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3 minute read
The Art of Faith
By Lisa Kochanowski, Assistant Director of Communications
Living one’s faith comes in many forms – through devotional prayer, doing God’s work daily, and creative minds in artistic form. The St. Joseph Gallery at Holy Cross College at Notre Dame, Indiana, is excited to share visual expressions of faith by students, faculty, and members of the area community through the exhibit “The Art of Faith.” Visitors are invited to explore the exhibit now until December 16 with a gallery reception scheduled on October 6, from 3:30-4:30 p.m.
The Holy Family Acrylic On Wood Panel
BY STEPHEN BARANY, 2022
“I decided to participate because it is important for Holy Cross students to see that they are part of a broader community of faith that includes the South Bend, Mishawaka, and Granger areas. And that they are connected to local parishes in some way. For students to see that at least 10 local artists depict their faith artistically in some way communicates that practicing Christians in this place make a full effort to live out, to make real and tangible their belief and fidelity to God,” said Barany. “My recent wedding inspired me to create this piece. My wife and I wanted to give our wedding guests a gift that would remind them of the sanctity and importance of marriage and family. This icon of the Holy Family will hopefully be part of many homes and many families and inspire them to love with the love of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.”
— Stephen Barany
“I am a Visual Arts professor here at Holy Cross College and have been thinking a lot about how to use art as a tool for discipleship in the classroom. I have been integrating my faith into my artwork for a few years now and recently met a few artists that were doing similar things. These experiences led me to think about how amazing it would be to organize an exhibition of local artists that were inspired by their Catholic faith.”
Stephen Barany lives in South Bend, Indiana, and attends St. Anthony de Padua Parish. He is a freelance illustrator, an adjunct professor of Visual Arts at Holy Cross College, and is currently working on his first self-published book, “Alphabet Mobile,” a wordless picture book teeming with alliterative drawings that help children learn the alphabet, build their vocabulary, and practice the art of careful looking.
The painting is based on a 2018 prototype by Mihai Cucu and recalls Andrei Rublev’s classic icon of the Holy Trinity. Gathered at the table with Mary and Joseph, Jesus raises his hand as a sign of blessing and invitation. He has left open the fourth side of the table; it is open for you.
Crucifixion
EGG TEMPURA AND GOLD LEAF ON WOOD PANEL
BY ANASTASSIA TESS CASSADY, 2022
Anastassia Tess Cassady lives in South Bend, Indiana, and attends St. Matthew Cathedral Parish. She is a freelance artist and teaches at Trinity School at Greenlawn. She works primarily in private commissions, some of which include church murals, church gilding, portrait commissions, byzantine icon commissions, book covers, and most recently, illustrations for a children’s book of saints that will be published later this year. She has also exhibited her work at ArtPrize at the South Bend Museum of Art.
This painting is a depiction of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ (Matthew 27:32). The process used to create this work is based on the traditional methods of iconography.
The Light Becomes Flesh Acrylic On Canvas
BY MEGAN GETTINGER, 2020
Megan Gettinger lives in South Bend, Indiana, and attends St.Thérèse Little Flower Parish while also serving as their Communications Coordinator. She has a passion for integrating contemporary graphic design and traditional sacred art in her communications work at the parish.
“Angelo’s invitation to participate in the exhibition was such a pleasant surprise! Generally, I paint as a personal hobby and a means of prayer and self-care. While I have sold some pieces, I don’t consider myself a professional artist, so I was honored to be included. I am excited to participate in this exhibition in particular as its goal was to gather art relating to our shared Catholic faith. There is so much beauty and diversity to be found in the Catholic Church and this exhibition is a microcosm of that,” said Gettinger. “This was my first large abstract piece and so much of the process of creating it was truly an act of prayer. I needed to be reminded that in the midst of the fear and uncertainty of our fallen world, eternity has broken into the chaos in the person of Jesus Christ at the moment of the Incarnation; that Light cannot be overcome by darkness; and that there is power in wholeheartedly saying ‘yes’ to the Holy Spirit, as Mary did.” — Megan
Gettinger
Mary Kloska lives in Elkhart, Indiana, and attends St. Vincent de Paul Parish. She is a Catholic author that has published seven books, many of which have been translated into multiple languages and distributed for free to persecuted Christians around the world. She started the non-profit ‘Fiat Foundation’ to help fund this mission work and has a weekly WCAT Radio program, “The Heart of Fiat Crucified Love.” Her artwork is primarily used for the covers of her books, and other images within them, but she has also distributed free copies of icons in Pakistan and Nigeria.