American Religious Sounds Project | Center for the Study of Religion

A girl plays an animal skin drum in a parking lot, surrounded by dozens of people wearing white robes

Four hands are in the image. Three hands hold an orange egg. Two eggs are nearly touching, about to crack.

A man holds up a small boy, he is reaching to ring a large bell suspended from the ceiling

People in white gowns are playing large animal-skin drums

A man with a shaved head and glasses is holding a brass percussion instrument and his mouth is open like he is singing

Four people hold poles that are attached to a platform. A large sculpture of Our Lady of Guadaloupe is on the platform. They are in a parking lot.

What Does Religion Sound Like?

Choirs singing. Monks chanting. The reading of religious texts. These are religious sounds. But so too are the creaking of church pews and the clanking of pots during the preparation of a communal meal. The American Religious Sounds Project (2014-2022) offers resources for studying and interpreting the diversity of American religious life by attending to its varied sonic cultures. The archive and website is intended for multiple audiences, including scholars, educators, students and the general public. We hope it will inspire you to think in new ways about religion and its place in American life.

The Project

From 2014-2023, the Center for the Study of Religion served as the institutional home for the American Religious Sounds Project (ARSP), a collaborative initiative with Michigan State University (MSU), co-directed by CSR Director Isaac Weiner and MSU Professor of Religious Studies Amy DeRogatis.

Supported by a generous grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, the ARSP aims to document and interpret the diversity of American religious life by attending to its varied sonic cultures. Faculty, staff, and student researchers created an extensive digital sonic archive, documenting the sounds of religious practice across a wide range of communities and spaces. Research is shared through a custom-built website, an online gallery, dynamic sound installations, and a poster exhibition produced in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution’s Traveling Exhibition Services. Scroll down for more information on how to host this interactive exhibition.

The ARSP has concluded its active phase of research, but its resources continue to be available for research and teaching via the ARSP website. For more information, please contact the director of the Center for the Study of Religion, Isaac Weiner: weiner.141@osu.edu.

Go to the ARSP Website for the digital archive and more information on the project.

The Smithsonian Travelling Exhibition (available now)

The Sounds of Religion poster exhibition explores how rituals and gatherings of religious communities create a complex soundtrack of religions in America that teaches us how people behave, how they’re different and how they’re alike. Any group or organization is invited to host this free Smithsonian exhibition exploring the complex soundtrack of religions in America. Through QR codes, viewers are invited to listen to eight contemporary recordings that serve as an audio portrait of the rich and dynamic differences that make religious life in the United States unique. The exhibition comes with everything you need to print and install 12 24x36" posters, plus instructions and educational resources. In addition, funds are available for printing and to support innovative programming and community engagement initiatives in conjunction with exhibiting the posters.

Go to the Smithsonian Institution's Traveling Exhibition Services website for information on hosting the poster exhibition.

Fill out our funding application to request funds for engagement, printing and more.