Conference hears of ‘golden age’
for religious art

NEW YORK, United States — NEW YORK, United States — Religious art is experiencing a golden age in the United States, evidenced by both public and religious galleries in Houston, St Louis, and New York, among other places, according to speakers at a symposium held at the American Bible Society (ABS) in October.

“A greater public interest now in talking about religious experience” makes this a time of heightened awareness about religious art, according to Gustav Niebuhr, former religion writer for The New York Times and now visiting fellow for the Center for the Study of Religions at Princeton University.

Dr Patricia Pongracz, curator of the ABS Gallery, said that five years ago the Gallery was totally unknown. Since then its exhibitions have attracted more than 35,000 visitors and have received favourable reviews in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post and elsewhere. It has proved to be a boon both for those who enjoy it for aesthetic reasons and for those who find in it a quiet oasis of Christian spiritual treasures, she said.

James Clifton, director of the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation, described how historic works of art featuring Jesus were positively received in a public museum and on public television. This exposure avoided proselytizing but at the same time, provided inspiration to devout Christians.

Breaking down the division between art and Christian belief is an ongoing focus of the Gallery at the ABS, noted Dr Ena Heller, the Gallery’s director. “Being part of an organisation whose mission is to engage with the Scripture, we don’t have to make apologies for organising exhibitions with overtly religious content and to discuss it as such,” she said.