"Temples of the Heart: A Colloquium on the Role of Visual Culture in Spiritual Practice," an interfaith arts colloquium sponsored by the Brehm Center and led by Professor of Theology and Culture Bill Dyrness, will be held Thursday, October 23, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Pacific Asia Museum.

This colloquium is part of the project "Sacred Imagery in Los Angeles Congregations," funded by a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation. The project is studying the visual environment of congregations in Los Angeles—specifically the murals, images, architectural space, and ceremonial practices that express and inform the faith of congregations. Research has focused on the differing role of the visual, and how religious leaders and congregants of different traditions appropriate the material and visual culture in their worship and religious observance. How are these traditions being transformed or altered, or how do they persist in the dynamic pluralistic setting of Southern California?

Schedule for the colloquium will be as follows:

3:00 p.m.
Welcome and introduction of the Sacred Imagery research
William Dyrness, Professor of Theology and Culture, Fuller Seminary

3:15 p.m.
"Images of Jewish Community Life and Traditional Objects"
Bill Aron, Professional Photographer, Temple Emanuel Congregant

"Witness to Wonder: Three Los Angeles Synagogues"
Leah Buturain, Senior Researcher, Luce Sacred Imagery

4:00 p.m.
Response
Marcia Reines Josephy, Independent Scholar, Jewish Liturgical Art

4:30 p.m.
"Verandas: Signature of the Gardener"
Hirokazu Kosaka, Artistic Director, Japanese American Community & Cultural Center

5:15 p.m.
Response
Rabbi Don Singer, Director, Shir Hadaasch Community

5:30 p.m.
Open forum and Q & A

The Pacific Asia Museum is located at 46 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena 91101. For more information about the colloquium, contact the Brehm Center at 626-304-3789 or brehmcenter@fuller.edu.