Upper House Commons Events

This event was recorded live at Upper House on April 12, 2025.

💻 Watch this panel on YouTube

https://youtu.be/fqxgDmSZGVk

ABOUT THE MODERATOR

CAM ANDERSON is an artist and a writer, a maker of things and texts. From the outside my career path seems to tell a different tale. Beginning with a two-year stint teaching art at Notre Dame High School in East Detroit, I found lifelong paid employment in the non-profit sector. After teaching, I invested 30 years in ministry to university students and faculty with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and following that, nearly a decade leading Christians in the Visual Arts. Since 2018, I have served as the Associate Director of Upper House, a center for Christian study located in the heart of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Though not always at the fore, my artist’s life has remained central to my vision and labor in each of these settings.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

MIA CHUNG-YEE is an internationally known concert pianist and the founder and executive director of the Octet Collaborative, a Christian Study Center based at MIT. In 1993, Chung-Yee won first prize at the Concert Artists Guild Competition and, in 1997, received the Avery Fisher Career Grant, the highest recognition for young concert artists in the United States. Chung-Yee earned a bachelor's degree from Harvard College, a master’s degree from Yale University, and a PhD from the Juilliard School. After serving as Professor of Music and Artist in Residence at Gordon College from 1991 to 2011, she has been a Professor of Musical Studies at the Curtis Institute of Music. Learn more about Chung-Yee at https://www.curtis.edu/person/mia-chung/.

BRUCE HERMAN is a painter, writer, and speaker. His art has been shown in more than 150 national and international exhibitions and is in many public and private art collections, including the Vatican Museum of Modern Religious Art in Rome and museums throughout the United States and Canada. For nearly four decades, Herman taught at Gordon College, where he is the founding chair of the Art Department. He completed BFA and MFA degrees at Boston University College of Fine Arts. Learn more about Herman’s art, exhibitions, many art features, and books at https://www.bruceherman.com/.

KRISSY KLUDT is a poet who writes about mystery, the land, divine love, and the passage of time. Creator of Writing the Wild, she guides retreats and workshops on writing, creativity, and nature connection. She is a convener, and as a former public-school teacher she brings a holistic learning approach to each experience she guides. Her work appears or is forthcoming in Humana Obscura; Tremblings; and Stories from the Trail, an anthology coming in 2024 from Wayfarer Books. Her first volume of poetry is forthcoming. She works and plays in the East Bay outside of San Francisco, on the ancestral lands of the Ohlone and Miwok peoples, with her husband and two sons.

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Upper House Commons gathers the university community for spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

We explore big ideas and engage in conversations that matter within arts and humanities, justice and society, leadership and vocation, science and technology, spiritual formation, and theology. Whether you are a student or faculty member at UW–Madison or beyond, working in the marketplace, or serving in the church, we see you as part of our university community. Gather with us for one of our programs —our “commons”— each a pasture for shared spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

Head over to our events page to see what's coming soon, or mark your calendar for these upcoming programs.

Find out more slbf.org/upperhousecommons 

This talk was recorded at our annual arts conference, "Let The Art Speak," at Upper House on April 12, 2025.

💻 Watch this talk on YouTube

https://youtu.be/MbKVf3x25Cg

SPEAKER:

Bruce Herman is a painter, writer, and speaker. His art has been shown in more than 150 national and international exhibitions and is in many public and private art collections, including the Vatican Museum of Modern Religious Art in Rome and museums throughout the United States and Canada. For nearly four decades, Herman taught at Gordon College, where he is the founding chair of the Art Department. He completed BFA and MFA degrees at Boston University College of Fine Arts. Learn more about Herman’s art, exhibitions, many art features, and books at https://www.bruceherman.com/.

