Welcome from the Dean

Malcolm de Chazal, the Mauritian writer and painter who is well known for his thousands of both highly quotable and completely mind-boggling aphorisms, delivered one of my very favorite sentiments on the nature of art in his Sens-Plastique:   

“Art is nature speeded up and God slowed down.”

Here, de Chazal is attempting to ratify the tension of the corporeal (the things of this world), and the divine, by introducing us to the concept of an accessible middle ground; a place where we can, if only in an infinitesimally small glimpse, access the creative nature of God.  That place is not so much a place as it is a dynamic and breathing verb—ART.  At Houston Christian University’s School of Fine Arts, we actively work within this space, inspiring the worship of God through the creation and presentation of art within the patterns He designed.

HCU’s School of Fine Arts is a dynamic, thriving, talented, and diverse group of faculty, staff, and students who value the unique ability of art—music, visual, film, literary, new media, theatre or otherwise—to shift hearts and minds towards something greater than themselves.  We collectively thrive in the understanding that we are not just the artists but also the canvas, the clapperboard, the instrument, the blank page, the ghost light on stage.  We are both the creators and the created, pointing to the One who is writing, painting, composing, and orating our grand and remarkable story.

Awards are nice.  And we’ve won a bunch of them.  Comprehensive training for advanced practice is wonderful.  And we’re excellent at it.  Facilities are lovely.  And ours are fantastic.  But the thing that makes us who we are, a group of beautifully flawed people striving to reveal that divine glimpse to our fellow travelers on this life journey, is our overwhelming desire to help you succeed in your art.  Because when you succeed, the world sees Him.

We welcome you to join us.

Dr. Jodey Hinze
Dean of the School of Fine Arts
Houston Christian University