those working at the intersection of faith, social justice, and the arts will be guided by one of the great ancestors in training.” 

During her tenure at ARC, Ms. Tyler hopes to bring a fresh perspective and years of experience in administration, leadership, and event planning. In the last year Ms. Tyler helped to guide the organization’s pandemic response, took on leadership of the Emerging Scholars Program (ARCEL), collaborated on the first fundraiser since the organization’s merger, and hosted the online interview series Insights. Board President Ashley Thering says, “Tamisha has helped guide ARC through several times of transition. As ARC has grown over the last several years, her clarity of vision, passion, and intellect has helped to root our work and mission. We are privileged to have her leading ARC and excited to see how her vision and talents shape the organization into the future.”

Press Release: Dr. Callid Keefe-Perry named Lecturer at Boston University, steps down as Co-Executive Director

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.”