|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recent Acquisitions Releases Press Release Archive |
Saint John's Bible Experts to Open TMA Exhibition Tyler, TX—Two experts intimately involved in the development and creation of The Saint John’s Bible will be guest speakers for the official opening June 9 of the exhibition Illuminating the Word: The Saint John’s Bible at the Tyler Museum of Art. Dianne von Arx, a Minneapolis-based graphic artist and calligrapher who has worked on the $4 million Bible project, along with Tim Ternes, director of public programs and education at the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library of Saint John’s University in Collegeville, MN, will present a lecture entitled “From Inspiration to Illumination” June 9 at 5:30 p.m. at Tyler Junior College Wise Auditorium, directly across the street from Tyler Museum of Art. Tickets for the lecture are available by calling (903)595-1001. Prices, which include admission to the TMA galleries, are $8 for Tyler Museum of Art members, $20 for non-members, $18 for college students and seniors. The galleries will remain open until 7:30 p.m. following the lecture to allow attendees time to view the exhibition. Described by Smithsonian magazine as “one of the extraordinary undertakings of our times,” The Saint John’s Bible is considered by many to be the most significant handwritten and hand-illuminated (illustrated) Bible commissioned since the advent of the printing press more than 500 years ago. Saint John’s Abbey and Saint John’s University commissioned the project, described as a “Bible for the new millennium.” Although a contemporary work, it is created in the tradition of handwritten medieval manuscripts, being written entirely by hand by some of the world’s foremost calligraphers using quills and paints hand-ground from precious minerals and stones. The illumination term comes from the extensive use of 24-karat gold in the illustrations which appear to glow on the pages. Ms. von Arx who is nationally recognized for her graphic artwork and package designs for such commercial customers as Yoplait Yogurt, General Mills, Hormel and Kemp’s ice cream, described her work on The Saint John’s Bible as the most challenging job in her career. “I don’t have children, so this is probably the only thing I’ve done that will outlive me,” von Arx observed of her work on the Bible project. She added that although she had years of professional calligraphy experience and had worked on vellum (calf-skin made into pages) before, she described her reaction to actually putting ink on the two-foot-tall Saint John’s pages as “very scary.” In addition to speaking at the opening event, Ms. von Arx also will give a calligraphy demonstration in the Museum lobby June 9 from 10 a.m. to noon, and again from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The calligraphy demonstrations are free but space is limited so early arrival is recommended. As time permits, Ms. von Arx will also create personalized bookmarks and name plates for TMA visitors during the demonstration. Ternes will give an overview of the project, its development and how The Saint John’s Bible will be used in religious services and educational programs in the future. He also will explain the role of Donald Jackson, one of the world’s foremost calligraphers and scribe to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s Crown Office at the House of Lords. As artistic director of the project, Jackson has worked for the past five years in a scriptorium in rural Wales, United Kingdom, with scribes and artists to write and illuminate The Saint John’s Bible. Theologians from Saint John’s Abbey and University and the College of Saint Benedict, together with consultants from other faiths, have worked with Jackson, providing theological briefs that direct the interpretation of scripture, using the Revised Standard Version (RSV) in the illustrations. Based on these briefs, Jackson and his team of scribes and artists have created illuminations reflecting a multicultural world and human achievement in science, technology, and space travel. Because the project is an interfaith undertaking, Jackson has incorporated imagery from Eastern and Western religious traditions, as well as influences from Native American cultures. For example, an illumination in Gospels and Acts depicts the Earth as seen from space, a contemporary interpretation of the planet’s place in the universe. Illuminations throughout Psalms show artistic renderings of digital voiceprints of Saint John’s monks chanting the Psalms—intersected with digital voiceprints of calls to prayer in Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, Sufi, and Native American religious traditions. Scheduled for completion in 2007, The Saint John’s Bible will consist of 1150 pages in seven volumes. Tyler Museum of Art’s exhibition, which runs through September 3, will include pages from the first three completed volumes of The Saint John’s Bible: the Pentateuch (the first five books of Jewish and Christian scripture), Gospels and Acts, and Psalms. Pages on view will include The Seven Days of Creation, Genesis, The Garden of Eden, Jacob’s Ladder, The Ten Commandments, The Parable of the Loaves and Fishes, The Sermon on the Mount, The Parable of the Sower and the Seed, The Birth of Christ, Dinner at the Pharisee’s House, The Woman Accused of Adultery, The Raising of Lazarus, The Death of Moses, and The Crucifixion. The exhibition also includes examples of sacred texts from non-Christian religions and artwork from the special collections of Saint John’s University. The Saint John’s Bible will tour to libraries and museums worldwide, although the Tyler Museum of Art is the only Texas museum currently scheduled to exhibit the works. After leaving Tyler in September, the exhibition will be displayed in the Library of Congress, the Naples (Florida) Art Museum, the Phoenix Art Museum and the Mobile Museum of Art. The Prophets volume will be displayed at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, with additional venues currently being scheduled. Admission to Illuminating the Word: The Saint John’s Bible is free to TMA members, $10 for adults, $8 for students and seniors, $5 for children 13-17 years, $2 for children 3-12 years, and free for children under 3 years old. Special group rates are also available by making reservations at least two weeks in advance by calling 903-595-1001. |