Events
Opening Reception: Notebooks
The Luce Center is pleased to host Notebooks, a solo exhibition of works by Mojdeh Rezaeipour.
Mojdeh Rezaeipour is an Iranian-born transdisciplinary artist who works primarily in mixed media, installation, and film. Their research and creative projects are excavations of material memory, both personal and collective. Mojdeh is the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, and they currently serve as an Artist In Residence at the Henry Luce III Center for Art and Religion.
Please join us at the Dadian Gallery on Thursday, April 18 for a special evening reception with the artist. We look forward to seeing you there!
Opening Reception for Paradise Lost: The Art of Siona Benjamin
The Luce Center is pleased to partner with Sephardic Heritage International, DC (SHIN-DC) for the launch of Paradise Lost: The Art of Siona Benjamin. Anchored by the artist's dynamic installation, Exodus: I See Myself in You, this exhibition brings together iconic works from across her oeuvre to explore questions around the human pursuit of paradise—the elusive, alluring notion of an ideal permanent home—in an age of forced migration and displacement.
Join us at the Dadian Gallery on Thursday, February 15 for a special evening reception with the artist. This event is graciously sponsored by SHIN-DC and is open to the public. We look forward to seeing you there!
Sacred Art and Ritual Gathering
The Wesley Community is excited to welcome multi-disciplinary artist, Nicoletta de la Brown, to lead us in sacred conversation and ritual. Sacred Art and Ritual Gathering is an intentional gathering of kindred spirits to center ourselves for the New Year. Surrounded by art in the Dadian Gallery, we will enjoy peaceful reflection, tea, and discuss how the divinity of art can guide us on our spiritual journeys. All are welcome to join us Thursday, January 11 at 11 a.m. in the Dadian Gallery for this sacred gathering.
Please RSVP to Jessie Houff at jhouff@wesleyseminary.edu
Exhibition Launch: Sacred Ground
Sacred Ground is an art exhibit that explores the deep connection of what it means to be a spiritual creator, an artist, and a child of God. Comprised of 14 Baltimore-based artists, Sacred Ground represents each artists' intersection of art and spirituality. The show will run from December 5-February 13.
Co-curated by Sarah McCann and Jessie Houff.
Celebration and Unveiling of Works by Debra Ambush
Join Luce Center's Dr. Debra Ambush as she unveils artworks created for the Oxnam Chapel Narthex to be in conversation with the historic Wesley Mural.
Exhibition Launch: En Route by Güler Ates
We welcome everyone to join us on Tuesday September 5 at 2pm at the Dadian Gallery for the opening reception of En Route by Güler Ates.
Exhibition Launch: In League with Devils by Michael Petry
“I am in league with devils. I feel like an archaeologist sifting through the sands of time to uncover the old stories, the old myths, the old beliefs on which modern believers act…In my most recent bodies of work, I have reveled in the queerness—seen as devilish by modern religions—in my character. I have bathed in the spirit of the ancients. Marduk and Thor, Brigit and Ra, Janus and Seth are only a few of the now mythologized gods of old. They are no longer held in the respect they were, but does that stop them from being gods? Is it simply time that morphs a god into a myth, and if so what of the current gods, and devils? Will they too just become stories told around a camp fire?” — Michael Petry
LOGOS Reading ft. Carolyn Forché + Roger Reeves
The Luce Center is pleased to partner with the LOGOS Poetry Collective and Washington Episcopal Diocese to present an evening of poetry, ritual, and conversation featuring distinguished writers Carolyn Forché and Roger Reeves. Join us at Busboys and Poets in Northeast DC’s Brookland neighborhood on Wednesday, March 29 from 7–8:30PM. You won’t want to miss this exciting, FREE event, so be sure to mark your calendars and tell your friends!
Poetry and Ministry Workshop
The Luce Center is pleased to host Rev Dr Travis Helms for a workshop on poetry as a resource for ministry. The workshop will be grounded in principles of close-reading techniques and includes both theoretical and practical elements. Participants will be inspired to imagine new ways of incorporating poetry into preaching, spiritual formation, and pastoral care. This event is open to the whole Wesley community, including alumni. Light refreshments will be served.
