The Alva de Mars Megan Chapel Art Center is pleased to begin this fall with a new exhibition, The MacDonald Collection~ In Conversation. The exhibition which will be available from October 29, 2021 through February 11, 2022, is part of the Chapel Arts Center’s permanent MacDonald Collection brought up from the archives. In years past, the collection was shown in previous exhibitions including the introduction in 2002, and The Sacred and the Ordinary in 2010 and in 2017. The collection was brought to the Chapel Arts Center with the help of donor Mr. Hugh MacIsaac.
The MacDonald Collection does not follow a specific compositional theme. Viewers will come to notice the variety of mediums including paintings, etchings, and sculptures.
“Works included are delicate, exquisite prints by Rembrandt, Dürer, Domenico Tiepolo, to name a few, as well as works by many women modernists such as Marian Harris, Dorothea Greenbaum, and Elizabeth Grandin,” says Father Iain MacLellan, O.S.B., the Chapel Art Center’s director.
The collection has been a staple in the gallery due to its rich content seen as a representation of the liberal arts college; the Catholic faith working within everyday life and Catholic mysteries. This newest exhibition will take a plunge into exploring the concept in further detail. Viewers are challenged to find comparison within the contrasting works of art which share Catholic themes.
The MacDonald Collection~ In Conversation will show beloved works of art that have been displayed and others that have not. Viewers will once again be able to see The Last Judgment by Daniel Hopfer, which is etching on iron created in the early 16th century. Hopfer creates a visual representation of the unknown; Christ will come to judge the living and the dead. Viewers will also experience new additions to the permanent collection that have never before been on display.
Father Iain welcomes all to visit and hopes to see new faces.
Additional Programs
Thurs., Nov. 4, 2021: Director’s Tour, 4 p.m. join Fr. Iain MacLellan, OSB, Director, for a tour of selected works in the exhibition. The tour will be an opportunity to learn about the curatorial process in the selection of works, and the interesting intentions behind certain acquisitions in the MacDonald Collection.
Wed., Feb. 9, 2022: A Midday Conversation, 12:30 p.m. Please join us for what promises to be an enlightening conversation between gallery staff, faculty, community members, and friends regarding the relationship between certain paired works of art. The format will be informal and lively, with a variety of viewpoints to help inform the meaning of the MacDonald Collection.