Work of Artist and Trappist Monk on View in the Cantor Resource Gallery

The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery at the College of the Holy Cross will present the work of Fr. James Palmigiano in the Cantor Resource Gallery now through Dec.17, 2014. An opening reception will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 5 – 7 p.m.

Fr. James Palmigiano is an artist and member of the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance, known familiarly as Trappists, residing at Saint Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Mass..

His collages reflect his experience of life in the monastery, with the apparent harmony of each piece born of a process of adding and subtracting, organizing and rearranging in a search for balance, order and presence.

The daily routines of prayer and work within the community appear to offer a seamless, uncluttered beauty and orderliness, but in reality the daily striving for faithfulness in a monk’s duties and devotion to God’s mercy are always present. This is the matrix from which his work emerges, where the struggles of the contemplative life mirrors that of the creative process.

Fr. Palmigiano elaborates, “It is about organizing and then tearing things apart, letting the work of art get ruined and then trying to salvage what I can from the confusion. Things fall to pieces, and then, if I’m lucky with a bit of nudging they coalesce into a whole. I keep watch, trying to make sense of it all.”

Roger Hankins, director of the Cantor Art Gallery, was mindful of the connection between Fr. Palmigiano’s work and the exhibition on view in the main Gallery space, “The Italian Presepe: Cultural Landscapes of the Soul,” co-curated by Margot Balboni and Sarah Stanbury, the Monsignor Murray Professor in the Arts and Humanities in the English department.  According to Hankins, “I saw a strong complement to the organization, intricacies of detail and craft found in Palmigiano’s contemporary work and that of Presepe constructions – and they are both expressions of devotion in their own way.”

Fr. Palmigiano holds a B.F.A. from the Rhode Island School of Design, an M.F.A. from Columbia University, and his M.Div. and Th.M. from the Jesuit School of Theology, Berkeley. He was ordained in 1988 and entered Saint Joseph’s Abbey in 1991. He has taught as an assistant professor of fine arts at Boston College. His work has recently been seen in group shows at Anna Maria College and solo exhibitions at Saint Anselm College, Manchester, NH and McGowan Fine Arts, Concord, NH.

Fr. Palmigiano will give a talk about his work Tuesday, October 21, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. in the Gallery.

EVENTS

Wednesday, Sept. 3, 10 a.m. Exhibit opens: “James Palmigiano: Recent Colleges”

Tuesday, Sept. 23, 5 - 7 p.m. Opening reception, Cantor Art Gallery

Tuesday, Oct. 21, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. Gallery Talk by Fr. James Palmigiano, Cantor Art Gallery

The Gallery will be closed during Thanksgiving Break, November 26 – 30, 2014.

Gallery Information

Founded in 1983 through the generosity of Iris & B. Gerald Cantor, the Cantor Art Gallery serves both as a venue for a changing series of historical and contemporary public exhibitions, as well as a vital resource for Holy Cross faculty and students, linking exhibitions to the broader liberal arts curriculum.

The hours for the Cantor Art Gallery are Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Saturdays and 2 – 5 p.m. Located in O’Kane Hall, 1st Floor, College of the Holy Cross, 1 College Street, Worcester, Mass., 01610.  Visitors needing assistance with handicap accessibility should contact Public Safety at 508-793-2011. Admission to the gallery is free.

For additional information please call 508-793-3356 or visit the Gallery’s website at: holycross.edu/cantorartgallery.