Jennifer Awes Freeman: Evolving Religious Imagery

Jennifer is the Associate Professor and Program Director of Theology and the Arts at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. Her recent publications include "The Good Shepherd: Image, Meaning, and Power" and "The Ashburnham Pentateuch and its Contexts." Jennifer earned her PhD in Religion (Historical Studies) from Vanderbilt University, where she focused on early medieval art and theological controversies. Before that, she graduated with an MAR in Visual Studies from the Institute of Sacred Music at Yale Divinity School.​

In this conversation, Jennifer and I explored the agency of images, the implications of iconoclasm, and the evolution of religious representation as it applies to the concepts of the Good Shepherd and the Trinity. We also delved into ritual theory, viewer reception, and the impact of digital culture on our engagement with religious images. Our conversation also addressed the materiality of art, the way perspectives on imagery vary across different Christian traditions, and the importance of presence in both religious and secular art.