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The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Scribe Sue Hufton at the opening of the
MIA exhibition.
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts Curated and Debut National
Exhibition Tour Illuminating The Word: The Saint John’s Bible
April 10 to July 3, 2005
When it came time to select a venue for unveiling the first illuminated
page of The Saint John’s Bible, Saint John’s University turned to its
long-time partner and friend, the
Minneapolis Institute of Arts. There, in
March 1999, the world received a glimpse of the first handwritten Bible in
the modern era. Throngs of guests gathered around a glass case eyeing a
vellum page depicting Jesus’ family tree – the genealogy of Jesus as
recounted in the Gospel of Matthew.
It is only fitting that the Minneapolis Institute
of Arts has announced its intention to curate the national exhibition tour
of The Saint John’s Bible as well as to host the exhibition premiere in
April of 2005.
"The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is honored to work with our friends at
Saint John’s on their extraordinary Bible," said Dr. Evan Maurer, director
and CEO of the MIA. "The chance to exhibit and bring to the broader public
the actual pages of The Saint John’s Bible is extraordinary."
"Artist Donald Jackson is continuing the great tradition of handwritten
Bibles whose roots go back to the ancient scribes of Israel and the five
Books of Moses that are the core of the Old Testament Hebrew Bible," added
Maurer. "What better thing can you work on than Holy Scripture?"
The Saint John’s Bible is of interest to museums because it is an epic
work of art that has great value to historians, manuscript scholars and
bibliophiles. But it is the sacred character of The Saint John’s Bible that
makes it such a divine fit for the MIA. "This is a museum very involved in
sacred art around the world and biblical subjects. It is a very big part of
what we do," noted Maurer. "This is a wonderful opportunity to bring into
focus the larger issues of spirituality, ecumenism, art and religion."
In addition to being the first museum to exhibit work from The Saint
John’s Bible, the MIA will also curate the exhibition and help organize the
national tour. Letters of invitation will be sent to museums in select
cities around the country – New York City, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles and
Seattle, to name a few -- with the goal of booking up to five additional
sites.
The Saint John’s Bible exhibition will be on display in the 7,500-sq. ft.
Target Gallery at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. It will consist of
60-70 items from the first three volumes of The Saint John’s Bible (the
Gospels and the Acts, the Pentateuch and the Psalms),
including illuminations, handwritten pages, tools, materials and interactive
displays.
A number of people have been involved in the exhibition planning process,
including representatives from Saint John’s, the MIA, design consultants,
and, of course, Donald Jackson and his staff. "We are working together to
identify the theme or core story for the exhibition," observed Rob Culligan,
vice president for institutional advancement at Saint John’s University.
"The Saint John’s Bible represents ‘a conversation with the sacred,’ and we
seek to provide people with a sensory experience of this work of art and how
and why it is being made."
"The Bible exhibition has to be three dimensional," said Carol Marrin,
director of The Saint John’s Bible. "It has to be about books. It has to be
about the art. It has to be about scripture. We don’t frame scripture and
put it on the wall and think this is how people will experience it."
"By experiencing The Saint John’s Bible, we hope that people will want to
learn more about Saint John’s," said Marrin. "We hope they will decide to
come to Saint John’s to experience scripture, the book arts and our art
collections. We want people to discover that this project is one of many
things that Saint John’s has to offer."
This is not the first time Donald Jackson or Saint John’s University has
partnered with the MIA to exhibit works of art. In 1988, the London Link
brought an exhibit of Donald Jackson’s work called Painting with Words to
the MIA. In 1995, the MIA hosted First Fire, an exhibition of the pottery of
Richard Bresnahan, artist-in–residence at Saint John’s University.
"We are looking forward to working with Saint John’s on this latest
exhibition," said Maurer. "It is a privilege for us to be associated with
this project that will bring a contemporary celebration of the beauty and
power of these sacred texts to our community."
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