THE FOUNDATION FOR SACRED ARTS presents

A New Way of Seeing: understanding Christian art April 25th, 2009 10:00am – 3:00 pm at Saint John Cantius Parish 825 North Carpenter Street, Chicago, Illinois 60642 ________________________________

“Is Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder?”

 by H. Reed Armstrong

Wednesday, April 15 at 7:00 pm

Catholic Information Center

 

Hamilton Reed Armstrongstudied art at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts with internationally recognized sculptors Carl Iluva, Walker Hancock, and Fredrick Shrady.  Mr. Armstrong is a professional sculptor who has done commissioned work in Spain, Italy, Germany, Africa, and the United States.  Much of his work was produced during an extended stay in Spain, where it was extolled by noted critics Raul Chavari and Cecilio Barbaran as a revitalization of the Spanish mystical tradition embodied in El Greco, among others.  Mr. Armstrong is presently the professor of Fine Arts at the International Catholic University, Notre Dame, Indiana; associate professor of Modern Languages at Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia; and is the former director of the Magi Center for Sacred Art at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.  Recent commissions include the commemorative medal for the Victims of Communism Committee, Washington, D.C; a portrait bust of Pius X for the papal memorial chapel, Riese, Italy; and a portrait bust for John Paul II for The John Paul II Cultural Center, Washington, D.C.  He is presently working on a series of monumental sculptures for the Ave Maria School of Law, Ann Arbor, Michigan.  He has lectured on Cathoic art and symbolism worldwide and has contributed to such periodicals as Crisis Magazine, Latin Mass, Communio, and Culture Wars.  He has appeared on EWTN and has published numerous monographs on religion and art in both Spanish and English.  Mr. Armstrong lives with his wife, painter Roxalana Luczakowsky Armstrong, in Front Royal, Virginia, where he continues his professional work as a sculptor, lecturer, and writer.

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The Beauty that Saves: Art in the Life of the Church is The Foundation for Sacred Arts’ bi-weekly spring lecture series in five parts. With enlightening talks given by prominent Catholic artists and art historians, this series will demonstrate the manner in which beautiful Christian art is indispensable for catechizing the faithful, facilitating prayer, and inspiring conversion.

 

Lecture schedule:

April 1:  Art and the Liturgy ~ Fr. Giles Dimock, OP

April 15:  Is Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder? ~ H. Reed Armstrong

April 29:  St. Paulin Art: The Beauty of Holiness ~ Dr. Jem Sullivan

May 13:  Transcendent Beauty: The Importance of Catholic Architecture ~ Arthur Lohsen

May 27:  Hope in Suffering: How Baroque Art Made God Present on Earth ~ David Clayton

 

All talks will be held from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m at the Catholic Information Center, 1501 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005.

 

 A $10 donation is suggested.

 For more information, contact us at (202)898-1288 or rachelross@thesacredarts.org, or visit our website at www.thesacredarts.org/lecture.

The Foundation for Sacred Arts is pleased to announce two upcoming events:

“The Beauty that Saves: Art in the Life of the Church” is our newest 5-part speaker series. With enlightening talks given by prominent Catholic artists and art historians, this series will demonstrate the manner in which beautiful Christian art is indispensable for catechizing the faithful, facilitating prayer, and inspiring conversion. Talks will be held at 7pm every other Wednesday from April through May at the Catholic Information Center, 1501 K Street NW, Washington, DC 2005. $10 suggested donation at the door.

Lecture schedule:
4/1 — Father Giles Dimock, OP: “Art and the Liturgy”
4/15 — H. Reed Armstrong: “Is Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder?”
4/29 — Dr. Jem Sullivan: “St. Paul in Art: The Beauty of Holiness”
5/13 — Art Lohsen, AIA RIBA: “Transcendent Beauty: The Importance of Catholic Architecture”
5/27 — David Clayton: “Hope in Suffering: How Baroque Art made God Present on Earth”

“A New Way of Seeing: Understanding Christian Art”, offers a day of exploring art and the Christian faith. Learn about meaning and content in Christian art through lectures by David Clayton and Reed Armstrong, two recognized Catholic artists/art theorists. See the beauty and permanence of the Christian faith in works of art with a guided tour of the Art Institute of Chicago. April 25th, 2009 from 9:30am- 3:30pm. Program begins with a Mass and two lectures held at St. John Cantius Catholic Church, 825 North Carpenter Street, Chicago, Illinois 60642. Transportation to and from the Art Institute will be provided. $35 registration includes museum admission, and transportation to and from the museum.

