The 2011 Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA) biennial conference in conjuction with the Biola Art Department explored the ways in which technologies enhance and challenge our understanding of art and belief. This exploration was framed by an examination of how matter and materiality shape our understanding of both art and faith. Following an arc built around the major acts of the biblical narrative, the keynote sessions explored three major themes:

• Why Matter Matters: Technology and the Created Order
• The Problem of Matter: Technology and the History of Art-Making
• The Future of Matter: Technology, Art-Making and Hope

Speakers included iconographer Father Patrick Doolan, poet Malcolm Guite, contemporary sculptor Lynn Aldrich, Cal State Long Beach art history professor Karen Kleinfelder, artist Bruce Herman, environmental designer John Chan and Los-Angeles based muralist Kent Twitchell.