Joseph Anderson brings to the Center for Sacred Art a heritage steeped in religion and spirituality, a passion for the arts, and a lifelong fascination with the world’s sacred traditions. As a co-founder of the Center, he has worked tirelessly to establish its vision and scope while designing and leading many programs in sacred chant. We are grateful that he continues to contribute leadership and support for the needs of the Center for Sacred Art in a variety of ways.
His current focus is the creation of music, poetry, and photography in service of a vision he holds dear: the harmonious weaving together of human and non-human consciousness — plant, animal, elemental, and celestial. You can find more about his latest projects on his website. Joseph's creative life draws together many threads: deep roots in Christianity, an active Buddhist practice, ongoing work with shamanic traditions, an abiding love of literature, a wide-ranging fascination with music across times and cultures, and a restless curiosity about — in his own words — "what is mine to do now."
For many years, Joseph taught and led Gregorian chant at Center for Sacred Art retreats, workshops, and classes. His programs ranged from music-focused presentations — exploring Buddhist-Christian chanting, the Music of the Spheres, and music in Dante's Divine Comedy — to interactive chant components woven into CSA's visual art programs on Russian Icons, Books of Hours, Thomas Merton, and Hildegard of Bingen. The twice-annual immersive residential Gregorian chant retreats he led for over a decade remain fondly remembered by all who were fortunate enough to take part in that extraordinary sacred chant experience.