Who We Are

We are artists and artisans; seers and diviners; priests; hermits; devout; spirit-led. We are the inheritors of a tradition more ancient than history, a tradition as old as ritual itself.

Our work is made in devotion, in ecstasy, in the long hours of quiet contemplation. It is made in respect for material, and in reverence for that which—or Whom—it depicts. And it is fit for ritual space.

I have only three prerequisites. Do you make art? Do you have gods? Do you wish to deepen your practice? These are the legs of our stool that everything else will be built on.

— Art and Numen

The Story

Numen Arts was founded in response to a problem facing modern polytheist artists. For those of us looking to deepen our practice, explore gnosis, and find community, there was nothing. We might turn to our co-religionists, but the idea of art being a religious specialization, complete with its own trials and mysteries can seem incomprehensible to the lay practitioner. We could turn to secular communities of artists, but there the concept of art guided by devotion to gods, adherence to cosmology, or the madness of spirits is often met with silence.Truly, this is a fortunate problem to have. That our religions have come so far over the decades to even begin asking this question, and that our communities are now able to sustain artists, is no small thing. But it is time to take the next step. We hunger to situate ourselves in right relationship and reciprocity, and we are driven to do sacred work. Numen Arts is intended to help guide us on those paths by providing resources and fellowship.

What is Polytheism?

Polytheism is here defined as a belief in the existence of multiple, real, divine agencies which we call gods. Despite our differing theological backgrounds, we all acknowledge this as a foundational element of our practices and worldviews.

Our Artists

The primary focus of the website is our artists, who meet a few basic criteria as part of a vetting process. Those listed work in a wide variety of media, and their works fulfill a wide variety of functions for the religious practitioner. Here artists might find others to network with, and art appreciators can find artists to commission or buy from.

The Benefits

Every artist in the collective gets access to the following:

• A dedicated profile page in the directory, with image gallery and promotional links, that remains active for as long as the artist is.
• Opportunities to write blog posts on related subjects, as well as give notice of shows, workshops, projects, and releases of interest to the community. These are posted to the site and shared with our blog readers.
• Features on our Instagram feed.
• A flat, steeply discounted rate for graphic and photo retouching services for members’ portfolio websites or online stores.
• Access to a private Discord server to engage with other members of the collective.

Benefits we hope to provide in the future:

• Inclusion in The Numinous, an annual digital publication featuring a selection of our best work from the previous year. (This is a work in progress.)
• Opportunities to have your work shown and sold at live events under the Numen Arts banner.

If you have other suggestions on what services can be provided, please reach out.

On Inclusion

Numen Arts stands with people of all races, colors, ethnicities, sexualities, genders, abilities, languages, neuro- and bodily configurations, ages, and Gods.

We do not feature artists who promote exclusion, hate, or intolerance towards anyone of any above experience, and if an artist is found to speak hate or use symbols which are associated with hate, they will be removed from our community.