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2021 Feast of St. Francis Lecture

This exhibition has ended.

Thursday, October 14th, 2021

You are invited to join Artist Brian Whelan on Thursday, October 14, at 7:00 p.m. (U.S. Eastern)

London-born Irish artist Brian Whelan will present the 2021 Feast of St. Francis Lecture, focused every year on a different passion of the poor man of Assisi. This year’s lecture falls under the theme of “rebuilding the church,” but interpreted broadly and maybe better put: making room for the vertical dimension of life. The lecture is entitled "Praying the Game: How I Found My Place as an Artist in a Secular Age,” with a response from Lalaine Little, Director, Pauly Friedman Art Gallery, Misericordia University.

Whelan is that rare artist nowadays whose work often explores religious themes. His paintings have been exhibited and belong to collections throughout Europe and the United States. The Nobel Prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney described Whelan’s work as “bold and commanding”; the art critic Sister Wendy Beckett described it as “clear, strong, prayerful work, with joy at its center.” Another critic wrote, “It’s as if a medieval stonemason had been given a box of paints.” Here is a review, and here is a link to pictures of his paintings, which you’ll see are vibrant and playful.

By the way, this lecture will be the McGowan Center’s first “hybrid” event, taking place on Zoom but also before a limited, in-person audience. Post-pandemic, the plan is to hold all the Center’s events in that format. If you would be interested in helping the Center to make the events as Zoom-friendly as possible, please follow this link to learn how to support the McGowan Center’s programming.