The Seventh Juried Catholic Arts Exhibition will open at the Saint Vincent Gallery, with a prize award ceremony and reception, from 3:30 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 28. Admission is free and open to the public. This biennial Competition and Exhibition was established at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, in 2001 by the late Br. Nathan Cochran, O.S.B., whose untiring efforts to cultivate and revive the Sacred Arts were the catalyst for its creation. Br. Nathan wanted to give artists who engage Catholic subject matter an opportunity to dialogue with the Church, pastors, and lay faithful, in the hope of creating new, original artworks for churches, liturgical spaces, and private spaces. (Here are some examples from among this year’s submissions.)
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| Christ Cannot be Kept Out of the History of Man, by John Del Monte |
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| Christ Our Teacher by David and Suzann Miriello |
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| Coptic Martyrs of Libya, by Jordan Hainsey |
Since its inception, the competition has received global attention, bringing in submissions and artworks from South America to all across Europe, and has been very successful in fostering a relationship between artists working in the Catholic Arts. It has been featured in the Washington Post, EWTN, Sirius Radio, Huff Post, and the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See. World-renowned and acclaimed jurors working in the areas of Sacred Art and Art History have brought their expertise to the Competition and Exhibition. Past jurors include: Dr. Frima Fox Hofrichter, an art historian specializing in Baroque and Rococo; Duncan G. Stroik, an architect and professor working in classical and sacred architecture; Sr. Wendy Beckett, an art historian and BBC personality; Dr. John T. Spike, an expert in Renaissance and Baroque art who directs and curates the Muscarelle Museum of Art at the College of William and Mary and past director of the Florence Biennial; Janet McKenzie, an artist working in sacred art; and Dr. Denis R. McNamara, an architectural historian specializing in the theology of liturgical art at the Liturgical Institute at the University of Saint Mary on the Lake, Mundelein.
Three hundred eleven artworks from 127 artists working in 30 states and five countries were submitted for the competition this year; 44 were selected for exhibition, including two international submissions from Malta and Italy. “The remarkable submissions to the Catholic Arts Competition testify to that fact that sacred art is very much alive, but it needs the support of the faithful to flourish,” commented this year’s juror, Dr Elizabeth Lev. For more information, visit:
gallery.stvincent.edu
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| Fiat Mihi Secundum Verbum Tuum, by Manuel Farrugia |
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| Mary with the Stolen Chibok Girl, by Janet McKenzie |
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| Regina Caeli, Laetare, by Margaret Farr |
An opening lecture with the 2018 juror, Dr. Elizabeth Lev, entitled “Catholic Art of the Modern Age: New Images for an Ancient Story”, precedes the exhibition’s opening reception, beginning at 2 p.m. in the Fred M. Rogers Center. Admission is free and open to the public, but reservations are required by calling 724-805-2177. Prof. Lev is an American-born art historian who specializes in Christian art and architecture, Baroque painting and sculpture and High Renaissance art. She is a professor of art and architecture for the Italian campuses of Christendom College and Duquesne University, and a licensed guide for the city of Rome and the Vatican Museums. Lev holds a bachelor of arts degree in art history from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in art history from the University of Bologna.
