Boston College alumna Catherine Lamkin '77, co-curator of "The Holy City: Art of Love, Unity and Resurrection," spoke at the exhibit's opening at the Theology and Ministry Library. (Photos by Lee Pellegrini)
In the aftermath of the 2015 shooting that left nine people dead after Bible study in Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC, a group of artists turned to the familiar tools of their craft as a way to pay tribute to the victims, encourage healing, and provoke thoughtful discourse.
Nearly a year later, âThe Holy City: Art of Love, Unity and Resurrectionâ an exhibition of more than 60 original worksâincluding quilts, dolls, paintings, and potteryâopened in a pop-up gallery in Charlestown. According to the organizers, visitors from 15 countries viewed the exhibition, many of them visibly moved and tearful.
Sixteen quilts and two framed illustrations from that exhibit are now on display at the Theology and Ministry Library on Brighton Campus through April 20. "The Holy City: Art of Love, Unity and Resurrectionâ exhibit at 51²è¹Ý coincides with Black History Month and the Season of Non Violence.
Speaking at the Feb. 8 opening, exhibit co-curator Catherine Lamkin, a 1977 alumna and resident of Charleston, recalled the day of the mass shooting and the extreme sorrow that followed. Lamkin knew four of the Emanuel Nineâas the victims are often called. Her daughterâs close friends lost a mother and grandmother to the violence.
Lamkin said working on this exhibit and watching visitors respond to it, showed her that âart heals.â
Lamkin is a master art quilter whose work has been exhibited by the African-American Civil War Museum and the Historical Society in Washington, D.C., the San Francisco Museum of the African Diaspora, and the American Folk Art Museum in New York City.
Co-curator Catherine Lamkin (left) poses with artist Kimberly Love Radcliffe, whose quilt "A Window to My Father's House" is part of the exhibit.
Many of the quilts in "The Holy Cityâ exhibit strike themes of forgiveness, healing, and sorrow. The Emanuel Nine are represented on several quilts as hearts, doves, and crosses.
Lamkinâs quilt, titled âSweet Hour of Prayer: Praying for Peace,â incorporates the colors of Mother Emmanuel church, purple and gold. Each of victimsâ names is stitched onto the quilt along with a cross and hands clasped in prayer. The Emanuel Nine are represented by small shells sewn onto the fabric.
Tooreah (Cookie) Washington, the exhibitâs co-curator, has two quilts in the 51²è¹Ý exhibit: âBlack Madonnaâ and âGrieving for the Holy City.â In the latter, nine peace medals are suspended from the top of the quilt, along with the words âhope.â In the waters depicted at the bottom of the quilt are âformer things that will have passed away.â Sewn into the waters are beads that spell out words such as âprejudice,â âhate,â and âbitterness.â
Lamkin called a quilt titled âAnd the Angels Criedâ by Aisha Lumumba a favorite. The quilt is set on swirls of green and blue and features three angels with bowed heads and closed eyes. The artist sewed clear beads on each of the angelsâ faces to represent their tears.
The works in âThe Holy Cityâ exhibit were created by members of the Passages Artist Collective, an assembly of fine artists working in diverse media to tell the stories of the global African diaspora. Their works, sometimes mournful, sometimes celebratory, sometimes defiant and often hopeful, provoke the viewer to deep thought and spiritual awakening about shared history and humanity.
The presentation of âThe Holy Cityâ at Boston College is sponsored by Boston College Libraries, School of Theology and Ministry, and the Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center.
Ìý
âKathleen Sullivan | University Communications