In a New York City apartment in 2020, something beautiful began.
Two young Catholic women, Erin K. McAtee and Claire Kretzschmar, watched artist friends struggle with isolation and disillusionment during lockdowns. So they opened their doors with hospitality and a desire to build community.
What started as word-of-mouth salon gatherings in Apartment 2B has grown into Arthouse2B, a community of multidisciplinary artists cultivating a renewal of Catholic arts in New York City.
Their mission is simple but revolutionary. McAtee told Aleteia,
Our vision is to restore the heart of artists in the Church. If we want to change the culture and want to have a renewed sense of human dignity and truth, we have to really start with artists.
Too many Catholic artists feel they must choose between faith and their artistic practice. Arthouse2B refuses to accept this false dichotomy.
McAtee said:
We can live a deeply Catholic life while also pursuing our work very seriously. Those two things are not in opposition.
Arthouse2B hosts a Mass for Artists series, a signature event since their founding in August 2020. Here is a video recapping the first one:
There are also gallery exhibitions, theatrical productions, and intensive retreats. Their work draws performers, visual artists, writers, filmmakers, and musicians from across the five boroughs. Thanks to generous parishes and partner organizations, Arthouse2B has found a home in a number of spaces throughout the city to host their programming.
McAtee believes Catholic art must speak to today's world. This vision attracts artists across disciplines and experience levels. She said:
The artwork and creation needed today should live in the tension between the aesthetic tradition that we have, and the avant-garde. Artists should be encouraged to live out their artistic vocation, using the gifts God has entrusted them to speak within the reality and circumstances of our contemporary context.
Testimonies from artists
Actor Vincenzo Hinckley discovered Arthouse2B at a crossroads. He'd stepped away from acting, disillusioned with an industry that felt spiritually empty. He said:
I had not been aware that there was such a large and dedicated community of Christian artists. The retreat I attended was transformational. It reengaged my passion and love for acting.
Through Arthouse2B connections, Hinckley went on to perform in an acclaimed stage show of The Jeweler's Shop by Pope St. John Paul II — an Arthouse2B production.
Before finding Arthouse2B, Hinckley felt oppressed by the solitude of being a Catholic artist. “Being involved has really helped reshape these negative and limiting attitudes,” he said.
Another participant wrote about the annual artist retreat, “My encounters with Christ this weekend have finally broken down the last wall I put up between me and His Church. I am now taking steps to become Catholic through RCIA.”
Another retreatant, Kaylor Nordhus, had been searching for a Catholic artist retreat for years. "This felt like a long time answered prayer!" She's launched her own apostolate in Kansas, gathering artists for prayer and creation.
You can see a recap video of this artist retreat here:
Sister Jordan Rose, S.V., who attended the Arthouse2B production of The Jeweler's Shop, was captivated. “With every line spoken, I felt like I was being invited to rediscover the depths of the mystery and beauty of God's design for life and love,” she said.
The heart of the mission
At its heart, being an artist is a deeply Catholic mission. Catholics believe that each human person was made in the image and likeness of a God who is Creator.
Each artist imitates the creative work of God: “Artists need to feel they can create, be able to work and create newness, to bring forth something that is truly led by the Holy Spirit,” McAtee said.
Catholic artists find that joining this community is a breath of fresh air, a place where both their work and their faith are finally understood.
Fr. Samuel Bellafiore, originally trained as a musician, found his priestly and artistic vocations integrated through Arthouse2B. “It's refreshing to spend time with people whose vision is whole.”
Growing vision
Arthouse2B hopes to establish their own physical space to include art studios, a Catholic chapel, a performance hall, and more. Their goal is complete support for artists — financially, artistically, and spiritually.
As McAtee said, “We offer ongoing communal, spiritual, and artistic formation for artists because we believe that artists are at the heart of a flourishing culture.”
You can contribute to their mission here.
For Catholic creatives feeling isolated in secular spaces or unsupported in church communities, Arthouse2B offers a third way. It’s a place where faith and art don't just coexist but make each other stronger.
As one artist put it, Arthouse2B “encourages the heart of the artist to remain aflame—so that one cannot see where Jesus ends and the artist begins."
