Masters in Sacred Fine Arts (MSFA)
A Klesia–Atlas Collaboration in the Service of Divine Beauty
Overview.
The Master of Sacred Fine Arts (MSFA) is Atlas University’s graduate program in artistic consecration - a partnership with Klesia, the atelier and theological arts institute dedicated to restoring beauty as a form of worship. This program exists for artists, writers, and makers who long to create not merely works of art, but acts of devotion—art that reveals the holiness of form, the language of glory, and the radiant beauty of truth.
The MSFA unites classical mastery with contemporary discipline, calling artists into the covenant of craftsmanship. Every brushstroke, chisel mark, letter, or composition becomes an offering to Yahweh, whose creation remains the first and greatest work of art.
Philosophy of the Program
The MSFA proceeds from one central conviction:
Art is sacred when it proceeds from obedience, wonder, and love.
Where the modern MFA often prizes novelty, the MSFA trains the artist-priest—those who bear creative skill as stewardship, not self-expression. Students learn to listen, to see, and to craft in alignment with divine order. They are formed not only as creators but as contemplatives: disciplined in skill, refined in perception, and consecrated in motive.
All work in the program follows the Imago Dei method—seeing creation through the mirror of divine design. Students progress through the Four Tiers of Mastery is Foundations, which leads to Proficiency, onto Mastery and then to the Canon.
Program Structure
Duration: 2 years (4 semesters) full-time or 3 years part-time.
Format: In-residence with integrated studio, theological colloquia, and apprenticeship.
Tuition: $4,995 per semester, Scholarships and assistantships available.
Degree Conferred: Master of Sacred Fine Arts (MSFA)
Distinctives
Theological Depth: Every course integrates Scripture, theology, and fine arts tradition.
Master–Apprentice Training: Intimate, hands-on formation with working sacred artists.
Liturgical Aesthetics: Students learn the theology of worship space and the metaphysics of beauty.
Integration with House System: Every artist is rooted in a House and Tribe, receiving spiritual mentorship and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Public Canonization: Final works are formally exhibited, critiqued, and consecrated in ceremony—entering the Atlas Canon of Sacred Works.
Core Elements
Sacred Sculpture
Students study the body as a living temple—anatomy, proportion, and gesture as metaphors of divine order. Training includes stone, bronze, and wood carving; clay and wax modeling; and liturgical composition for ecclesial settings. Every sculptural work is preceded by scriptural meditation and completed through anointing and presentation.
Key Works: A life-size sacred sculpture (graduation requirement), symbolic maquettes, and architectural reliefs.
Themes: Incarnation, the human form in redemption, the anatomy of humility.
Poetics
Poetry is studied as the grammar of Spirit. Students craft verse rooted in psalmic structure, prophetic cadence, and the contemplative silence between words. Language is re-learned as a vessel of incarnation.
Projects: A complete book-length poetry manuscript (graduation requirement) and public recitation in the House Forum.
Themes: Psalmic composition, prophetic utterance, sacred rhythm, and paradox.
Architecture
Form and function as worship. Study of sacred proportion, symbolism, and the metaphysical geometry of built space. Students create conceptual models and designs for chapels, galleries, and contemplative environments.
Projects: Conceptual blueprints and models for sacred spaces or installations.
Themes: Proportion as prayer, sanctuary as psyche, the geometry of transcendence.
Theological Painting
Atelier-based mastery in drawing, oil, tempera, and gilding techniques integrated with color symbolism, iconography, and biblical geometry. Light and pigment are treated as languages of revelation—each hue carrying metaphysical meaning.
Projects: Multi-panel icon cycles, illuminated manuscripts, and modern works in sacred abstraction.
Themes: Light as revelation, color as theology, and seeing as prayer.
Creative Writing
The narrative imagination as spiritual architecture. Students compose fiction that unveils divine truth through story—novel, parable, or allegory. The course emphasizes structure, dialogue, symbol, and revelation through plot rather than dogma.
Projects: A completed creative fiction book (graduation requirement).
Themes: Redemption, pilgrimage, moral vision, and the architecture of conflict and grace.
Music and Liturgy
A course in sonic devotion—chant, composition, and sound design for sacred environment. Students explore rhythm as breath and harmony as ontology, culminating in either original compositions or collaborative sound installations for sacred exhibitions.
Projects: Original composition, choral arrangement, or sacred soundscape for exhibition.
Themes: The sound of Scripture, vibration and Spirit, the metaphysics of harmony.
Calligraphy
The Word becomes visible through letterform. Students train in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin calligraphy; illuminated text; and typographic design for sacred books. Each project explores the aesthetic of reverence—letters shaped by silence and breath.
Projects: Sacred manuscripts, inscriptions, and liturgical signage.
Themes: Logos, rhythm of breath, script as devotion.
Theological Essay
Where theology meets literature. Students compose reflective essays, meditations, and manifestos that unify form, philosophy, and devotion. The art of writing becomes intellectual sculpture—clear, weighty, and beautiful.
Projects: A curated book of artistic essays (graduation requirement) integrating art theory, biblical exegesis, and personal praxis.
Themes: The theology of beauty, the metaphysics of form, and the language of presence.
Production
Integration of art and offering. This capstone track unites visual design, curation, lighting, and installation into the act of worshipful exhibition. Students master the logistics of preparing sacred shows—presentation as liturgy, lighting as theology, and audience as witness.
Projects: Design and execute two public exhibitions (graduation requirement).
Themes: Consecration, craftsmanship, public witness, and ritual presentation.
Beauty is not decoration, it is revelation
Through the Master of Sacred Fine Arts, Atlas and Klesia call forth a new generation of artists who bear witness to divine order through excellence, humility, and holy imagination.
Graduation Requirements
To complete the Master of Sacred Fine Arts (MSFA), the artist must fulfill both creative and spiritual mastery standards before the House and Klesia–Atlas Faculty Board.
Creative Works Canon
Completion of 35 original works of art in thematic or stylistic series (across mediums).
One major sculpture demonstrating anatomical, compositional, and theological mastery.
One book of creative fiction, minimum 40,000 words, grounded in theological symbolism.
One major thematic album minimum 20 tracks of any genre
One complete volume of poetry, at least 40 poems or equivalent cycles.
One book of artistic writing or sacred essays, demonstrating integration of theology and aesthetics.
Public Exhibition & Defense
Two public shows hosted in approved venues (House, Chapel, or Klesia Gallery):
The House Exhibition — internal presentation and disputation before faculty and peers.
The Canon Exhibition — formal consecration event; open to the public, documented for Atlas Canon archives.
Oral Defense of artistic theology: a 90-minute viva before the MSFA council, articulating the biblical, symbolic, and aesthetic logic of one’s corpus.
Spiritual and Academic Requirements
Scripture recitation at the beginning of every studio term.
Daily Imago Dei practice in studio journal (30 minutes contemplative discipline).
Two service commissions: one within the House and one to the broader Christian community (artwork for church, mission, or humanitarian space).
Written artist’s creed (1,500 words minimum): a covenant statement defining art as a personal act of worship.
Admissions
Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent portfolio mastery).
Statement of Purpose: “How do you define beauty in the light of God’s glory?” (750–1,000 words).
Portfolio: 10–15 works (visual, written, or mixed media).
Two letters of recommendation: artistic mentor and spiritual/character reference.
Interview & micro-disputation: defense of a single submitted work.
Tuition: $4,995 per semester.
Full and partial scholarships available through the Klesia Fellowship Fund.