For more information about the SL Brown Foundation and Upper House please check out - https://slbf.org/

Send us Fan Mail

Upper House Commons gathers the university community for spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

We explore big ideas and engage in conversations that matter within arts and humanities, justice and society, leadership and vocation, science and technology, spiritual formation, and theology. Whether you are a student or faculty member at UW–Madison or beyond, working in the marketplace, or serving in the church, we see you as part of our university community. Gather with us for one of our programs —our “commons”— each a pasture for shared spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

Head over to our events page to see what's coming soon, or mark your calendar for these upcoming programs.

Find out more slbf.org/upperhousecommons 

This Friday Night Lecture was led by scholar and author Karen Swallow Prior, who explored the connections between art, beauty, and the evangelical tradition. This sometimes complicated relationship has important things to teach us about both art and the beautiful. She will also explore the human appetite for beauty and how it's easy to fill it with poor substitutes. One such substitute is often branded as “evangelical” art and characterized as sentimental: It might produce good feelings, but does it satisfy our desire for the beautiful?

Dr. Prior discussed these ideas and the roots and broad influence of sentimentality in evangelical art. She will invite us to consider what it means to pursue true beauty—art that inspires and transforms—even when it requires sacrifice.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Karen Swallow Prior, Ph.D., is a reader, writer, and professor. Among her many publications are The Evangelical Imagination: How Stories, Images, and Metaphors Created a Culture in Crisis (Brazos, 2023); and On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books (Brazos 2018). In addition to a monthly column for Religion News Service, her writing has appeared at Christianity Today, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, First Things, Vox, and The Gospel Coalition; she is also a contributing editor for Comment.

Prior’s academic focus is British literature, with a specialty in the eighteenth century, a period she loves for its emphasis on philosophy, ethics, aesthetics, community, and its efforts to correct the universal human impulse toward extremes. Learn more about Swallow Prior’s presentations and affiliations on her website.

💻 Watch this event on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/unaF8pP2k1Q

This event was recorded live at Upper House on March 14, 2025.

Send us Fan Mail

Upper House Commons gathers the university community for spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

We explore big ideas and engage in conversations that matter within arts and humanities, justice and society, leadership and vocation, science and technology, spiritual formation, and theology. Whether you are a student or faculty member at UW–Madison or beyond, working in the marketplace, or serving in the church, we see you as part of our university community. Gather with us for one of our programs —our “commons”— each a pasture for shared spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

Head over to our events page to see what's coming soon, or mark your calendar for these upcoming programs.

Find out more slbf.org/upperhousecommons 

This Friday Night Lecture was led by scholar and author Karen Swallow Prior, who explored the connections between art, beauty, and the evangelical tradition. This sometimes complicated relationship has important things to teach us about both art and the beautiful. She will also explore the human appetite for beauty and how it's easy to fill it with poor substitutes. One such substitute is often branded as “evangelical” art and characterized as sentimental: It might produce good feelings, but does it satisfy our desire for the beautiful?

Dr. Prior discussed these ideas and the roots and broad influence of sentimentality in evangelical art. She will invite us to consider what it means to pursue true beauty—art that inspires and transforms—even when it requires sacrifice.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Karen Swallow Prior, Ph.D., is a reader, writer, and professor. Among her many publications are The Evangelical Imagination: How Stories, Images, and Metaphors Created a Culture in Crisis (Brazos, 2023); and On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books (Brazos 2018). In addition to a monthly column for Religion News Service, her writing has appeared at Christianity Today, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, First Things, Vox, and The Gospel Coalition; she is also a contributing editor for Comment.

Prior’s academic focus is British literature, with a specialty in the eighteenth century, a period she loves for its emphasis on philosophy, ethics, aesthetics, community, and its efforts to correct the universal human impulse toward extremes. Learn more about Swallow Prior’s presentations and affiliations on her website.

💻 Watch this event on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/XcJ4eVAJkT0

This event was recorded live at Upper House on March 14, 2025.

Send us Fan Mail

Upper House Commons gathers the university community for spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

We explore big ideas and engage in conversations that matter within arts and humanities, justice and society, leadership and vocation, science and technology, spiritual formation, and theology. Whether you are a student or faculty member at UW–Madison or beyond, working in the marketplace, or serving in the church, we see you as part of our university community. Gather with us for one of our programs —our “commons”— each a pasture for shared spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

Head over to our events page to see what's coming soon, or mark your calendar for these upcoming programs.

