A contemporary music student performs with fellow students

George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts

Create What's Next.

This is our motto at the George Shinn College of Entertainment and the Arts. Our mission is to be a Christ-centered, innovative, entrepreneurial arts community committed to rigorous artistic training, creative collaboration and professional growth. We want makers, not takers. We want you to do, not just to be.

Unleash your potential. We say that a lot around here too. We believe that you can honor God and be a leader in the entertainment industry. To that end, we seek to train the next generation of believer artists who seek to uplift, challenge, and entertain culture through their art.

Nashville, Tennessee is our home and it is home to some of the most creative doers in the country. From day one when you set foot on campus in the College of Entertainment and the Arts, you’re a part of this vibrant arts community in America’s “It” city. Come join us and get ready to do some good work.

A CEA student walks the catwalk during a fashion show

Undergraduate Programs

Perfect your art while strengthening your faith. Train with our outstanding faculty and distinguished industry professionals, connect to a vast network of professional artists and cultivate your entrepreneurial spirit.

View Undergraduate Programs

Graduate Programs

Our promise to you is this: We will push you to create, innovate and discover your individual strength. You'll gain immense opportunities as you further your career in the arts here. Capitalize on them.

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14,000

Audience Members per Semester

A student sits and watches in the Positron Voyager

Preparing For What's Next

We provide the latest technology in cinematic storytelling, giving our students the opportunity to experience it firsthand as they develop their skills and approach to their craft. The fact that we are the first university in the nation to purchase the Positron Voyager, the first chair designed specifically for fully immersive cinematic virtual reality, is an example of this. VR has been in existence for a while, but the development of the Positron Voyager is taking this technology to the next level.

Academic Programs

The Opportunity of Music City

Cinematic arts, music, theatre and dance, fashion, design and the visual arts — we're ready to train you for an ever-evolving career. There's nowhere better to learn than from industry professionals in Music City. You'll have the opportunity for internships, networking and trips across the U.S. and abroad.

About Us

Arts events per year

Christian Art Program in America

People

Get to know key CEA faculty and Artists-in-Residence.

Mike Fernandez

Dean, College of Entertainment and the Arts

Mike Fernandez serves as the founding dean of the College of Entertainment and the Arts at Lipscomb University. He received his B.A. in theatre from Abilene Christian University and a...
Meet Mike Fernandez
Beki Baker

Associate Professor and Chair, Theater

Beki Baker (she/her) has been Chair of Theatre since 2014. She holds a M.F.A. in Directing and a B.F.A. in Performance, both from Baylor University. Prof. Baker's professional directing credits at...
Meet Beki Baker
Tom Bancroft

Artist in Residence

Tom Bancroft has over thirty years of experience in the animation industry, most of which was for Walt Disney Feature animation where he was an animator for twelve years on...
Meet Tom Bancroft
Brown Bannister

Assistant Professor and Director of the School of Music

Brown Bannister brings nearly four decades of industry experience to his work as Director of the School of Music. Best known as a successful mentor and producer for top Christian...
Meet Brown Bannister
Ben Blasko

Associate Professor

Dr. Ben Blasko is the Director of Instrumental Studies at Lipscomb University where he oversees the vision for instrumental ensembles & private instruction. Ben holds degrees from the University of...
Meet Ben Blasko
Andy Bleiler

Assistant Professor

Andy Bleiler serves as Assistant Professor of Theatre, Scenic Designer, and Production Manager. His resume includes scenic designs for Lipscomb University, The Nashville Shakespeare Festival, Vanderbilt Opera Theatre, Blackbird Theater,...
Meet Andy Bleiler
Larry Brown

Professor

Larry Brown earned his Ph.D. in Dramatic Arts from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and began teaching at Lipscomb in 1989. He directed the theater program for 19 years. Now he...
Meet Larry Brown
Melissa Forte

Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies, George Shinn College of Entertainment and the Arts

After six years of industry work with the Walt Disney World company in Orlando, Fla., Melissa Forte returned to Ohio University to complete an M.A. in Media Studies and an...
Meet Melissa Forte
Randy Gill

Professor

Randy Gill is an Associate Professor of Worship Arts at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. Before coming to Lipscomb in 2018, Dr Gill spent more than twenty years as a...
Meet Randy Gill
Rocky Horton

Director of School of Art & Design and Chair of Visual Arts Department

Rocky Horton was born in Arlington, Tennessee. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Art from Harding University, he lived and worked in Italy, first Milano then Napoli,...
Meet Rocky Horton
Donna King

Associate Professor

Donna King, assistant professor of music, came to Lipscomb University as a piano instructor in 1987 and began full-time teaching in 1999. She teaches music history and music literature courses,...
Meet Donna King
Nat McIntyre

Assistant Professor

Nat McIntyre grew up in Cape Cod, Massachusetts and received his B.A. from Eastern Nazarene College in Boston. Immediately following graduation, McIntyre spent a year running a theater program, youth...
Meet Nat McIntyre
Jerome Reed

Professor

Jerome A. Reed is the Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Piano at Lipscomb University. He has performed extensively on several continents, giving recitals and masterclasses in Taiwan, Japan, Korea, China, France,...
Meet Jerome Reed
Kari Smith

Assistant Professor

Kari Cherie Smith, a native of Nashville, has enjoyed teaching theatre and dance for over 24 years in the Middle Tennessee area. With a background in performance, dance, directing, education...
Meet Kari Smith
Steve Taylor

Assistant Professor

Steve Taylor is a filmmaker, writer, producer and recording artist who earned his "Renaissance Man" stripes (Prism Magazine) from a body of work that's garnered him multiple Grammy, Billboard, Telly,...
Meet Steve Taylor