Instructor

Maria Eugenia Fee, PhD

Email

mfee@theseattleschool.edu
Maria Eugenia Fee is an artist, theologian, and educator. Her art explores ideas of fragmentation, metizaje (cultural mixing), alienation, and hospitality. These notions also drive her theological explorations best expressed in Beauty Is a Basic Service: Theology and Hospitality in the Work of Theaster Gates, Fortress Press. She is a regular contributor to The Christian Century Magazine’s On Art section. As a seminary professor, Dr. Fee applies art-based methodologies to theology courses. She holds an MFA in painting, MA in theological studies, and a PhD in theology and culture.

Art-Based Leadership Development for Leaders

Strengthen the way you notice, interpret, and respond through creative practice.

Online

Start Date: March 2, 2027

End Datee: March 23, 2027

Time: 12:30PM-3PM (PT)

All Levels

Day of Week: Tuesday

Capacity: 16 Seats

Topic: Leadership Development

4 Sessions

Early Bird Member Price: $306.99

Early Bird Non-Member Price: $341.10

Number of CEUs Available: 10

Online
All Levels

4 Sessions

Topic: Leadership Development

Start Date: March 2, 2027

End Date: March 23, 2027

Time: 12:30PM-3PM (PT)

Day of Week: Tuesday

Capacity: 16 Seats

Early Bird Member Price: $306.99

Early Bird Non-Member Price: $341.10

Number of CEUs Available: 10

Art-Based Leadership Development for Leaders

Strengthen the way you notice, interpret, and respond through creative practice.

Leadership often asks you to make sense of situations that do not have one obvious answer.

You are reading people, interpreting what is happening around you, weighing competing perspectives, and trying to respond wisely when the path forward is not clear.

Artists work in that kind of space all the time.

Art-Based Leadership Development is a four-week workshop series that uses creative practice, critical reflection, and collaborative learning to help church and ministry leaders expand the way they pay attention, solve problems, engage different perspectives, and make meaning.

What Can Artistic Practice Teach Us About Leadership?

Artists learn to notice what others may overlook.

They experiment. They work with ambiguity. They respond to what emerges rather than relying only on a predetermined plan. They consider multiple interpretations and make meaning from what they encounter.

Those are leadership capacities too.

This course uses arts-based exercises not simply for creativity’s sake, but as a way to practice ways of seeing, thinking, and responding that can transfer into pastoral relationships, worship, organizational life, and community leadership.

No artistic background is required.

What You Will Explore

Attentiveness

Practice slowing down and noticing more carefully.

Consider how greater attention can change the way you read a room, understand a relationship, interpret a situation, or respond to what is happening in your community.

Creative Problem-Solving

Leadership problems rarely arrive with one correct solution.

Use creative exercises to practice experimentation, flexibility, and approaching challenges from more than one direction.

Multiple Perspectives

Art often invites more than one interpretation.

Explore how engaging different viewpoints can expand understanding, challenge assumptions, and strengthen decision-making.

Meaning-Making

Consider how creative practice can help individuals and communities make sense of belief, experience, change, and shared life.

Collaboration

Work alongside other leaders in creative and reflective exercises that build curiosity, communication, and collaborative learning.

From Art Practice to Leadership Practice

The goal of these workshops is not simply to make art.

After each creative experience, you will reflect on what happened and consider how it connects with the way you lead.

What happens when you do not know what the finished product should look like?

How do you respond when someone sees something differently than you do?

What do you notice when you slow down instead of moving immediately toward a solution?

Through this process of transference, the creative experience becomes a way to examine and broaden leadership practice.

This Course Is for You If…

You are facing leadership challenges that do not have straightforward answers.

You want to become more attentive to people, context, and what may be happening beneath the surface.

You tend to default to familiar solutions and want to expand the way you approach problems.

You are leading people with different perspectives and want to strengthen your ability to hold more than one point of view.

You want a leadership development experience that is experiential rather than primarily lecture-based.

