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Houses of Worship as Public Art

THE HERALD NEWS
By Paul Cienniwa
Rose window: Espirito Santo Church
MASSACHUETTS---In Monday’s post, I wrote about the lack of public art in New England, but I did mention that, “in many ways, New England doesn’t need public art installations, since we have a plethora of historic buildings, houses of worship, and city centers.” From a sheer aesthetic point of view, what would Fall River be without its religious infrastructure? And, my atheist friends, you don’t have to be religious to appreciate how Fall River’s pallette is shaped by its houses of worship. As you walk or drive by our city’s religious buildings, I invite you to think of them as works of art. Be a tourist and stop in--you might be surprised by what you find inside. [link]
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Ernest Disney-Britton said…
I recently enjoyed an exchange with an artist-friend who was an advocate for churches, and particularly Roman Catholic churches to sell-off their Fine Art collections inorder to increase their giving to the poor and victimized. On the other hand, this same friend was really upset that the collection held by the Detroit Institute of Arts might be sold to pay-off the debts of the city of Detroit. What's the difference? In my mind they are both short-sighted suggestions because both the collections of DIA and of our churches are held in the public-trust. They are works that enrich the lives off all and they should be protected as such. Paul Cienniwa's argument here that our Houses of Worship are works of Public Art supports my argument. I'd add to this that these churches like secular public art, and incontrast to many private and public art museums not only enrich all our lives, they are also "free" for the viewing. Case in point, the admission to the Metropolitan Museum of Art is $25 but to see a collection of comparable quality, one can visit Saint John's Church of the Divine and view works by designer Henry Wilson, South African artist Jane Alexander, and even Keith Haring, as well as other remarkable works in their collection (or temporarily on exhibit) of religious icons, tapestries and paintings from the 16th through 20th centuries---all for "free." If we are to protect our secular museums as important component of the public trust (and we should), then we must be just as vigilant if not more so to protecting our public access to our houses of worship. For more on the remarkable works at Saint John's please watch this YouTube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJgk0XWs4Dg
Fri Sep 27, 12:49:00 PM EDT
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