Pentecost Sacred Arts Festival
Our Lady of Grace Church
310 Kane Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA 15243
412.279.7070
olgscott.org
The 2018 Pentecost Sacred Arts Festival at Our Lady of Grace Parish in Scott Township is a showcase of inspired talent in art, literature, and music. Visitors to this free, five-day festival enjoy a unique encounter with the arts in the Judeo-Christian tradition as interpreted by painters, iconographers, sculptors, musicians, poets and authors from Western Pennsylvania and the Midwest.
A juried exhibition of fifty original sacred artworks is the centerpiece of the festival held May 16-20. The culmination of this year’s PSAF occurs on Pentecost Sunday, May 20 with the 11:30 a.m. “Mass of Hope”, an original composition in the jazz idiom by Joe Negri, nationally renowned jazz guitarist and television personality, accompanied by his jazz ensemble, cantors and the Our Lady of Grace Church Choir. Following the Mass, the PSAF concludes with an Artists’ Reception and Awards Ceremony in the Keefer Hall Gallery beneath the Church from 1-3 p.m. where the 5 winners of the $1,200 in prizes will be announced, including the People’s Choice Award.
Linus Meldrum, MFA, distinguished juror for the art exhibition, will give a framing presentation entitled: “Sacred Art: Bread and Body,” at 7 p.m. on the opening night of the PSAF, Wednesday, May 16th. Meldrum is an Assistant Professor of Art at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he teaches Studio Arts in Painting, Drawing, Design and Iconography. A graduate of the Yale School of Art with an MFA in Painting and Printmaking, Meldrum has exhibited in over 400 regional, national and international exhibitions. His scholarly articles on sacred art have appeared in publications such as CRISIS MAGAZINE, QUAESTIONES DISPUTATE and THE CATECHETICAL REVIEW. Meldrum also serves as Visual Art Consultant to the Foundation of Sacred Art.
Ryan Wilson, award winning poet and Professor of Literature at Catholic University of America in Washington, D. C., will read a selection of his poetry at the PSAF on Saturday, May 19th, at 4:00 p.m. Wilson is editor of the journal, LITERARY MATTERS, and author of THE STRANGER WORLD, winner of the Donald Justice Poetry Prize. His work was chosen for BEST AMERICAN POETRY 2018. His poetry appears in diverse journals, including FIRST THINGS, THE HOPKINS REVIEW and THE YALE REVIEW. His literary criticism has received awards from The Robert Penn Warren Circle (2014), THE SEWANEE REVIEW (2015) and DAPPLED THINGS (2016).
Among the local musicians, Mike Gallagher, popular Pittsburgh folk singer, will precede Ryan Wilson on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. with original, folk and traditional ballads.
Among the local authors, Sam Hazo, poet laureate of Pennsylvania and Professor Emeritus of Duquesne University, will recite a selection from his treasury of poems on Thursday, May 17th at 7 p.m. Hazo, founder of the Pittsburgh Poetry Forum, is the author of over thirty books of poetry, drama, fiction criticism and essays.
All of the literary and musical performances will occur in the Keefer Hall Gallery so that visitors can both view the art exhibition and hear the readings and music.
The full 2018 Pentecost Sacred Arts Festival schedule of events, May 16-20, including gallery hours, can be accessed at www.olgscott.org or by calling (412) 279-7070. Original artworks, books and CD’s will be available for purchase throughout the festival.
The 2018 PSAF is free to the public.