Or you are curious about how creativity can deepen pastoral, organizational, or communal leadership.

No previous art experience is necessary.

What You Can Take Back Into Your Leadership

By the end of the workshop series, you will have practiced:

  • Greater attentiveness and observation
  • Creative approaches to problem-solving
  • Increased comfort with ambiguity
  • Engaging multiple perspectives
  • Collaborative learning
  • Meaning-making through creative practice
  • Reflecting on your own leadership patterns
  • Transferring insights from artistic experience into real leadership situations

Leadership Requires More Than Having the Right Answer

Sometimes the most important leadership skill is not knowing more.

It is seeing more.

Art-Based Leadership Development invites you to step outside familiar patterns, engage problems from new angles, and practice the kinds of attention and imagination that can help you lead more responsively.

Please note: Participants will need basic art supplies available for each session.

Enroll in the Class

Instructor

Maria Eugenia Fee, PhD

Email

mfee@theseattleschool.edu
Maria Eugenia Fee is an artist, theologian, and educator. Her art explores ideas of fragmentation, metizaje (cultural mixing), alienation, and hospitality. These notions also drive her theological explorations best expressed in Beauty Is a Basic Service: Theology and Hospitality in the Work of Theaster Gates, Fortress Press. She is a regular contributor to The Christian Century Magazine’s On Art section. As a seminary professor, Dr. Fee applies art-based methodologies to theology courses. She holds an MFA in painting, MA in theological studies, and a PhD in theology and culture.

FAQS ↓

Find all FAQs here.

Why should I become a member?

Members get to register for classes early – a full week before they open to the general public! Plus, members receive a 10% discount on all events and classes and access to value-add content in their inboxes throughout the year. To become a member, you can sign up here, or purchase a membership when you buy your class.

What kind of help in payment is available?

We offer discounts of up to 50% to clergy, staff, and lay ministry leaders of our official partners, which includes the Olympia Presbytery, the Northwest Coast Presbytery, and the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia. Partnerships have no financial cost, and are available with (a) regional or national denominations), (b) multi-site churches, or ( c) large nonprofit organizations. If you would like to encourage your organization to become a partner, please email your regional leader to let them know! You can even introduce them to us by cc’ing transforming@theseattleschool.edu, and we’ll put them in touch with the right person for next steps.

Early bird discounts are available during the first week of registration.

Becoming a member costs offers 10% on all classes and events for a full year. Often, just one class is enough to make the membership cost worth it.

If you pastor with a denomination, you may have resources for professional development. Check with your regional supervisor for more information on funds available.

What are the community guidelines?

Please see the full community guidelines on this page. If an instance of community guidelines are violated and cannot be resolved within the class, participants may let us know by emailing us transforming@theseattleschool.edu and we will direct you to The Seattle School’s incident report form.

What happens if my class is cancelled?

If the Center cancels an offering for any reason, all participants will receive a full refund of registration fees.

If a program is rescheduled, participants may choose to transfer their registration to the new date or receive a full refund.

How do I request a refund?

Refunds are available according to the following schedule:

  • 60+ days before the program start date: 75% refund
  • 30–59 days before the program start date: 50% refund
  • Less than 30 days before the program start date: no refund

If you need to cancel your registration, please email transforming@theseattleschool.edu and include your name and the course title.

If the Center cancels a program, all participants will receive a full refund of registration fees. If a program is rescheduled, participants may choose to transfer their registration to the new date or receive a full refund.

How do I contact technical support?

Technology should not be the hardest part of your learning experience. If you encounter errors in the catalog, problems with payment, or difficulty accessing course materials, please let us know. You can find the technical support form here. We try to respond within 48 hours (business days only).

