Culture Care

"Mako has a lot of wise things to say about beauty in this book . . . one point is worth emphasizing: Beauty refreshes. Beauty alters. Beauty is a revolution in outlook. That makes beauty both a potent balm and a potent provocation, especially in times like these." —from the foreword by David Brooks, New York Times columnist and author of How to Know a Person

Outreach Magazine Resource of the Year

Christianity Today Book Awards—Award of Merit



Cultivate Practices That Care for the Soul of Our Culture

"Culture is not a territory to be won or lost but a resource we are called to steward with care. Culture is a garden to be cultivated."

We live in an era of cultural war and combativeness. But we all have a responsibility to care for culture, to nurture it in ways that help people thrive. In this second edition of Culture Care, internationally recognized artist Makoto Fujimura issues a call to cultural stewardship in which we become generative and feed our culture's soul with beauty, creativity, and generosity, serving others as cultural custodians of the future.

This is a book for anyone with a calling to create—from visual artists, musicians, writers, and actors to entrepreneurs, pastors, and business professionals—who wants to reach across boundaries with understanding, reconciliation, and healing. As creative catalysts, we can contribute to the shared culture that affects human thriving today and shapes the generations to come.

What's New in the Second Edition



- Carries forth the call to steward and restore culture so that people and communities may thrive

- A new introduction and additional content addressing the significance of culture care in an era of culture wars

- New material on generative thinking and culture care as public theology

- Enhanced with 15% more new content including real life stories and fresh insights to help deepen your understanding



This book also includes a study guide for individual reflection or group discussion. Culture care is about shaping culture by fostering beauty, cultivating understanding, and offering hope. If you want to learn how to engage with culture in a more meaningful way, read Culture Care and discover how to become a hopeful, generative contributor to the world around you. Culture Care is your invitation into a vision of cultural engagement rooted in beauty, restoration, and spiritual depth.



Makoto Fujimura is an internationally recognized contemporary artist whose work appears in major museums and galleries around the world. He is also an award-winning author of five books, including Art Is, Art and Faith, Beauty and Justice, and Silence and Beauty. He is the founder of IAMCultureCare and the Fujimura Institute. Fujimura served on the National Council on the Arts as a presidential appointee and he is a celebrated speaker and advocate for the arts.

Foreword [forthcoming]


Preface


1. On Becoming Generative


2. Culture Care Defined


3. Black River, Cracked Lands


4. From Culture Wars to a Common Life


5. Soul Care


6. Beauty as Food for the Soul


7. Leadership from the Margins


8. "Tell 'em About the Dream!"


9. Two Lives at the Margins


10. Our Calling in the Starry Night


11. Opening the Gates


12. Cultivating Cultural Soil


13. Cultural Estuaries


14. Custodians of Culture Care


15. Business Care


16. Practical Advice for Artists


17. Tilling Our Cultural Soil in the Age of Anxiety


18. New Vocabularies, New Stories


19. What If?


A Gratuitous Postscript


A Pastoral Afterword by Mark Labberton


Acknowledgments


Discussion Guide


Notes

"Mako has a lot of wise things to say about beauty in this book, and I won't spoil it for you. But one point is worth emphasizing: Beauty refreshes. Beauty alters. Beauty is a revolution in outlook. That makes beauty both a potent balm and a potent provocation, especially in times like these."



"Culture Care is an essential read for any Christian making art. This beautiful book is a reminder of ancient wisdom while also unpacking contemporary truths about how and why art matters. Makoto Fujimura has given us a resource and inspiration that deserves a place on every studio bookshelf."



"Makoto Fujimura's Culture Care has powerfully transformed the way I think, live, and lead. It has taught me to choose an abundant mindset over scarcity and to trust that beauty and faithfulness multiplies when cultivated with generosity and care. As we enter an era saturated with AI, Culture Care remains not only relevant but urgently needed to generate human flourishing!"



"'When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, "Why do you question in your hearts?"' (Luke 5:22 ESV) Christ answers the dissonance between our hearts and minds to not only correct our thinking but to redeem us from paralysis to wholeness. This is the gospel lived out. Makoto Fujimura's call to culture care is a much-needed embodiment of the gospel and has been a catalyst in my journey as a businessman and philanthropist. He has encouraged me to see and live out a life where creative, social, and material capital can work together to resolve the questions in our hearts. May his writings encourage you in the same way."



"Makoto Fujimura possesses a rare discernment, attuned to the subtleties and quiet shifts of our cultural landscape. His philosophy of generative creativity invites us to abandon a rigid, results-driven mindset in favor of the freedom found in play. By embracing the imago Dei, we recognize that our creative acts are a direct response to the Creator—a way to actively shape our communities, neighborhoods, and social circles. This is a beautiful call to lead with generosity in every creative endeavor."



"In a world as polarized and divided as ours, Culture Care is needed now more than ever. Makoto Fujimura weaves together faith, art, and lived experience as he beautifully honors his wife and others who embodied generative living. Rather than surrendering to culture wars, Makoto invites us into a different posture, one rooted in the gospel and love. Culture Care is a courageous and hopeful call to action, offering a countercultural framework that reorients our hearts toward God and invites us to see stewardship as a faithful presence that nurtures healing, beauty, and human flourishing." weniger anzeigen expand_less