Beyond • Aesthetics

February 15, 2008 - May 25, 2008

United-LeGard Galleries

Exhibit Details

This exhibition will shed light on art as a persistent religious inflection and also prompt us to literally view religion from an objective and artistic perspective. The emphasis of the exhibition is that level of tradition shared by each that binds them throughout history, in any media, in any culture, in any faith. The works in this exhibition transcend beyond aesthetics just as they cannot be isolated by religious terms. Three artists are showcased in this exhibition, each of who practice one of the three Abrahamic religions: Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Dr. Halide Salam, Professor of Art at Radford University, begins with her Islamic background and faith to produce large-scale paintings that eventually arrive at a plane of personal spirituality. Mary Jane Miller, an Abingdon native now working near San Miguel, Mexico, revives the Christian icon as an important connection between human devotion and the divine. Arnold Schwarzbart, residing in Knoxville, Tenn., has designed both ceremonial and decorative pieces adhering to the traditions of Judaica.