Full attendance and participation during all sessions are expected to complete the program.
Terms / Conditions. By registering for a Resilience or Leaders Circle, you agree to the following (scroll down and click agree)
Please consider the schedule closely to ensure you will be able to participate in the virtual meetings, and block off your calendar to ensure your attendance. Should you have an emergency (illness, situations out of your control) that will impact your participation please email transforming@theseattleschool.edu
Time commitment:
Two hours one day per month for 8 months, dates to be determined by majority of registrants' availability and adjusted as needed during the first group meeting.
Your feedback is immensely valuable!
As an essential component of your participation in this program, we ask that you provide us with your honest, candid, and timely feedback in program surveys and conversations, and consider providing reviews or testimonials of the program for promotional use.
Code of Conduct:
The Center for Transforming Engagement strives for intentionality in the ways we relate to one another - how we as a team relate to each other, how we relate to participants, and how we hope participants will relate to us and one another. To that end, we hold cultural norms about the ways we interact with one another. Your participation in this program is contingent on your agreement to abide by these cultural norms. i. For growth to happen, we all need to be able to share about the deeper challenges we face. To provide that atmosphere of openness and support, you commit to not sharing personal information that is shared in program meetings. ii. In our interactions with each other and our communities, we practice the humility of not-knowing that is required to listen and discover. iii. Be aware of different cultural and characterological ways of communicating, and invite others’ voices. Respect theological differences: the river of Christian orthodoxy is wide, and while the streams of that river are distinct, they are not inherently better or worse. Even if you can’t respect the belief, treat the person with respect. iiii. We value both thoughts and feelings as valuable pieces of information that inform one another, and inform our learning and discerning together. iv. Be in the here and now (not mentally somewhere or some time else), with the people who are sharing their time and stories with you. Eliminate any distractions possible.
Fair Use Policy
All program content, recordings, and materials are the intellectual property of The Seattle School and may not be presented, distributed, or replicated. The Seattle School retains the copyright for all recorded content. Some print materials (PDFs, worksheets, journal prompts, etc.) will be licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike. Those materials will be available for download on our website, and may be used as long as the following conditions are met: (1) attribute to the Center for Transforming Engagement even if remixed/modified; (2) do not use for commercial (paid) purposes; and (3) anything you make that remixes or builds upon this material, you must also distribute under Creative Commons. More information on this license is available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Agree and Close
(scroll down and click agree) Full attendance and participation during all sessions are expected to complete the program. Please consider the schedule closely to ensure you will be able to participate in the virtual meetings, and block off your calendar to ensure your attendance. Should you have an emergency (illness, situations out of your control) that will impact your participation please email transforming@theseattleschool.edu Time commitment: Two hours one day per month for 8 months, dates to be determined by majority of registrants' availability and adjusted as needed during the first group meeting. Your feedback is immensely valuable! As an essential component of your participation in this program, we ask that you provide us with your honest, candid, and timely feedback in program surveys and conversations, and consider providing reviews or testimonials of the program for promotional use. 2. Code of Conduct The Center for Transforming Engagement strives for intentionality in the ways we relate to one another - how we as a team relate to each other, how we relate to participants, and how we hope participants will relate to us and one another. To that end, we hold cultural norms about the ways we interact with one another. Your participation in this program is contingent on your agreement to abide by these cultural norms. Confidentiality. For growth to happen, we all need to be able to share about the deeper challenges we face. To provide that atmosphere of openness and support, you commit to not sharing personal information that is shared in program meetings. Curiosity. In our interactions with each other and our communities, we practice the humility of not-knowing that is required to listen and discover. Respect differences. Be aware of different cultural and characterological ways of communicating, and invite others’ voices. Respect theological differences: the river of Christian orthodoxy is wide, and while the streams of that river are distinct, they are not inherently better or worse. Even if you can’t respect the belief, treat the person with respect. You are invited to be a whole person, with both thoughts and feelings. We value both thoughts and feelings as valuable pieces of information that inform one another, and inform our learning and discerning together. Presence. Be in the here and now (not mentally somewhere or some time else), with the people who are sharing their time and stories with you. Eliminate any distractions possible. 