Art as Witness is an essential guide for all those who want to use the arts in their creative and catalytic work for social justice. Boursier provides both compelling case studies and incisive theological rationales of why this work is essential, as well as detailed and rigorous accounts of how to actually do this work in ways that are empowering and ethically responsible. I see it as an essential required text for graduate and undergraduate students - part of research methods courses, as well as classes on all theologies of liberation. Boursier’s combination of vision and practical instruction is unique, and greatly needed as we learn to use all of the arts, literary, visual, fabric, theater, filmmaking and new digital media to foster empathetic truth telling that brings the voices of the marginalized and silenced into public view, and empowers people to work together for expansive and transformative social justice.

Sharon D. Welch, Author of After the Protests Are Heard: Enacting Civic Engagement and Social Transformation

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now.” Now Boursier comes with love, time, and care to help this vulnerable population of immigrants. She brings theological and spiritual depth in this labor of love. She shares a practical guide that others may easily follow.

Martha Ann Kirk, Professor Emerita, University of the Incarnate Word

Boursier’s pastoral care with migrants at the US-Mexico border intersects with her background as a theologian / artist in this innovative arts-based research primer. Art as Witness also includes diverse examples from contributing theologian-artists who engage the arts with urgent social concerns, including racial justice, gender equity, political resistance, and more.

Jacqui Lewis, senior minister of Middle Collegiate Church, New York City; author of Fierce Love: A Bold Path to a Better Life and a Better World (2021)

Boursier’s volume offers an innovative integration of arts-based research, trauma theory, practical theology, spiritual care, and art as it illuminates and uplifts the suffering of Central American women and children asylum seekers in Texas’ detention centers. Boursier inspires and facilitates our continued scholarly and activist engagement with these issues.

Yudit Kornberg Greenberg, George D. and Harriet W. Cornell Endowed Chair of Religion, Rollins College

Witness is often thought of as verbal testimony. This book shows powerfully, with multiple illustrations, how the arts resonate widely and cross barriers that words cannot, providing a powerful means for making theological and religious insights publicly accessible.

Kirsteen Kim, Fuller Theological Seminary

Helen Boursier brings years of experience in the arts together with robust theological research to demonstrate their substantive and vital connection for academic study and public witness. In doing so, she advocates for an ethical and courageous public witness that gives voice to the marginalized.

Eric Black, past resident fellow, B.H. Carroll Theological Institute