Pronunciation of Inspiro: ‘in-SPEAR-o’— like in the word ‘Spirit.’
Meaning: ‘to inspire; excite, inflame; instill, implant; breathe into; blow upon/into.’
Every culture tells its story through the language of art—expressing its values, spiritual dynamics, and ultimately, its worldview. Redemptive art creatively expresses the major themes of the Bible and engages our imagination to shape our personal lives and worldviews.
God had been raising up various artists within Operation Mobilisation (OM) to reach hearts through the arts since the early 1990s. With a desire to build a global movement of artists on mission, OM Arts International was founded in 2009. The goal was to create space for people to be moved by God’s beauty and truth and to help communities of Jesus followers be vibrant in their worship and witness.
Over time, OM Arts grew from a provider of short-term mission trips to something more—equipping and placing artists on the mission field. This was done by helping OM fields establish arts ministries locally and investing in significant training events.
Launched in early 2012 in Northern Italy, the OM Arts leadership team created a school, called Incarnate, for training artists as missionaries. This four-month programme stimulated artists to grow in their faith and learn how to effectively engage communities in the gospel through the arts.
Throughout these developments in the rest of OM Arts, Heart Sounds International (HSI) reached further into restricted places around the globe via ethnodoxology (the worship of God by ethnic groups or nations). It sought to ignite worship among the least-reached people groups of the world.
In 2019, OM Arts and all of its ministries, including its most well-known department Heart Sounds International, fully merged, both in operations and in branding. In early 2020, the newly integrated team changed its name to Inspiro Arts Alliance.
At Inspiro, we believe that you were specially made to help fulfill God's greater purpose. Sometimes people with artistic talents do not feel like they fit within traditional mission contexts. Inspiro works around the world in many settings and contexts. We like to think outside the box and want to help you find your place so you can thrive and be a part of what God is doing around the world.
Cultivating thriving artists and curators who empower vibrant communities of Jesus followers among the least reached.
Incarnate is a 4-month course over two locations, an artist's journey of discipleship, theology and cross-cultural ministry. To find out more, check out this page.