3. Fair Use Policy All program content, recordings, and materials are the intellectual property of The Seattle School and may not be presented, distributed, or replicated. The Seattle School retains the copyright for all recorded content. Some print materials (PDFs, worksheets, journal prompts, etc.) will be licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike. Those materials will be available for download on our website, and may be used as long as the following conditions are met: (1) attribute to the Center for Transforming Engagement even if remixed/modified; (2) do not use for commercial (paid) purposes; and (3) anything you make that remixes or builds upon this material, you must also distribute under Creative Commons. More information on this license is available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Agree and Close
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Lina Thompson is the lead Pastor at Lake Burien Presbyterian Church. Her primary vocation and call is the formation of leaders who love and serve their city and seek its peace.
Lina Thompson is the lead Pastor at Lake Burien Presbyterian Church. Her primary vocation and call is the formation of leaders who love and serve their city and seek its peace.
Silas Sham is the Lead Pastor of Bethany Community Church Northeast in Seattle and holds a Doctor of Ministry in Semiotics, Church, and Culture from Portland Seminary. His research explores how food can form and reflect theological imagination. He created Theology on a Plate, a gamified discipleship experience that brings people around the table to taste, tell, and practice the story of God. His work has been published through the Society of Biblical Literature and in various theological and ministry journals, and he believes the best theology is lived, savored, and shared in community to nourish all of creation.
Silas Sham is the Lead Pastor of Bethany Community Church Northeast in Seattle and holds a Doctor of Ministry in Semiotics, Church, and Culture from Portland Seminary. His research explores how food can form and reflect theological imagination. He created Theology on a Plate, a gamified discipleship experience that brings people around the table to taste, tell, and practice the story of God. His work has been published through the Society of Biblical Literature and in various theological and ministry journals, and he believes the best theology is lived, savored, and shared in community to nourish all of creation.
Rev. Danielle Merseles is the current Associate Pastor of Youth and Young Adults at Bethany Presbyterian Church, Seattle. After an unexpected yes to volunteering in youth ministry back in 2011, Danielle eventually enrolled in seminary at Seattle Pacific, did a unit of chaplaincy at Harborview, and became ordained in the PC(USA). She loves regularly teaching and learning from people younger than her and has been called to Bethany for nearly 10 years now. She is a New Jersey native, Tulane University School of Architecture graduate, hobby potter, loves being auntie/godmother to her friends small people, and has called Seattle home since 2007.
Rev. Danielle Merseles is the current Associate Pastor of Youth and Young Adults at Bethany Presbyterian Church, Seattle. After an unexpected yes to volunteering in youth ministry back in 2011, Danielle eventually enrolled in seminary at Seattle Pacific, did a unit of chaplaincy at Harborview, and became ordained in the PC(USA). She loves regularly teaching and learning from people younger than her and has been called to Bethany for nearly 10 years now. She is a New Jersey native, Tulane University School of Architecture graduate, hobby potter, loves being auntie/godmother to her friends small people, and has called Seattle home since 2007.
Jessica became disabled as a young adult and has worked for accessibility and inclusion specifically in third places for over 20 years. Coming to the Episcopal Church after experiencing religious trauma from “faith healing,” Jessica feels called to break down barriers, both physical as well as spiritual by addressing the harmful theologies and behaviors that have shown disabled people that “we are not welcome as the Beloved People God created us to be.” She is blogger, speaker, and consultant for Bridge Disability Ministries.
Jessica became disabled as a young adult and has worked for accessibility and inclusion specifically in third places for over 20 years. Coming to the Episcopal Church after experiencing religious trauma from “faith healing,” Jessica feels called to break down barriers, both physical as well as spiritual by addressing the harmful theologies and behaviors that have shown disabled people that “we are not welcome as the Beloved People God created us to be.” She is blogger, speaker, and consultant for Bridge Disability Ministries.
