Craft in the Service of Worship

December 4th, 2009 at 02:34pm JenScan

The church (and by “church” I mean all religious groups) has historically been an important patron of the arts, and we found that this was especially true in the postwar period when many new churches and synagogues were built. So, we are including a section in Making it Real of “Craft in the Service of Worship.” Below is an image of a work by tile artist Jean Nison that appeared in the Museum’s 1958 exhibition The Patron Church, which examined this phenomenon:

Jean Nison, Alpha and Omega, 1958; Glazed ceramic tiles

Jean Nison, Alpha and Omega, 1958; Glazed ceramic tiles

The exciting thing about this period was an openness toward more contemporary, less traditional forms, both in the religious objects and in the architecture. When we were visiting The Jewish Museum here in New York to research objects for this section, we were blown away by the bimah screen done by Ibram Lassaw for the Kneses Tifereth Israel Synagogue in Port Chester, New York (the architect for the synagogue was Philip Johnson). Below  you can see the Eternal Light Lassaw made in front of the screen, but the whole, massive, spectacular bimah is on display at the Jewish Museum:
Ibram Lassaw, Eternal Light, 1956; Copper sheet covered with bronze and chromium bronze; The Jewish Museum, New York

Ibram Lassaw, Eternal Light, 1956; Copper sheet covered with bronze and chromium bronze; The Jewish Museum, New York

And check out some of the amazing serigraphs by Sister Mary Corita currently on view at the Zach Feuer Gallery  (visit it now! The show closes on the 5th):

Sister Mary Corita, Wide Open, 1964; Serigraph; Corita Art Center

Sister Mary Corita, Wide Open, 1964; Serigraph; Corita Art Center

This must have been a time of great excitement, as houses of worship were infused with new energy and artists, designers, craftspeople and architects had the opportunity to rethink centuries-old traditions.

We are still looking for church-commissioned pieces for the exhibition that reflect this openness to a contemporary aesthetic. We have some wonderful silver pieces, and are currently interested in textiles. If anyone knows of any beautiful wall treatments, banners, or vestments, commissioned from professional craftspeople, we would love to hear about them.

Ron Pearson, Chalice, 1959

Ron Pearson, Chalice, 1959; Museum of Arts and Design

Entry Filed under: crafting modernism,mad collection

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