Find out more slbf.org/upperhousecommons 

Scholar and author Karen Swallow Prior will explore the connections between art, beauty, and the evangelical tradition. This sometimes complicated relationship has important things to teach us about both art and the beautiful. She will also explore the human appetite for beauty and how it's all too easy to fill that appetite with poor substitutes. One such substitute is often branded as “evangelical” art and characterized as sentimental: It might produce good feelings, but does it satisfy our desire for the beautiful?

Dr. Prior will discuss these ideas, along with the roots and broad influence of sentimentality in evangelical art. She will invite us to consider what it means to pursue true beauty—art that inspires and transforms—even when it requires sacrifice.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Karen Swallow Prior, Ph.D., is a reader, writer, and professor. Among her many publications are The Evangelical Imagination: How Stories, Images, and Metaphors Created a Culture in Crisis (Brazos, 2023); and On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books (Brazos 2018). In addition to a monthly column for Religion News Service, her writing has appeared at Christianity Today, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, First Things, Vox, and The Gospel Coalition; she is also a contributing editor for Comment.

Prior’s academic focus is British literature, with a specialty in the eighteenth century, a period she loves for its emphasis on philosophy, ethics, aesthetics, community, and its efforts to correct the universal human impulse toward extremes. Learn more about Swallow Prior’s presentations and affiliations on her website.

💻 Watch this event on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/Dsek6dRYp_E

This event was recorded live at Upper House on March 14, 2025.

Send us Fan Mail

Upper House Commons gathers the university community for spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

We explore big ideas and engage in conversations that matter within arts and humanities, justice and society, leadership and vocation, science and technology, spiritual formation, and theology. Whether you are a student or faculty member at UW–Madison or beyond, working in the marketplace, or serving in the church, we see you as part of our university community. Gather with us for one of our programs —our “commons”— each a pasture for shared spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

Head over to our events page to see what's coming soon, or mark your calendar for these upcoming programs.

Find out more slbf.org/upperhousecommons 

Numbers are telling. On average, Americans spend nearly 5 hours a day on their phones. Research shows that 45% consider themselves addicted to their devices. Our hands naturally pick them up, open a screen, and voila, we enter another world. Yet there’s another technology that also helps us enter other worlds: a far older technology that might be considered an anecdote to our phone addiction… books. Good fiction, in particular.

In this talk, Dr. Cassandra Nelson (Ph.D., Harvard) will discuss promises connected to technology and the ways technology fulfills — or fails to fulfill — those promises. She will compare the benefits of 21st century technology to the benefits of reading good fiction. And she will consider with us the question core to our scrolling and reading: What are we looking for?

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Cassandra Nelson is a visiting fellow at the Lumen Center and an associate fellow at the University of Virginia’s Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture. Her scholarship centers on faith and technology in American literature and contemporary culture, and has appeared in publications such as Plough, Comment, Common Good, First Things, and The Point. Her first book, A Theology of Fiction, began as an essay of the same name for First Things and will be published in substantially expanded form by Wiseblood Books in early 2025.

From 2015 to 2018, she taught literature and composition at the United States Military Academy, where she developed a profound interest in virtue ethics, character education, and effective, inspiring writing pedagogy for first-year undergraduates.

Education

Ph.D., English, Harvard University

M.A., Editorial Studies, Boston University

B.A., English, Boston University

Send us Fan Mail

Upper House Commons gathers the university community for spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

We explore big ideas and engage in conversations that matter within arts and humanities, justice and society, leadership and vocation, science and technology, spiritual formation, and theology. Whether you are a student or faculty member at UW–Madison or beyond, working in the marketplace, or serving in the church, we see you as part of our university community. Gather with us for one of our programs —our “commons”— each a pasture for shared spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

Head over to our events page to see what's coming soon, or mark your calendar for these upcoming programs.

