Curating Spaces of Hope Masterclass

Thursday, February 3, 2026 from 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. ET.

This program takes place online via Zoom webinar. Registrants will receive access to the recording afterward.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

This Masterclass will set out and explore the Curating Spaces of Hope approach to leadership and its applications to the contexts of poly-crisis that we are living through in 2025. This 3 hour deep-dive will comprise a preliminary diagnosis of the poly-crisis, an introduction to Curating Spaces of Hope, and an initial application of the approach that attendees can take away. This Masterclass will draw on the work of Dr. Matthew Barber-Rowell who is a Dean’s Scholar at Virginia Theological Seminary, based on his new monograph Curating Spaces of Hope: Transformational Leadership for Uncertain Times. This Masterclass will also comprise an invitation and opportunity to those gathered to begin Curating Spaces of Hope for themselves and to consider differently how they might respond to poly-crisis in their context.

This event is brought to you by the department of Lifelong Learning at Virginia Theological Seminary.

Contact us (LifelongLearning@vts.edu) if the cost to participate is a barrier for you.

Questions? Email LifelongLearning@vts.edu.

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Dr. Matthew Barber-Rowell is an Independent Scholar, Northern Temple Network Lead for the William Temple Foundation, and Founder of Spaces of Hope. He was invited to become a Dean’s Scholar at VTS in 2024, where he spent time in residence completing his first monograph. In 2025 he curated the Communicating Radical Hope in an era of poly-crisis conference at the Inner Temple, London, which was a partnership between VTS, Spaces of Hope and the William Temple Foundation, and saw a keynote address from VTS Vice-President for Communications and Institutional Advancement at VTS and GTS, Nicky Burridge. Matthew is returning to VTS this fall, as part of a Research Fellowship with the Susan Wesley Foundation to curate a series of Deanery Dialogues where we will co-create radical responses to the poly-crisis. Matthew lives in North West England, with his wife Phoebe and their two children.