A show of artwork responding to the issue of faith, be it faith in God, science, humanity or a reaction against faith.
Faith has received a lot of attention lately in popular culture both favorably and critically with movies such as The Passion of the Christ or in books like The Da Vinci Code. Similarly, there has been a resurgence of scholarly interest in issues of faith and religion demonstrated by articles such as “The `Return' of Religion in the Scholarship of American Art” in the September 2003 issue of Art Bulletin by Dr. Sally M. Promey of the University of Maryland. This article discussed the Secularization Theory of Modernity, which essentially claims that religion is a relic of a pre-modern time that will eventually fade away. However, as Dr. Promey points out, according to the Gallup Poll “Belief in God” remains very stable at 95 percent in 1947 and 96 percent in 1997. While Modernism questioned religion, there is today a trend which embraces religious devotion as a personal outgrowth of humanity. In fact, 2003 Symposium speaker Edward Gomez stated that he believes post-modernism to be past and the new stage to be that of spiritualism. During the Symposium Donald Kuspit also noted a desire to return to the spiritual in art, which he has well articulated in his lecture "Reconsidering the Spiritual in Art".
Despite the anti-religious state of much contemporary and modern art, there has remained a dissenting group of artists who deeply believe in the spiritual or even religious power of art. There, indeed, seems to be a tide turning towards the spiritual led by critics such as Gomez, Art Historians such as Promey and Kuspit and artists such as those in the Pratt: Faithworks exhibition.
The Pratt: Faithworks exhibit looks at how the Pratt community deals with the subject of faith and spirituality by displaying both art which embraces faith and art that rejects it. Placards which discuss the work and its philosophical base are included to help further the viewers investigation of this issue.
The twenty-three artists in the Pratt: Faithworks exhibition span seven decades of association with Pratt Institute and showcase a wide range of approaches to the issue of faith.
Artists
Emory Bopp, Corey Breneisen, Michael Brennan, Garrison Buxton, Peggy Cyphers, David DiPasquale, Kathleen Hayek, June Koffi, Laurette Kovary, Artemis Louis, Colleen Lynch, Kathleen Marquis, Suzanne Miazga, Jackie Meier, Rachel Recker, Rondall Reynoso, Deborah Spiroff, Allison Stajszczak, Ivan Stojakovic, Jeanne Thomsen, Sember Weinman, Beatrice Wolert and Ting-Chun Wu
Curated by Rondall Reynoso
Pratt: Faithworks opened on April 26th, 2004 with a preliminary show of selected works in the Pratt Chapel. The main installation
Opens May 24th
6-9 pm in the Stueben Galleries
Hours 12-5 pm or by appointment
Both sections of the show run through June 4th, 2004 to the Stueben Galleries.
Directions are available from Pratt Institute's website or you can call (917) 723-9876 for directions and information.
Click here to view photos from this exhibit.