Russ Wills, MFA

Russ Wills is a professor of Biblical Studies at Pillar College, and a successful artist working primarily in fused glass and photography. He has been teaching courses in Bible and theology, plus classes in innovative thinking, photography, and other arts at Pillar College since 2005.

Professor Wills has been working in fine art for more than fifteen years, and his pieces have been exhibited in galleries and events across the United States. His work is heavily influenced by Abstract Expressionism and uses the formal elements of his abstraction to suggest hope, restoration, renewal, and mental and spiritual stimulation. He is on the board of trustees for Faith Center for the Arts and co-founded Gravity Art Initiatives, a nonprofit focused on city redevelopment through the arts. Russ has written two self-published books: “Photography Basics” (2014) and “The Art of Shalom” (2012), and has begun work on a third; all explore the relationship between the arts and spirituality.

Professor Wills completed his Master of Fine Arts degree at Academy of Art University in 2015, and earned a Master of Divinity from Drew Theological School in 2005. The M.Div. also informs the spiritual concepts underlying Wills’ fine art. Russ also spent two decades as a songwriter and musician before transitioning to fine art, and his work earned top honors in a Billboard Songwriting contest.

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