VCU news

By Brian McNeill

The Marcia Powell Festival of Religion and the Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University will bring together artists, luminaries, academic experts and the public to discuss the interplay of religion, spirituality and art in the creation of meaning, understanding, community and connection.

The festival, which will be held April 9–12, will be hosted by VCU's School of World Studies in the College of the Humanities and Sciences. Attendance is free and open to the public. For details and a full schedule of events and places, please go to:  http://rampages.us/mpfestival/about-the-festival/

"We hope that this conference will inspire ongoing research and dialogue about how art and religion go about answering the all-important question of what it means to be human in our ever-changing world," said co-organizer Isabelle Richman, Ph.D., co-coordinator of religious studies and faculty associate of religious studies.

U.S. Poet Laureate Charles Wright will open the conference on April 9 from 7-8 p.m. with a reading of his poems.

Wright describes his poetry as a "contemplation of the divine" that is deeply infused with religion and Southern spirituality. He is the author of 24 poetry collections, two books of essays and three books of translation. His honors include the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. He was named U.S. Poet Laureate in October and is currently serving a one-year term.

In the following days, performers, artists and scholars will explore the influence of Zen Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam on contemporary art.

Clifford Edwards, Ph.D., a professor of philosophy and religious studies in VCU's Religious Studies program, will open the proceedings on Friday with a plenary session on the spiritual in the art of Vincent van Gogh. Later that day, following academic panels and artist workshops, noted women's scholar Ferris Olin, Ph.D., of Rutgers University will speak on women and art in the Middle East.  

Saturday will open with a lecture on Judaism and art by Georgetown University scholar Ori Soltes, Ph.D.

Following more academic panels and interactive workshops, the day will culminate at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts with a panel discussion between artists and scholars, who will describe how religion and spirituality are entwined and expressed in their own work.

In a talk titled "Blue Like Me," the artist Siona Benjamin will discuss the experience of being raised Jewish in India. Nina Paley, maker of award-winning short animated films, will describe how themes in Islam and Hinduism are entwined with American jazz in her films. Stephen Addiss, Ph.D., a professor of art history and the Tucker-Boatwright Professor in the Humanities at the University of Richmond, will present his work and scholarship on Japanese calligraphy. Howard Risatti, Ph.D., emeritus professor of the School of the Arts at VCU, will trace the historic divide between Protestants and Catholics in Europe over the place of images and art.

On Sunday local artist Ed Trask — one of the founders of Richmond's own artistic renaissance — will host a brunch and bus tour of Richmond's murals.

Throughout the conference, partner organizations such as the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Visual Arts Center of Richmond and the Acts of Faith Theatre festival will host many of the special events and performances.  

"We are grateful to the Powell-Edwards Fund and to VCU President [Michael] Rao’s Quest for Innovation Fund for their support of this extraordinary gathering of artists, scholars and the public," said Mark Wood, Ph.D., director of the School of World Studies. "We look forward to what is certain to be a wonderful three days of lively conversation about religion and the arts."

Edwards said the festival will honor the memory Marcia Powell, a graduate of VCU who taught for many years as an invited lecturer on religion and the arts. "She enjoyed sharing her interest in the arts and her fascination for the part music, painting and literature played in the history of spirituality," he said.