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Programs & Activities»The Westminster Gallery: Previous Exhibitions
Contemplation and
Prayer: February 10 - March 30, 2008
Fossils, rocks, shells and bones, the remnants of intense life forces, are found in my work as symbols of continuity and transformation. Recent discoveries in physics, biology and astronomy, have challenged my views of reality and mortality. Contemplating these theories has heightened my perception of our planet, ourselves and the interconnections with the Cosmos. Learning about the indestructible, cyclic, and transformative nature of energy and matter has inspired these images. I have used the triptych form in many pieces to denote the sacredness of this vision of our Universe.
The words of the Lord's Prayer were
originally spoken in Aramaic. Translated into many languages over
the Ages, the version found in the King James Bible is the most
familiar English translation. The body of the Artwork:
Meditations on the Aramaic Lord’s
Prayer was inspired by the direct Aramaic to English
translations of Neil Douglas-Klotz: Prayers of the Cosmos
and other Aramaic translations. The second series of 8, was done from Dec. 2006-Jan.2007. These pieces are painted on cradled wood panels and depict a more abstract imagery than the original paper series. Visit Georgette's website and for a side-by-side look at both series: the Lord's Prayer
And His Name Shall be Called... December 2, 2007 - February 3, 2008
The Advent season is for us a time of waiting to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of the Christ child. Humankind waited for his actual birth for much longer than our annual vigil. The Word of God to us through the Bible tells us of the Savior’s coming and informs us of both his extraordinary birth and also of his name. Isaiah 7:14 foretells this birth: Therefore the Lord himself
will give you a sign. Look, the young woman The Annunciation is told in Luke 2:30-32 when the Angel Gabriel tells Mary: Do not be afraid, Mary, for
you have found favor with God. And now,
The exhibition And His name Shall be Called… features a selection of art drawn from Westminster members’ homes and The Westminster Collection to illuminate the Advent and Christmas stories. Nine recent gifts and purchases add diversity and depth to The Westminster Collection and they debut in this exhibition. Look for a Cameroonian crèche, a Peruvian Nativity cuadros (textile picture), a Hmong Pan Dou (story cloth), a carved Argentinian Madonna, a German angel candle, an olive wood carving of The Flight Into Egypt, and a carved ebony Madonna and Child (given by the Kumba Town Presbyterian Church in Cameroon.) Memorial funds were used to purchase a triptych of John August Swanson serigraphs of the Nativity, Epiphany, and The Flight Into Egypt, and an 18th century Russian Icon of the Madonna and Child. May your Advent be a time of waiting for the Christ child filled with peace, justice, and joy, for his name shall be called Emmanuel.
A Stitch in Time: the Westminster Textiles September 9 - November 25, 2007
Westminster is just like any other long-lived organization; we are building a collection of documents and artifacts that record both everyday activities and special occasions. Westminster’s archive has grown to include everything from session minutes to photographs and old chairs to choir robes. Some holdings are significant for the information preserved and some for the amusement provided. This exhibition explores this part of our history as a part of our continuing celebration of our 150th Anniversary. The exhibition, A Stitch in time: the Westminster Textiles, focuses on the textile holdings of the archive and features paraments and vestments utilized in worship as well as tee-shirts printed to commemorate musical productions, camping, mission trips, and so much more. The Westminster Gallery is bursting with color and texture that draw the visitor in to explore these slivers of our collective history. You will want to read what each of our pastors has said regarding their favorite stole, and contrast these personal stories with the fantastic exhibition of the entirety of the Rev. Elizabeth Downing Heller’s stole collection. Come visit the exhibition to discover the many surprises new and old awaiting you.
Textiles literally surround us in the form of clothing and furnishings as part of our designed environment. While fashionistas are likely to observe the subtle nuances of the color, texture, and drape of fabrics, I suspect many of us might consider the utilitarian nature of textiles as protective coverings which provide both modesty and comfort.
Within the walls of any religious institution we will find textiles that serve a more important function in their role as accessories to significant sacraments, rituals, and events. Liturgical colors are used in the design of the vestments (worn by the clergy) and paraments (worn by the furniture) to represent the church seasons. Clergy wear academic gowns to indicate the nature of Presbyterian ministry. Our youth sport custom-printed tee shirts when they produce a musical event as a form of team-building and to advertise their endeavors.
