We thank all the artists that took the time to submit their artwork to the upcoming 13th Annual Art Sacred Art Exhibition. The Sacred Art Exhibition began in 1998, before Box Heart Gallery, with the concept of exploring an artist's interpretation of the sacred. The tradition of this exhibition continues this summer with notification to the artists selected for participation in the 2009 Sacred Art Exhibition. Over 100 entries, from regional, national, and international artists, were received this year. Of these entries, 20 artists were selected for participation and a variety of art work in various medias will be exhibited.

The basis for an invitation to participate in The Sacred Art Exhibition is sensitive to the diversity of work submitted; Box Heart strives to recognize that artists make art for different reasons and from different experiences. Box Heart looks closely for works that convey evidence of personal creative explorations and artistic commitment that directly relate to the purpose of the exhibition. A large part of determining the artist’s commitment to the exhibition’s theme rests solely on their ability to convey this evidence through the artist statement. The execution of the art work - as related to the artist’s intention - is then considered.

The artwork selected for this year’s Sacred Art Exhibition asks how science creates meaning as a background of ideas and stories which sets us against our day-to-day lives. Rather than thinking of the “sacred” as speaking to some imaginary supernatural realm, the artists see it as an attitude of attention that science asks of us in response to even the smallest thing. Photographer Scott Davidson writes, "There are objects we hold to be sacred, and whether sanctified or heathen, an intimate connection with the sacred is usually a transitory event." In Liz Rundorff Smith's paintings there is "evidence of the sacred in the practice of everyday life. The rituals of daily existence connect the present with the past, forming a thread through time which make the mundane sacred."
Science shows us what is sacred in the mundane. It makes the ordinary stand out and speak for itself. Artist Aimee Manion is a vessel for the creative force that flows from within her. Her artwork is a "means of communicating the ineffable aspects of life." Through that attention, science simultaneously connects us with many millennia of spiritual tradition, and turns those traditions on their head. In creating, printmaker Jessica Somers "was seeking, and that seeking was her sincerest form of worship. She was looking into herself to find the ancientness at the root of human life, looking outward to understand how suffering is a timeless, even beautiful force that unites all people." What is sacred is always right before us.

Join us for the public reception of this year's Sacred Art Exhibition on Saturday, August 22nd. To view this years participating artists, select the link for Participants above!

View the exhibition!