Liberal Arts Alive at Carlow University

Today the Carlow University Art Gallery hosted a “Liberal Arts Alive” session in which theology professors Maureen Crossen and Jack Alverson offered theological perspectives on the current exhibition: “Illuminations: Worksby Vanessa German, Peter Oresick, and Christopher Ruane.” Professor Sylvia Rhor, director of the gallery and an art historian in Carlow’s Art Department convened today's session which was followed by further discussion in the gallery.

The exhibit as a whole showcases three local artists who utilize aspects of iconography as they portray contemporary events using iconographic styles, portray biblical and sacred stories in contemporary settings, or portray secular “saints” in traditional religious and iconographic forms.

Maureen’s reflections focused on how these kinds of works “work.” She emphasized in particular the way that icons have the potential to open up a new perspective. The iconographer “would have us see things differently.” This was certainly the case in the works of Vanessa German whose works illuminate newspaper stories with iconic imagery and coloring. In particular, one is struck by the flood of tears surrounding images of those individuals touched by the tragic shooting at the Mother Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston last year. Maureen also cited James Keenan, SJ’s understanding of mercy as “entering into the chaos of another,” and suggested that Vanessa German was able to do that through her art. These were thus “works” of mercy in a very real sense.

Jack provided a philosophical-theological reflection starting with the notion of the difficulty that theology presents. Theology begins with the simplest of expressions: "In the beginning was the Word" (John 1:1). And yet, theology is an impossible task since it is impossible to capture in human words a divine reality that is radically other. At the same time, it is impossible to “image” the invisible God. And this led Jack to a discussion about the difference between an idol and an icon, distilling the insights of Jean-Luc Marion from his God Without Being. In the end, Jack led to the idea that an icon is “a visible mirror of the invisible.” As a biblical scholar, this philosophical-theological approach is very fruitful, especially as I consider the mystery that surrounds the remarkable notion that "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). The works on display in this exhibit likewise express a similar paradox: they are human creations, and yet through them one can encounter divine realities.

To me the presence of the gallery in the heart of campus, the nature of the exhibits that have been hosted there, and the engagement of multiple constituents of the campus and community in these kinds of gallery talks has been a signal of the vitality of the liberal arts heritage at Carlow University. The Illuminations exhibit, in particular, invites viewers to see the world differently: to see the sacredness of all of of human life, to feel the pain of others, and to see the breaking in of the divine into the earthly realm.