The Wake

Religion has always been a provider of inspiration to Western art. During the last week of March, Twin Cities artists were given the opportunity to showcase those inspired words.

The 2007 Spiritual Art Festival and Juried Art Show was hosted by St. Boniface. Every night between March 25-29 people came from around the Twin Cities area to the northeast Minneapolis church to view the artwork.

58 pieces from local Minneapolis artists cover the walls of the St. Boniface chapel. Every medium imaginable was represented, from conventional canvas paintings to stained glass and photography.

The works came from amateur and professional artists alike. “All Night, Every Night,” a painting by Erick Pearson, was a boldly colored and outlined representation of the Day of the Dead, a celebration of the soul’s passing into another life. Alice Kogeais’s “Last Supper” was a paper cutout of Jesus and his apostles, with the detailed white paper image of the thirteen men jumping off of the black background.

Nick and Rosie Heille organized the show. Nick stressed that this show was non-denominational and non-sectarian and completely open to the public.

“There are a couple of pieces here that have been rejected by other churches in the past,” Heille said. “One of the pieces was actually about rejection. The artists are very thankful that we included their works here.”

The show awarded 11 works with special honors. Top prizes included cash rewards of $125 for first place and $100 for second. The Northeast Minneapolis Artists Association (NEMAA) and the Northeast Minneapolis Ministerial Association (NEMMA) sponsored the entire festival.

Four jurors were selected to judge the pieces submitted to the Spiritual Art Festival. Carl and Margaret Halker are the curators of Bishop’s Hall Gallery, which displays a new gallery each month at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral. Foster Willey Jr. whose work has been in exhibition since the early 1980s, also helped judge the show. The last juror, Loren Niemi, is a storyteller who works with St. Paul’s Children’s Home Society & Family Services.

Second place was awarded to Barbara Nelson for her work “PSALM 91.” Her black and white watercolor measured out to only four square inches. The painting depicted an eagle “on whose wings you will be lifted up,” as described by Psalm 91.

First place features a tie between two sculptures. Sandra Brick, whose work can be viewed at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, contributed a large paper maché bowl under the name “Exodus Seder Vessel.” The entire bowl is covered in 40 strands of beads.

Tying with Brick was Minneapolis artist Rabi Sanfo. Sanfo, born in Sub-Saharan Africa, mostly works on African art, but when he found out about the Spiritual Art festival three weeks prior to the show, he decided to make “You of Little Faith.” The welded steel sculpture shows Jesus holding his hand out to Peter, who is sinking below the surface of the water. The figures in the piece feature wildly disproportionate bodies, with long, thin arms, legs and necks. Sanfo’s work was being simultaneously displayed at the Frank Stone Gallery, also in northeast Minneapolis.

On Thursday, Mar. 29, the festival was accompanied by music. Starting at 7 p.m. Carl Schroeder, a composer and pianist, contributed three pieces to the Spiritual Art Festival Concert. The last piece, “Birmingham,” included excerpts of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” spoken by Carolyn Albert.

The show’s only funding comes from an entrance fee from each artist. That money is used for prizes and juror honorarium. Information about the Spiritual Art Festival and Juried Art Show can obtained from Nick and Rosie Heille at 612-789-6527 or by e-mail at nrheille@mcg.net.