St. Mark's Art Ministry
St. Mark’s began hosting art exhibits in 2013, beginning with Icons in Transition featuring the work of Russian/Swedish artist Ludmilla Pawloska. Since then we have formed a visual arts group that curates and hangs exhibits of visiting artists and also works towards cataloging, maintaining, and restoring the work in the parish collection.
St. Mark’s invites artists to exhibit at the church several times a year. We seek work that enhances and engages with our worship, since the main display area is in the church itself. The congregation and artist find themselves in a mutually giving and receiving relationship that acknowledges the presence of God in our lives and in our abilities of expression. Some work that has been shown directly falls into the genre of spiritual art; other pieces reference the spiritual in a celebration of nature and personal experiences. In addition to the church space, we offer two small wall spaces in the narthex and one lighted wall in the parish hall to reference the experience of art outside of our worship.
Over the past four years our exibits have comprised photography, printmaking, painting, iconography, calligraphy, stitchery, and woven baskets as well as mixed media. Among exhibit themes have been nature, poetry, and the lives of the saints.
The committee invites conversations about possible exhibits of art. We plan the exhibits to be appropriate to the liturgical season and to work appropriately in our display area. Typically the committee meets to plan the exhibit schedule one year at a time. After reviewing suggested artists’ work, we extend an invitation to the selected artists to exhibit.
In addition to visiting exhibits, St. Mark’s also displays recurring pieces according to the church calendar; these include the Richard Rush Stations of the Cross during lent, simple twig wreaths during Advent, and in occasional years, pieces from the St. Mark’s collection are brought into the sanctuary from their various display sites throughout the church.
Anyone interested in participating in the committee or applying to display work may contact Cecilia Smith or speak with the front desk.
Anyone interested in participating in the committee or applying to display work may contact Cecilia Smith or speak with the front desk.