Archbishop Burke, back in town for business and a quick holiday visit to family, opened the conference with great depth and simplicity by reminding us that we are all in statu viae. “Every pilgrimage is a return to the Source of beauty, truth and all love,” said the genius of canon law, speaking more like a mystic than an ecclesial supreme judge. He set the tone for the day, reminding us that–as I quoted a friend in a previous entry–the fine arts were born on the altar, and the renewal of sacred liturgy, spaces and ultimately, culture, will end and begin in Christ, our Eucharistic Love.

Denis McNamara is the Jonah Goldberg of Church Architecture. He’s every bit the architectural historian and bow tie sporting professor, but wields a wryness and common sensical dialect all-too-uncommon in churchy intellectuals. This makes him a great teacher and made him a fabulous key note speaker for the Art & Architecture Conference, and certainly good for a couple of laughs. The motivation in his grad studies wasn’t an ethereal encounter with an antique edifice, but simply people asking him at parties, “Why is my church so ugly?”

People have known intuitively for years that en vogue architecture–especially within ecclesial settings–wasn’t….well, quite right. In fact, they sensed it was just plain wrong. What has happened, McNamara says, is that architecture, which has a language, and can be read, has been misread for years, and it seems in contemporary architecture, that language has been forgotten altogether. In its place has emerged a sort of polished neanderthal grunting. In going “forward” with no reference to universal principals, we’ve regressed. Modern architecture is egotistical and centripetal, while classical architecture in a church is meant to be centrifugal, but not just pointing out, but pointing Up, an image of the Heavenly Jerusalem.

In short, we always go forward (Philippians 3:13), but we build upon transcendent truths, including architectural truths, giving our vote to the “democracy of the dead,” the wisdom of the past in all humility. I met an architect in the not too recent past, a proud creator of what Duncan Stroik calls “prayer barns,” and as he explained his multi-purpose church, he *actually* compared his innovation in design to that of Raphael and Michelangelo. While we are all artworks of the Creator in progress, I thought it tremendously  ironic that said architect should even utter so vain a thought. It is a privilege to build a temple for the Lord, and a calling, and any artist should give thanks for their gifts and avocation, laying their natural and supernatural gifts at the foot of the altar and before the wisdom of the masters in order to bear fruit. It’s only when we do this, whether literally or figuratively, that true beauty comes forth. Anything less is the mark of the unoriginality of sin, and an icon of evil.

There was really so much packed into his talk to fit in into one entry, and the other speakers were quite good as well. Stay tuned for a full article.

Finally, nothing can speak so well as participating in the Liturgy and praying a walk through the gorgeous shrine as well. You must go, and if you cannot go, visit the Shrine web site.

Happy Christmas, and all the lovely feasts of Christmastide!

JS

The Schedule is as follows:

8:00        Registration

8:45        Archbishop Raymond L. Burke Welcome to the Shrine

9:00        Keynote Speaker: Denis McNamara Shadow, Image, and Reality: Church Architecture as Image of Heaven

10:30     Christopher Carstens: An overview of the U.S. Catholic Bishops’Guidelines on restoration and building of

sacred places

11:00     Holy Mass Main Celebrant: Archbishop Raymond L. Burke.

12:00     Lunch

1:00        Michael Swinghamer: Architectural Challenges in the Buildingf the Shrine Church

1:30        John Canning Bringing Ecclesiastical Beauty to the Shrine Church

2:00        Anthony Visco: The Art of Devotion

2:45        Walking tour of the Shrine Church Led by Anthony Visco, join artists and

architects for a  first hand look at the Shrine Church

4:00        Adjourn Program

This one’s at Edgewood College:
If you haven’t seen Demographic Winter, I would recommend it highly. Dr. Wilcox makes a brief appearance.

Sapientia Saturday is quickly approaching again ! It’s on February 2nd. All those ages 16-19 are invited. The theme is, “Art and Life: Imagination or Intelligence?” We would need to have all RSVP’s in by January 30th. Please let us know if you have a teen that needs any special accommodations. Be sure to have forms notorized. If your teen has been to an EE event from September 2007 through the present, then we can reuse your Emergency medical form ONLY. All other medical info forms and registration forms must still be filled out. Thanks!

*Remind teens to bring a Bible, wear a warm coat, and possibly boots. No need for cell phones and other gadgets.

The cost is $10 to cover expenses. Please see the attached forms below and the flyer. Invite thier friends! This is a perfert time for them to catch up with old EE buddies or an easy one day event to introduce new friends to our EE family. RSVP soon!!!

Blessings to you this Christmas!