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LEADERSHIP
The Center for Creativity and Christian Witness works to integrate scholarship, creativity, and faith.
Meet the people who make this happen.
Matthew Niermann Ph.D., AIA
Associate Dean and Professor - CBU
Director of Global Research - Lausanne Movement
Dr. Matthew Niermann serves as Professor of Architecture and Associate Dean of the College of Architecture, Visual Arts & Design at California Baptist University. His work is dedicated to cultivating the plausibility of Christ by advancing the role of aesthetics.
Niermann serves as a director of the Lausanne Movement and editor of the State of the Great Commission Report prepared for the 4th Global Congress in Seoul, Korea in 2024.
In addition, Niermann provides leadership at the intersection of arts and missions with his role as Director of the Center for Creativity and Christian Missions, and Fellowship of Faithful Creatives. He is the author of The Humble Creative: Moral Vice and the Pursuit of Flourishing Creativity.
Niermann holds a Ph.D. in Architectural Design from the University of Michigan, M.A. Apologetics from BIOLA, M.A. Theology and Th.M. of Missiology from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Dirk Dallas M.F.A
Dean of CAVAD - CBU
​Dirk Dallas serves as Dean of the College of Architecture, Visual Arts & Design at California Baptist University, one of the largest Christian Art & Design Colleges in America. His work focuses on the integration of faith and creativity, fostering a culture where artists and designers can pursue truth, goodness and beauty while engaging meaningfully with the world.
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Dallas is an accomplished designer, photographer, and educator, he helps lead the Fellowship of Faithful Creatives, and is a co-founder of Mere Creativity, an initiative dedicated to re-enchanting & cultivating creative purpose in the next generation of makers in art, design, faith & culture.
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He holds an M.F.A. in Graphic Design and Visual Experience from the Savannah College of Art and Design, has exhibited his work internationally, and is the author of Eyes Over the World, published by Rizzoli New York.
Center Fellows
Fellows at the Center for Creativity and Christian Witness