Looking at Westminster Through Many Eyes May 6 - September 2, 2007
When we open our eyes, our first experience is the passive act of seeing. Next we engage with our environment through the active experience of looking in a more deliberate, focused manner. Seeing allows us to safely navigate through life; looking adds the rich layering of detail that provides context and inspires our imagination, while facilitating analysis and critical thinking. This exhibition features images and objects produced by (or, in one case, made as a gift for) Westminster members. These artists’ work was shaped by the vision that each discovered while looking through the lens of a camera, the tip of a paintbrush, or diverse other media. What does Westminster Presbyterian Church look like to you?
New Paintings by He Qi February 11 - April 29, 2007
Chinese Christian artist Dr. He Qi has been busy painting more of his delightfully bold and colorful paintings of Bible stories. He Qi avoided serving in the military during the Chinese Cultural Revolution by working as a painter for the government. He painted portraits of Chairman Mao during the day and after discovering a Christian image, he painted the Madonna secretly at night. At the end of the revolution, and after receiving his degree, he earned a Masters Degree in medieval art in Germany. Returning to China and finishing a doctorate; he taught theology. He is now considered the most important Chinese Christian artist, has recently moved to the Twin Cities area, and his son is attending Augsburg College. We are happy to have developed a close relationship with him and his family. Of course, it was the Reverend Elizabeth Downing Heller who knew him first, and brought his work to the committee’s attention. Once our exhibition closes, his new paintings will be traveling to Manhattan for exhibition at the American Bible Society’s new Museum of Biblical Art (MOBIA.) Our own painting Losing Paradise (Adam and Eve in the garden) will be included in that exhibition, which runs from May 31 to August 26.
Advent
Traditions: December 3, 2006 - February 4, 2007 This exhibition featured crèches and various artforms from the Westminster Collection and from a variety of Westminster member's homes.
Painting the Hmong
Story: September 10 - November 26, 2006
The Hmong in Southern China developed a secret writing system during the mid-1800s. Their written language had been lost for many years; this new system allowed them to communicate war strategies and more importantly to hide from the Emperor’s soldiers. Symbols and geometric designs were sewn on clothing to communicate information about the time and location of the next attack. A person wearing this message would walk through one town and then on to the next to let everyone know the new strategy. In time, the Hmong people forgot the meaning of these symbols. However, many of the symbols still exist on traditional clothing and artwork. While the literal meaning of the symbols has been lost, the tradition of using symbols and figures to tell the story of the Hmong people continues in clothing, batik, tapestry, and now my paintings. In the late 1970s, after the fall of the Vietnam War, many Hmong people escaped the mass genocide in Laos and ended up in refugee camps in Thailand. Without an opportunity to make money, Hmong women sold their tapestries to tourists and relief workers. Originally these tapestries were sewn and used as a part of a shirt or skirt. The women thought that they wouldn’t sell the whole shirt, so instead of putting their tapestry on shirts, they left them as flat textiles and sold them as a finished piece. The symbols and geometric shapes on the tapestries have no meaning for the tourists who buy this artwork, so the women started sewing figures depicting daily activities, war scenes, refugee camp scenes, and religious stories from the Bible, to make the tapestries more meaningful to the buyers, and to increase sales.
I have adopted this visual story telling tradition and use these same shapes and figures in my painting. Instead of using a needle and tread on a piece of cloth, I use oil paint and a brush on canvas. Using this narrative technique, I produced The Hmong Migration, a series of 50 canvases which depict the epic story of the Hmong people beginning 5000 years ago. The paintings tell the story of the Hmong who originally farmed the fertile land near Beijing, and of their migration southward into Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and Burma. This migration was due to war and persecution, and resulted in a secret war in Laos which ended with genocide. This history continues through the mass exodus out of Laos to the present with the Hmong arriving and settling in America, particularly in Minneapolis and Saint Paul.
