Online BUSTH Art Exhibit Now Open
September 2020 – Before the COVID-19 pandemic required social distancing and fewer students to be on campus, the School of Theology Mary Elizabeth and Allen Moore Community Center was a hub for STH students, and artworks on the walls of the Center surrounded them as they studied together, relaxed together, and were in fellowship with one another. Thanks to the ingenuity of STH Archivist and Preservation Librarian, Kara Jackman, STH will continue to offer art exhibitions in a new online medium. The current exhibit is titled “Who is My Neighbor?”, featuring works by John August Swanson. According to Jackman, Swanson’s style is “influenced by the imagery of Islamic and medieval miniatures, Russian iconography, the color of Latin American folk art, and the tradition of Mexican muralists.”
“The year 2020 continues to emerge as a flashpoint for change,” says Jackman. “I cannot think of a better artist to represent the needed inspiration, hope, and positivity than John August Swanson. His use of color, figurative drawings, and quotations from famed luminaries, religious leaders, writers, and philosophers remind us that we are the change agents charged with making the world a more accepting and loving place.”