Union Theological Seminary establishes the Marilyn Seven Chair on Religion and the Arts—a visionary new faculty chair that embodies Union’s longstanding commitment to progressive theology and compassionate wisdom, where faith and scholarship meet to reimagine the work of justice.
The Marilyn Seven Chair will foster deep and creative connections between religion and the arts through the imagination and learning of performing arts, innovative pedagogies, and rituals rooted in interreligious engagement, ecological justice, and transformative education. At its heart, the chair seeks to cultivate artistic spaces of encounter—places where diverse religious and non-religious communities can engage one another in mutual, transformative learning.
The inaugural chair will be held by Union faculty member Rev. Dr. Claudio Carvalhaes, whose work has long bridged theology, liturgy, performance, and social justice. A globally recognized liturgical theologian and artist, Rev. Dr. Carvalhaes has consistently invited students and communities into embodied practices of worship and resistance that reimagine the sacred in public life.
“Ritual and the arts are not ornaments to theology—they are theology in motion,” said Rev. Dr. Claudio Carvalhaes. “Through performance, prayer, music, and embodied practice, we learn how to see one another differently and to reconfigure our worlds toward justice. The Marilyn Seven Chair will create spaces where imagination becomes a site of encounter, healing, and transformation across traditions and differences.”
Union President Rev. Dr. Serene Jones underscored how the new chair advances the Seminary’s mission at a critical time in the life of the church and the world.
“Union has always understood that theology must be lived, embodied, and enacted in the world,” said Rev. Dr. Serene Jones. “The Marilyn Seven Chair on Religion and the Arts strengthens our commitment to interreligious engagement, ecological responsibility, and justice-centered education. Under Rev. Dr. Carvalhaes’ leadership, this chair will nurture creative, courageous leaders who use the arts not only to interpret the world, but to transform it.”
The establishment of the Marilyn Seven Chair signals Union’s continued investment in scholarship that is both rigorous and imaginative—scholarship that honors tradition while opening new pathways for collective liberation. As Union looks toward Fall 2026, this new chair will stand as a vibrant testament to the Seminary’s belief that art and religion are powerful instruments in shaping a more just and compassionate world.