Nalini Jayasuriya, 2004
27” x 21” Mixed Media on cloth, frame
Each year, Director of the Overseas Ministries Study Center at Princeton Theological Seminary (OMSC@PTS) invites one Artist in Residence to the Princeton campus to stay with us for a full academic year (September to May). For over 100 years, OMSC has been dedicated to amplifying the voices of the world Christian movement. Integral to our mission of lifting up the often silent or silenced voices of the world Christian movement is our Artist in Residence program. We believe in the transformative power of art and its connection to faith. During this time, OMSC provides a stipend, housing on Princeton Seminary’s campus, and a large studio space in the Erdman Center to do their creative work. Our artists also actively participate in the intellectual and spiritual life of OMSC and the seminary community, sharing their work with the students, faculty, staff and other constituencies in the Princeton region.
Since its inauguration in 2001, the OMSC Artist in Residence program has hosted outstanding artist from the global South. Today, OMSC’s art collection is comprised of over one hundred fifty pieces, many of which are now on display throughout the campus of Princeton Theological Seminary. They represent some of the finest work being done by contemporary artists who are Christian. A large sum of our art comes from Asia (Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, China, South Korea, Japan), made possible by generous grants from the United Board of Christian Higher Education in Asia and the Luce Foundation. In more recent years, we have hosted artists from other parts of the world.
We hope these stirring works will fire your imagination and expand your understanding of the many ways the message of Jesus Christ finds a home in different cultural, social, and political contexts. Take a guided virtual tour of the artwork featured in the OMSC House on the Seminary campus via the video featured below and browse our digital gallery to learn more about our artists.
The Artist in Residence will receive:
- A furnished apartment at Payne Hall.
- Monthly stipend, which will cover the following:
- Materials needed for artwork.
- Travel expenses during the residency program.
- Framing or stretching of the two donated pieces.
- Other residency-related expenses.
- For foreign nationals, cost of medical insurance (as required by J-1 Visa SEVIS program).
- An art studio in the basement of Erdman Center and borrowing privileges at the seminary’s Wright Library.
The Artist in Residence is expected to:
- Reside on the PTS campus during the duration of the residency.
- Donate two pieces of artwork: one for the OMSC auction and one for Seminary Special Collections.
- Adhere to PTS Campus Conduct.