The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade is the Associate Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary in Lexington, Kentucky, and served as the President of the Academy of Homiletics in 2024. An ordained Lutheran minister (ELCA) for nearly twenty-five years, Leah earned both her MDiv and PhD degrees from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (now United Lutheran Seminary). She has pastored congregations in suburban, urban, and rural contexts. She is the author of seven books, including Preaching and Social Issues: Tools and Tactics for Empowering Your Prophetic Voice (Rowman & Littlefield, 2025), and Preaching in the Purple Zone: Ministry in the Red-Blue Divide (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019).
The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade is the Associate Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary in Lexington, Kentucky, and served as the President of the Academy of Homiletics in 2024. An ordained Lutheran minister (ELCA) for nearly twenty-five years, Leah earned both her MDiv and PhD degrees from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (now United Lutheran Seminary). She has pastored congregations in suburban, urban, and rural contexts. She is the author of seven books, including Preaching and Social Issues: Tools and Tactics for Empowering Your Prophetic Voice (Rowman & Littlefield, 2025), and Preaching in the Purple Zone: Ministry in the Red-Blue Divide (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019).
The Rev. Natalie "Nat" Johnson serves as Priest in Charge at St Peter's, a diverse and multi-ethnic Episcopal parish in Seattle WA. Over the last five years, Rev. Nat has served on the Diocese of Olympia's Commission on Ministry, walking with individuals sensing a call to ordained ministry. They also currently serve as Affiliated Faculty at Church Divinity School of the Pacific where they teach Liturgical Theology to seminarians preparing for the priesthood in the Episcopal Church.
The Rev. Natalie "Nat" Johnson serves as Priest in Charge at St Peter's, a diverse and multi-ethnic Episcopal parish in Seattle WA. Over the last five years, Rev. Nat has served on the Diocese of Olympia's Commission on Ministry, walking with individuals sensing a call to ordained ministry. They also currently serve as Affiliated Faculty at Church Divinity School of the Pacific where they teach Liturgical Theology to seminarians preparing for the priesthood in the Episcopal Church.
Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow is a 3rd Generation Filipino/Chinese American and an active speaker, writer, and coachsultant. His writing, teaching, and speaking have taken him to Australia, The Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, Canada, and across the United States as he addresses topics of faith, leadership, activism, culture, race, and technology. Author of six books, most recently, In Defense of Kindness: Why It Matters, How It Changes Our Lives, and How It Can Save the World (Chalice Press, 2021) Everything Good about God is True: Choosing Faith (Broadleaf Books, 2024). Bruce also has a broad online video and audio presence but writes and podcasts through his Newsletter & Podcast, The Amalgamation. Bruce has been an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) since 1995 and has pastored seven congregations throughout California. In 2008, he was elected Moderator of the Presbyterian Church USA, the youngest and first Asian American to hold the denomination’s highest elected office. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, works with Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center to lead delegations to Palestine, is a Senior Consultant and Coach with Convergence, is a Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengths Coach, and is the Church Relations and Development Officer at Zephyr Point Conference Center. Bruce and his wife, Robin, have three adult children, two senior pups, too many houseplants, and a thriving empty-nester life in San Jose, CA.
Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow is a 3rd Generation Filipino/Chinese American and an active speaker, writer, and coachsultant. His writing, teaching, and speaking have taken him to Australia, The Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, Canada, and across the United States as he addresses topics of faith, leadership, activism, culture, race, and technology. Author of six books, most recently, In Defense of Kindness: Why It Matters, How It Changes Our Lives, and How It Can Save the World (Chalice Press, 2021) Everything Good about God is True: Choosing Faith (Broadleaf Books, 2024). Bruce also has a broad online video and audio presence but writes and podcasts through his Newsletter & Podcast, The Amalgamation. Bruce has been an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) since 1995 and has pastored seven congregations throughout California. In 2008, he was elected Moderator of the Presbyterian Church USA, the youngest and first Asian American to hold the denomination’s highest elected office. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, works with Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center to lead delegations to Palestine, is a Senior Consultant and Coach with Convergence, is a Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengths Coach, and is the Church Relations and Development Officer at Zephyr Point Conference Center. Bruce and his wife, Robin, have three adult children, two senior pups, too many houseplants, and a thriving empty-nester life in San Jose, CA.
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