Ryan Lauterio is a Christian conservative, multi-award-winning studio artist, educator, and founder whose life and work are devoted to the intersection of art, theology, and aesthetics. He is cofounder and CEO of The Maker Institute of Studio Art and Theology, a 501(c)(3), and cofounder of Made Makers: Christian Art and Design Education, a K–12, biblically integrated curriculum for homeschool and Christian private-school communities.
Ryan is also the founder and director of Shockoe Artspace, a contemporary art gallery launched in 2011 in partnership with Remnant Church and formalized as a
501(c)(3) in 2016. The gallery has featured exhibitions by emerging and nationally recognized artists. His studio work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, is held in private and corporate collections—including Capital One—and has appeared in New American Paintings, Image Journal, and other publications. His visual and written work is also featured in A Prophet in the Darkness: Exploring Theology in the Art of Georges Rouault (IVP, Studies in Theology and the Arts, 2024).
In media, Ryan co-directed the award-winning feature documentary The Builder with photographer Nick Sietz and cohosted the Shockoe Artspeak podcast for four years. His current podcast, Reformed Artist, launched in fall 2024 and continues his commitment to equipping Christian creatives through biblically grounded conversations about art, design, and faith.
Ryan and his wife, Laura, homeschool their four children and reside near Richmond.
This hands-on workshop invites children and parents to explore the wonder of being made in God’s image through the act of seeing and drawing their own faces. By learning to observe proportions and unique features, children discover how they can resemble their parents and yet remain wonderfully distinct. This is more than an art lesson—it’s a transformative experience in identity, beauty, and truth. Be prepared to see yourself in a whole new way.
In a culture saturated with distorted narratives, this talk calls parents and educators to reorient the imaginations of children toward the truth of being made in God’s image. By recovering a biblical vision of identity, beauty, and purpose, we equip the next generation to see the world—and themselves—through the lens of Scripture. Rooted in biblical theology, this talk inspires Christ-centered formation through art, storytelling, and faithful cultural engagement.
This talk explores how Christian “makers,” artists, and culture-shapers can exercise spiritual discernment in our cultural moment—not only by what we believe, but through what we create. Drawing from Scripture and church history, it challenges us to engage the times wisely and faithfully, using our work as a lens of understanding and a tool of witness. Making becomes both an act of obedience and a prophetic response to the world around us.