Find out more slbf.org/upperhousecommons 

Numbers are telling. On average, Americans spend nearly 5 hours a day on their phones. Research shows that 45% consider themselves addicted to their devices. Our hands naturally pick them up, open a screen, and voila, we enter another world. Yet there’s another technology that also helps us enter other worlds: a far older technology that might be considered an anecdote to our phone addiction… books. Good fiction, in particular.

In this talk, Dr. Cassandra Nelson (Ph.D., Harvard) will discuss promises connected to technology and the ways technology fulfills — or fails to fulfill — those promises. She will compare the benefits of 21st century technology to the benefits of reading good fiction. And she will consider with us the question core to our scrolling and reading: What are we looking for?

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Cassandra Nelson is a visiting fellow at the Lumen Center and an associate fellow at the University of Virginia’s Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture. Her scholarship centers on faith and technology in American literature and contemporary culture, and has appeared in publications such as Plough, Comment, Common Good, First Things, and The Point. Her first book, A Theology of Fiction, began as an essay of the same name for First Things and will be published in substantially expanded form by Wiseblood Books in early 2025.

From 2015 to 2018, she taught literature and composition at the United States Military Academy, where she developed a profound interest in virtue ethics, character education, and effective, inspiring writing pedagogy for first-year undergraduates.

Education

Ph.D., English, Harvard University

M.A., Editorial Studies, Boston University

B.A., English, Boston University

Send us Fan Mail

Upper House Commons gathers the university community for spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

We explore big ideas and engage in conversations that matter within arts and humanities, justice and society, leadership and vocation, science and technology, spiritual formation, and theology. Whether you are a student or faculty member at UW–Madison or beyond, working in the marketplace, or serving in the church, we see you as part of our university community. Gather with us for one of our programs —our “commons”— each a pasture for shared spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

Head over to our events page to see what's coming soon, or mark your calendar for these upcoming programs.

Find out more slbf.org/upperhousecommons 

Numbers are telling. On average, Americans spend nearly 5 hours a day on their phones. Research shows that 45% consider themselves addicted to their devices. Our hands naturally pick them up, open a screen, and voila, we enter another world. Yet there’s another technology that also helps us enter other worlds: a far older technology that might be considered an anecdote to our phone addiction… books. Good fiction, in particular.

In this talk, Dr. Cassandra Nelson (Ph.D., Harvard) will discuss promises connected to technology and the ways technology fulfills — or fails to fulfill — those promises. She will compare the benefits of 21st century technology to the benefits of reading good fiction. She will consider the core question for our scrolling and reading: What are we looking for?

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Cassandra Nelson is a visiting fellow at the Lumen Center and an associate fellow at the University of Virginia’s Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture. Her scholarship centers on faith and technology in American literature and contemporary culture, and has appeared in publications such as Plough, Comment, Common Good, First Things, and The Point. Her first book, A Theology of Fiction, began as an essay of the same name for First Things and will be published in substantially expanded form by Wiseblood Books in early 2025.

From 2015 to 2018, she taught literature and composition at the United States Military Academy, where she developed a profound interest in virtue ethics, character education, and effective, inspiring writing pedagogy for first-year undergraduates.

Education

Ph.D., English, Harvard University

M.A., Editorial Studies, Boston University

B.A., English, Boston University

Send us Fan Mail

Upper House Commons gathers the university community for spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

We explore big ideas and engage in conversations that matter within arts and humanities, justice and society, leadership and vocation, science and technology, spiritual formation, and theology. Whether you are a student or faculty member at UW–Madison or beyond, working in the marketplace, or serving in the church, we see you as part of our university community. Gather with us for one of our programs —our “commons”— each a pasture for shared spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

Head over to our events page to see what's coming soon, or mark your calendar for these upcoming programs.

