Kim MacQueen, Author

Kim MacQueen is a captivating author whose narratives weave together rich characters and thought-provoking themes, inviting readers to explore the nuances of the human experience. With a unique voice that blends lyrical prose with a deep understanding of emotional landscapes, her works resonate with authenticity and imagination.

Drawing inspiration from her own life experiences and the world around her, Kim crafts stories that challenge perceptions and ignite curiosity, making her a distinctive voice in contemporary literature. Through her writing, she embraces the power of storytelling to connect, inspire, and provoke meaningful conversations among her readers.

Visions of the Sacred: Conversations with Bahá’í Artists began as a doctoral dissertation. A variety of experience had led me to understand that the arts are not only integral to our appreciation of beauty, or to confront us with the challenges of the world, or to delight us, or to make us laugh, or to be invited into wonder… and more.

The arts can encourage our capacity to sense what spirituality means. The dissertation allowed me to interview 12 accomplished, seasoned artists who could speak to that process, and to describe themes that emerged in our conversations.

“I am deeply thankful to Sasha Rogers, Sky Glabush, Shadi Toloui-Wallace, Otto Don Rogers, Carol Evans, Hooper Dunbar, Siamak Hariri, Shaughnessy Johnson, Paula Murray, Pancho Amenábar, Lisa Puzon, and Roger Bansemer.

All of them are specially skilled in their field, and each is eloquent about their work which includes different styes of visual art, music, architecture, pottery, and sculpture.

I’m ever grateful to the Association for Bahá’í Studies for inviting me to shift the research from a dissertation format into a book that might be interesting to others. Information about that book can be found towards the end of this page.”

About The Baha’i Faith

The Bahá’í Faith is a religion founded in 19th-century Iran that teaches the oneness of humanity, the oneness of all religions, and the oneworld order for a peaceful global society. It was established by Baháʼu’lláh and emphasizes spiritual principles like the equality of women and men, the elimination of prejudice, and the harmony of science and religion. Baháʼís strive to build diverse communities, practice spiritual laws such as prayer and fasting, and engage in community service and dialogue to promote unity.

The Principles

But first, I’d like to share two short videos that include all the artists…

If you are intrigued by these short videos, I invite you to explore the edited videos of each artist’s interview. They can be found on the Association for Bahá’í Studies Website.

If you are interested in the book, it is available from three sources:

“I was honored to give this presentation at the 2024 ABS conference.”

With much gratitude to the artists, the editors of ABS, the project videographer (Julian MacQueen), video editor (Aaron Ball) and web developer (Sean Foster). And particular thanks to the best of supporters, Dr. John S. Hatcher, who wrote of the book:

“For me, one useful notion is to view the artists among us as kinesthetic receptors for society, indicating how we are doing, how we got here, and, most important of all, where we are likely to end up. This is the beauty of Kim MacQueen’s attentive and enlightening exploration into the work and methods of twelve Bahá’í artists. She allows us to examine how a shared spiritual inspiration can be translated into varied artistic forms and imaginative modes. In this study, she demonstrates that the creative impulse, even if drawing on the same essential source—the coherent framework of reality that the Bahá’í Faith provides—produces an array of artistic responses, like the array of colors that emanate from a prism by a single beam of light.”

Kim MacQueen

If you would like to learn more about the book, or have any questions please contact us by filling out the required information below. We hope to hear from you.