Makoto Fujimura, an artist and former member of the National Council on the Arts, invites us to press into the notion of patronage, considering its history, legacy and the imperative to participate in new ways as we consider "What would it take for all us to care for culture?"

Patronage is not just for the elite with disposable income. Every decision we make to download music, buy clothing, and see certain movies are all expressions of our patronage of culture. Yet most of us rarely see ourselves as patrons of the arts or culture.

Join Mako Fujimura for "Infinite Grace: A Redeemed City" on Tuesday, May 22 in the Loft. Doors open at 7pm. Tickets are free, but an RSVP is required.

Makoto Fujimura, Director of Fuller's Brehm Center, is an artist, writer, and speaker who is recognized worldwide as a cultural shaper. A Presidential appointee to the National Council on the Arts from 2003-2009, Fujimura served as an international advocate for the arts, speaking with decision makers and advising governmental policies on the arts. In 2014, the American Academy of Religion named Makoto Fujimura as its ’2014 Religion and the Arts’ award recipient. This award is presented annually to an artist, performer, critic, curator, or scholar who has made a significant contribution to the understanding of the relations among the arts and the religions, both for the academy and for a broader public. 

Fujimura's "Silence and Beauty" book won the 2016 Aldersgate Award. Muneya Kato, biographer of Shusaku Endo, praised it by saying it is "the best book on Endo's 'Silence' ever written".

Fujimura’s  Refractions: A Journey of Faith, Art and Culture, is a collection of essays bringing together people of all backgrounds in a conversation and meditation on culture, art, and humanity.