Find out more slbf.org/upperhousecommons 

Anne Snyder, editor-in-chief of Comment Magazine, joins us to explore the possibilities offered by a revived Christian humanist approach that flows from scripture and two thousand years of Christ-centered tradition. In her view, such an approach offers a hopeful and creative way to navigate the destabilizing currents of this late modern moment. Because we are in a "time between eras when no one knows what’s next," Anne contends that "we need one another to recalibrate, to reflect, and to shape a hopeful future." In that spirit, she will introduce a new Christian humanist manifesto and theory of change to help us prepare for whatever comes next.

Anne's presentation will interweave history, hope, and insights about our post-election wariness. We are 75-years post World War II, and the raft of institutions built to protect peace and human dignity are now often painted as enemies. Many people feel increasingly anxious and unmoored, and liberalism is on the defensive. Conflicting ideologies divide neighbors and families. Yet, social renewal is possible. How? Anne's perspective and Christian humanist manifesto will address vital questions and concerns shared by people across our community and nation, regardless of their political affiliation or religious affections.

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HOSTING PARTNER

This event is hosted and streamed live in partnership with The Trinity Forum (ttf.org).

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ABOUT OUR SPEAKER

Anne Snyder is the editor-in-chief of Comment, host of The Whole Person Revolution podcast, co-editor of Breaking Ground: Charting Our Future in a Pandemic Year, and author of The Fabric of Character: A Wise Giver’s Guide to Renewing Our Social and Moral Landscape. In addition, Anne serves as Senior Fellow of The Trinity Forum and a Fellow at the Urban Reform Institute. This Houston-based think tank explores how cities can drive opportunity for the bulk of their citizens. She has published widely, including The Atlantic Monthly, the Washington Post, City Journal, and, of course, Comment, and lives in Washington, DC. (Learn more at https://annesnyder.org/about/)

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This event was recorded live at Upper House on January 30, 2024.

Send us Fan Mail

Upper House Commons gathers the university community for spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

We explore big ideas and engage in conversations that matter within arts and humanities, justice and society, leadership and vocation, science and technology, spiritual formation, and theology. Whether you are a student or faculty member at UW–Madison or beyond, working in the marketplace, or serving in the church, we see you as part of our university community. Gather with us for one of our programs —our “commons”— each a pasture for shared spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

Head over to our events page to see what's coming soon, or mark your calendar for these upcoming programs.

Find out more slbf.org/upperhousecommons 

This preaching class was recorded at our third annual Midwest Gospel Preaching Summit on October 9 & 10, 2024.

Rev. Dr. Danielle L. Brown is the 10th Senior Pastor of the Shiloh Baptist Church in Plainfield, New Jersey, the first woman to hold this position since the church’s founding in 1908. An increasingly sought-after preacher and workshop leader with the ability to communicate across generations, Dr. Brown has shared the Gospel throughout the U.S. and in South Africa. She holds a Master of Education and Bachelor of Science Degrees from Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia, and both a Master of Divinity Degree and Master of Arts Degree from New Brunswick Theological Seminary in New Jersey. She earned a Doctor of Ministry Degree from Palmer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania, where she studied Leadership and Church Renewal. She has a passion for mentoring and assisting in the development of faith and community leaders and is a site supervisor in the Princeton Theological Seminary, New Brunswick Theological Seminary, and Pillar College Field Education Programs, has taught on the adjunct faculty of New York Theological Seminary, and served two terms on the Board of Trustees of New Brunswick Theological Seminary. Through the years, Dr. Brown has received multiple awards and recognition for her work in the church and community. In 2022, she was inducted into the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.

Send us Fan Mail

Upper House Commons gathers the university community for spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

We explore big ideas and engage in conversations that matter within arts and humanities, justice and society, leadership and vocation, science and technology, spiritual formation, and theology. Whether you are a student or faculty member at UW–Madison or beyond, working in the marketplace, or serving in the church, we see you as part of our university community. Gather with us for one of our programs —our “commons”— each a pasture for shared spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation.

Head over to our events page to see what's coming soon, or mark your calendar for these upcoming programs.

Find out more slbf.org/upperhousecommons