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.
An opening lecture with the 2018 juror, Dr. Elizabeth Lev, precedes the exhibition opening reception 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.
This juried competition, established by the late Br. Nathan Cochran, O.S.B., seeks to foster the arts of the Western Christian tradition and other artistic traditions of Christian subject matter. Submissions are to be iconographically recognizable and appropriate for liturgical use, churches, chapels, shrines or home altars. Subjects included scenes from the life, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; other biblical scenes, stories and characters; depictions of saints and their lives; current and historical events in the life of the Church; depictions of the seven sacraments; and personification of the corporal works of mercy, virtue and vices. Modernization of the subject is acceptable.
The exhibition has been praised for engaging an important topic at a crossroads in the Church. George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow and William E. Simon Chair in Catholic StudiesEthics and Public Policy Center, notes, “Beauty may be the path through which a confused world rediscovers truth and goodness. The Saint Vincent Catholic Arts Exhibition suggests that there is a renaissance underway in Catholic art. And that can help revitalize the Church for its evangelical mission.”
Juror for this competition is Elizabeth Lev, Ph.D., 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.
Cash prizes to be awarded at the opening include a $1,000 first prize – The Brother Nathan Cochran Award in Sacred Arts, $750 second-place award, $500 third-place award and four juror mentions of $250 each. In addition, there will be a $250 people’s choice award presented at the end of the exhibition.
The competition was open to any artist, professional or amateur, of any religious background, age 21 or older. All entries are original by the submitting artist and created within the past five years. Previously submitted works were ineligible. Three hundred eleven artworks from 127 artists working in 30 states and five countries were submitted for the competition; 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,” Lev commented.
The exhibition will continue from Sunday, Oct. 28, through Sunday, Dec. 2, in the Saint Vincent Gallery located on the third floor of the Robert S. Carey Student Center. Gallery hours are from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and by special appointment. The Gallery is closed on Mondays and Nov. 21-26 for Thanksgiving.
The exhibition is sponsored by the Diocese of Greensburg – The Most Rev. Edward C. Malesic, J.C.L., with support from Saint Vincent College – Office of the President, Saint Vincent Archabbey, the Diocese of Covington – The Most Rev. Roger J. Foys, D.D., and Jo Ellen and Alan Yeasted.
Further details about the exhibition are available by contacting the Gallery at 724-805-2107.