Saint Vincent debuts new galleries to public for 8th Catholic Arts Biennial
Aug. 27—Those attending Saint Vincent College's Eighth Catholic Arts Biennial exhibit will be greeted by new surroundings and by fresh perspectives that reflect the intersection of modern faith and social concerns.
The juried show will be on display Sept. 7 through Oct. 29 in the Verostko Center for the Arts, a new space on the second floor of the renovated and expanded Dale P. Latimer Library. The center houses rotating exhibits, such as the biennial, along with items from the college's collection of rare books and more than 4,000 works of art ranging from ancient to contemporary.
The biennial exhibit will occupy two of the multiple gallery spaces, according to Andrew Julo, director of the Verostko Center. The show features 49 works encompassing traditional paintings as well as two video pieces.
Organizers of this year's show encouraged submissions from women and artists of color, to provide a forum for those whose work has largely been absent from America's churches and from historical surveys of Western art.
"We wanted to give a platform to artists we don't often hear from in ecclesiastical circles," said Julo. "We felt it was really important to be casting a wide net and seeing the wider landscape of how artists are responding to Christian ideals and beliefs.
"The unifying theme is these are all contemporary works made now or in the recent past. There are recognizable Christian icons and subjects and also pieces that are engaging with issues of social justice and the concerns of society."
Juror David Brinker, who made selections from nearly 400 submissions, is the director of the Museum of Contemporary Religious Art at Saint Louis University.
"In their diversity, they reflect the many currents that contribute to contemporary American Catholicism and offer insights into both the beauty and challenges of living out faith in our times," he said.
The college originally hoped to introduce the new Verostko Center to the public in April 2020, but the opening was delayed because of the covid-19 pandemic.
Given the evolving situation concerning the pandemic, all visitors to the college are required to wear a mask while indoors, regardless of vaccination status.
Brinker will be on hand Sept. 12 to present a 1 p.m. lecture on Christian contemporary art at the Fred M. Rogers Center, located on the Saint Vincent campus in Unity. The event is free and open to the public and will include an awards ceremony for artists featured in the biennial show. Attendees are invited to view the exhibition at a reception afterward.
Registration is required for the event and can be completed by visiting verostkocenter.org.
Appointments are required for viewing the biennial show at other times and can be made by emailing verostkocenter@stvincent.edu.
Center named for Algorist
The college's previous art exhibits were held in a gallery created in a former lounge on the third floor of the Robert S. Carey Student Center. The Verostko Center, specifically designed to showcase art, is named for professional artist Roman Verostko, a native of the East Huntingdon village of Tarrs who turned to monastic life at Saint Vincent Archabbey in 1950 and became an ordained priest in 1959.
Nine years later, he left Saint Vincent's Benedictine monastery and joined the humanities faculty at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, where, approaching his 92nd birthday, he retains professor emeritus status.
Co-founder of a group known as the Algorists, Verostko identifies with pioneering computer artists who have created original algorithms for generating their art.
His works have been exhibited internationally and are featured in multiple private and public collections.
Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff at 724-836-6622, jhimler@triblive.com or via Twitter .
