Art Within is back!

My name is Houston Coley - I’m the 23-year-old son of Art Within’s original founder: my dad, Bryan Coley. As veteran readers may know, Art Within was founded back in 1995 as a way to authentically blend faith and storytelling through the stage and eventually the screen.

This year, Art Within is coming back! My newly-wed wife Debbie and I, both already documentary filmmakers, are now acting as the Artistic Directors of Art Within as well. And we'd love to have you part of it.

So, let's answer the big question:

How is this new Art Within different?

My dad, Bryan, was passionate about telling thought-provoking fictional stories for stage and screen that challenged people to engage with God. Our passion is similar, but different: we want to capture and engage with stories of God’s presence in the real world, be it through documentaries, essays, podcasts, or otherwise.

The new Art Within aims to create thought-provoking artistic works that engage and highlight the presence of God in our world, making a space for spiritually-homeless people to be re-enchanted by faith.

Simply put, we want to tell stories that organically invite people into a world where "God still does stuff."

How I've been called to this moment…

Since I first started my YouTube channel over 12 years ago, I've been creating spaces in the digital world for people to experience thoughtful art & analysis that allows them to organically talk and think about God in a way that isn't preachy, but natural, relevant, and nuanced. 

Psalm 107 says, “Let the redeemed of The Lord tell their story.” God has called us to tell the stories of His surprising and faithful character within our current generation - and I want to do that by bringing Art Within into the digital landscape, leveraging my experience there to invite and engage spiritually-disenchanted people.

We've already begun...

As of right now, we already have a feature-length documentary, directed by my wife Debbie and myself, which has completely wrapped filming over the summer and is now awaiting post-production. The film is about young people encountering God at a place called L’Abri Fellowship, which re-enchanted my own faith and allowed me to meet my wife Debbie. The plan is to release the film in an accessible way online and potentially tour it around as a way to gather people and generate conversations about the reality, relevance, and surprising character of God. Find out more at the film's website.

In the coming year: we have an Art Within podcast in the works, in the hopes of generating a space for conversations like this for artists and non-artists alike. We also plan to gather people regularly in-person to experience and discuss art through a lens of spirituality - and my wife, Debbie, dreams of someday reviving the original theater side of things. Art Within’s other immediate plans are still solidifying as funding comes through, but we will keep you posted.

If you're interested in donating, checks can be made out to Art Within Inc. and mailed to 789 Monticello Way, Marietta GA 30067. It's also possible to donate via Paypal by clicking here. And feel free to reach out to me personally at 770-527-7587!

Thank you for reading this far, and we’re excited to keep you posted on what’s next!