Symposium – Thomism, Creativity and the Arts: Jacques and Raïssa Maritain

Credit: ©OUImages/Whitaker Studio

Building on last year’s landmark conference on the lives and legacy of Jacques and Raïssa Maritain, this exciting collaborative day symposium draws together philosophers, theologians, musicians, poets, liturgists and other artists, to converse around the theme of human creativity. The Maritains remain at the heart of our dialogue, being uniquely well-situated to confront the problems, principles and complexities of artistry in the modern era – illuminated by the wisdom of St Thomas Aquinas. Jacques Maritain’s belief in the artist’s mission to ‘shelter the prayer, instruct the intelligence, and rejoice the eyes and the soul,’ provides an inspiring mandate to investigate art-making in the present age, in all its depth and variety.

The conference includes plenary talks, panel discussions, poetry reading, music and film, and gathers a rich and diverse range of presenters from across the UK and USA, with the final keynote talk given by Sir James MacMillan, renowned Scottish composer and conductor. Registration is open to scholars, students, lay and religious: in fact, anyone with an interest in the creative arts, and those whose scholarship or praxis lies at the convergence of aesthetics and faith. Attendees are warmly invited to join in the midday Office of Readings and Evening Mass and Vespers with sacred choral and organ music. Lunch is provided, and the day will end with a drinks reception for those attending in person.