Several of the paintings in this exhibition are in the style of The Hmong Migration series. Most of the paintings are in a new more realistic style, are experimental for me and were painted as an exercise to keep my skills sharp. I have also produced three new paintings that depict my memories of Boy Scouts and Camp Ajawah. - Cy Thao
Living Water April 30 - September 3, 2006 Many of our members submitted delightfully diverse images of water which range from a captivating watercolor painting of a Norwegian Fjord to a photograph of dew drops forming on a spider’s web, and so much more. Perhaps you will discover photographs that seem at first glance to have no connection to water whatsoever, a pastel drawing representing baptism, or woven stoles that require water as part of their creation.
Explore the world through
the keen eyes and talented hands of our members, and
read what they have to say about the creative process and the
personal meaning of these images of God's life giving and
sustaining water.
Stations of The Cross: The Traditional 14 Stations of the Cross This Lenten exhibition explores the use of traditional images and text as an approach for meditation on Christ’s Passion. Early pilgrims to Jerusalem stopped to pray at each of the sites associated with Jesus’ suffering and death. This practice began in the 4th century and quickly gained popularity and even attracted the attention of those who were not able to travel to the holy land. Multiple variations of the Stations evolved and in 1731 Pope Clement XII fixed the number at 14. The traditional Stations begin with Jesus being condemned to death and end with Jesus being laid in the tomb.
Stations of the Cross became a standard feature in Catholic churches in the 18th century. Photographs of two examples of these traditional Stations are exhibited on the north wall of the gallery. One set of the Stations is from the Basilica of Saint Mary, and the other is from the Catholic Community of St. Odelia. The text that they each use is: everyone’s way of the cross by Clarence Enzler.
The 15th Station In the 1960s, some churches added a 15th Station to include the Resurrection of Christ. An example from St. Olaf Catholic Church is exhibited on the east wall of the gallery. The text that they use is: Not my will but yours be done.
The Biblical Stations of the Cross Pope John Paul II proposed a new series of stations based on scripture which includes only the incidents related to the Gospels. These were used for the first time at the Roman Coliseum on Good Friday in 1991. Artist Lucinda Naylor and printmaker Stephen
Anderson created abstract mono-prints of this new version of the
Stations for the Basilica of Saint Mary. They are exhibited on the
south wall of the gallery.
Advent Unfolding This exhibition unfolded just like doors opening on an Advent calendar. It began with The Annunciation on the First Sunday in Advent and continued to unfold into mid-January and The Flight into Egypt. Advent is a season, a time of quiet waiting. We live through fear and anxiety longing for a new day, gaining confidence from God’s steadfastness. Advent looks to the future to hope and light, to the peace and justice that comes at Christ’s birth. We wait quietly in this dark and anxious time, anticipating the birth of Jesus, the Light of the world. May we each find a quiet time to visit the exhibition, to contemplate the marvelous wonder of this humble birth, and to prepare ourselves for the coming of our Saviour.
The Birth of Freedom:
Sculpture by Paul T. Granlund The Birth of Freedom, one of Granlund’s largest pieces, has stood as a jewel on the Nicollet Mall since 1977. The Upper Midwest Conservation Association (UMCA - housed at the MIA) has just finished cleaning and restoring the bronze. This restoration is partially in preparation for the Sesquicentennial of Westminster in 2007. On Sunday, September 11, 2005, Coming Together Sunday, the congregation ended the 10:30 am service by processing out of the building onto the Nicollet Mall, led by the choir and trumpets, for a brief service of re-dedication of this monumental piece.
When asked about the nature of his art, Granlund pronounced: “All of my work is religious.” The sculpture is based on the text found in Galatians 5:1 Stand fast, therefore, in liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yolk of bondage. Westminster proclaims itself to be a “Telling Presence in the City.” The Birth of Freedom announces this promise of freedom to all who pass by. The exhibition was comprised of large
sculptures and smaller models from the collections of Westminster
Presbyterian Church members and from the Granlund family. The
process of designing and producing bronze sculpture was
illustrated with raw materials and tools from his workshop, his
sketches, and photographs of him building and installing The
Birth of Freedom. Return to The Westminster Gallery For additional information please contact
Rodney Allen
Schwartz, |
