Meet Concordia Nebraska’s Center for Liturgical Art Director Michael Scheer

Michael Scheer ’14 serves Concordia University, Nebraska as the director of the university’s Center for Liturgical Art (CLA). He is also an adjunct professor in the art department. Scheer has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design from the university and is currently pursuing a master of art history degree from The Open University.  

Scheer has worked at Concordia Nebraska since 2015, first working in the university’s marketing office in graphic design and as an art specialist. He began working in the Center for Liturgical Art in 2018 as art and design coordinator and transitioned into the director role in 2023. 

The Center for Liturgical Art was established in 2003 as a result of the vision of former Concordia Nebraska Professor of Art Reinhold Marxhausen, and the focused efforts of emeriti Professor of Art Ken Schmidt and the Lange family to create a program capable of spreading the Gospel through art while allowing students the opportunities to learn about what it means to be an artist in the Church. The CLA is an institute of Concordia Nebraska. The university’s institutes provide outreach, service and educational efforts that align and advance the university’s mission and vision by engaging audiences beyond the campus while serving as a resource to the church at large.  

“The CLA has always had the same base mission which is to improve and enhance liturgical art in churches but how we have done that has changed over time,” said Scheer. “There was a period where a majority of the work was in house with a staff of artists that worked here, but when I became the director we took that as an opportunity to change back to a method of working and an operating model that reflected the mission and original vision of the CLA, which is where our guild system was born.” 

The CLA& Artist Guild is a carefully-curated collection of Christian artists who have been hand-selected to provide quality work while faithfully serving the church.  

“Our artists are proficient in various mediums, including stained glass, mosaic, woodworking, metalworking, fabric, sculpture, ceramic, graphic design and more,” he explained. “All of these artists have a specialization: ceramics, stained glass, metal work, carpentry and& design are all included. When we work with churches and connect them with these talented artists, there are multiple artist options allowing churches to choose between different proposals and select the artist who best reflects what they want for their space. his system allows us to match churches with artists who are specialized in an individual area.”

Scheer said that many may not realize that the CLA serves the church at large providing consultation services for the beautification of worship and study spaces. 

“We listen to what churches need for a project, we provide consultation as needed, then we connect them to the artists that are a best fit for their specific needs. We can help a church create a request for proposal with all specs for their project, then that goes to our guild artists to find the best fit for that project.” 

The CLA& is always seeking artists to add to the Artist Guild. When the CLA consults with a church or other organization to determine their need, the initial consultation is free of charge. Artists submit proposals for projects and are not paid for that work. If the work advances to a more intensive consultation phase or fabrication, there is a fee involved. When a church selects an artist’s proposal, the CLA enters a contract with the church and the artist, serving in a project management capacity. 

In addition to serving the church at large, the CLA is also involved in a variety of projects that benefit the university community, including a donor recognition art installment and a dorm chapel enhancement project, both of which are currently in process. 

“Liturgical art is something that anyone who attends church sees all the time, but they don’t always understand the impact it has on lives and worship.”

Scheer is the CLA’s only full-time staff member, but the center partners with student workers and graduate assistants for various special projects and work. Scheer said his days are filled with conversations with potential clients, conversations with artists, studio management, contact work, consultation tasks and special projects. He also sometimes attends special events and conferences, representing the CLA and networking.  

He said there are many things he loves about his work in the classroom and at the CLA, but one of his favorite things is working with students.  

“Being able to work with the students is number one for me, whether that’s me teaching a class or getting them involved in liturgical art and understanding the importance of that,” he said. “But I also really love the ability to work with churches as they sort through their own needs. Liturgical art is something that anyone who attends church sees all the time, but they don’t always understand the impact it has on lives and worship.” 

He added that he is grateful for the faith focus and Christian community present at Concordia Nebraska. 

“Being able to combine my love for art and theology is a very unique kind of role, and being able to share that and talk about that openly with the campus community is just amazing,” he said. “There are not a lot of places where you find that. I can always talk about how faith intersects with art.” 

He said that Christ-focused conversations are part of his every day work, something he is very thankful for. 

“In every conversation that I have every day about the CLA, it’s always faith first. The art doesn’t matter without that connection to faith,” he said. “That’s& beneficial to me as I am working and also taking time out of my day to go to chapel. Being a part of a workplace like this is really special. You just don’t find that everywhere.” 

Scheer and his wife Sarah (Johnson) Scheer ‘18 met at the CLA. They recently celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary and enjoy traveling and spending time with their dog Vesper. Michael also enjoys watching movies and serves as the adviser for the university’s recently-formed Film Club. He is also a member of the Seward Creative District Advisory Committee, the College Art Association, the Association for Art History, the International Center of Medieval Art, the National Art Education Association and the American Institute of Graphic Artists. He and Sarah attend Immanuel Lutheran Church in Lincoln. 

The Center for Liturgical Art is committed to championing the visual arts in Christian Life and worship, seeking to connect artists with the needs of the Church for the ongoing teaching and building up of the Body of Christ.