Exhibition Launch: VIRAL \ VALUE by Jordan Eagles
VIRAL \ VALUE sets the value systems of art, religion, and healthcare into dynamic discussion, challenging us to think about whose lives, experiences, and stories are acknowledged and valued, in what contexts, and by whom.
Creative-In-Residence Office Hours
The Luce Center’s 2022-23 creative-in-residence, Rev Dr Travis Helms, will hold open office hours during his spring residency. Members of the Wesley community are warmly invited to drop by the Luce Center Director’s office (K-113) for a one-to-one session with Travis, during which time they may share some of their own creative work, discuss the writing process, learn about his current projects, or explore ideas for using the arts in ministry. This time is set aside for you to explore imaginative possibilities in dialogue with a practicing poet and minister. All are welcome, and there’s no need to register in advance!
Exhibition Launch: The Box by Danielle Durchslag and Anne Mourier
In The Box, a two-person, multi-media art exhibition, artists Anne Mourier and Danielle Durchslag present a visual, feminist conversation about their faiths of origin. Raised Catholic and Jewish, respectively, both artists use a range of mediums to explore the complications, complexities, and confusions present in these patriarchal faiths.
Art as Ritual Practice with Nicoletta Darita de la Brown
Due to unforeseen circumstances, this event is postponed until after the new year. Updated information will come in 2023. Thank you.
The Luce Center for the Arts & Religion is thrilled to welcome interdisciplinary artist, Nicoletta Darita de la Brown, to Wesley's campus to lead an intentional art conversation. Participants at this gathering will learn about Nicoletta's dynamic artistic journey and will be led through a community focused art experience.
Photograph provided by Nicoletta Darita de la Brown
Experiencing Round-Naved Churches of Medieval England with Catherine Hundley
Join us for an afternoon lecture with the Luce Center’s own Dr. Catherine E. Hundley, who will be sharing insights from her research on sacred architecture in medieval England.
Cultivating a Missional Imagination Workshop
Join Rev. Dr. Travis Helms, the Luce Center’s 2022-23 creative-in-residence, for a special workshop designed to inspire and equip faith leaders towards creative approaches to mission and community engagement. We will begin by exploring key concepts around mission and imagination, with an emphasis on moving from theory to practice to poeisis. We’ll then dig into practical questions such as how to identify a community in need, launch a viable missional project, and sustain it through grass-roots fundraising, entrepreneurial collaboration, and strategic thinking—using LOGOS Poetry Collective as a case-study. The workshop is designed to be generative, and will incorporate exercises that allow participants to walk away with a workable vision and design for launching their own creative missional project!
This event is free and open to the public. Members of the Washington Theological Consortium and area clergy are especially welcome.
LOGOS Poetry Reading with E. Ethelbert Miller and Kirsten Porter
The Luce Center is thrilled to present a liturgically-inflected reading with the LOGOS Poetry Collective, featuring legendary DC poet-activist and rising literary talent Kirstin Porter! Join us at City-State Brewery on Wednesday, October 19 for an evening of poetry, conversation, and fellowship. This free event is generously sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, and will serve as the launch of a new arts-based ministry in Northeast DC, developed in collaboration with the Luce Center’s own Dr. Devon Abts.
Poetry Reading with Travis Helms, The Luce Center’s 2022-23 Creative-in-Residence
Join us in Wesley’s Oxam Chapel at 12:45 Tuesday, October 18th, to hear the Rev. Dr. Travis Helms read select poems, both published and from his current manuscript-in-progress. Immediately before his reading, Travis will be serving as guest preacher in Oxam Chapel for Wesley’s weekly community worship service. Come for the service, and stay for the poetry!
This event is free and open to the public.
Garden Renewal Work Event
The Luce Center is leading a major garden renewal project at Wesley Theological Seminary—and we’re inviting members and friends of the community to participate! Join us at our next working day in the Wesley garden as we continue our efforts to revitalize this precious resource, deepen practices of sustainability, and share in the joys of ecological care as a seminary community. This event is open to all regardless of gardening experience, and children are especially welcome.
All garden renewal working days will take place in the seminary garden, located behind Carroll Hall. A limited supply of gloves and tools will be available for volunteers to use.
Exhibition launch for Tobi Kahn’s Formation: Images of the Body
The Luce Center is thrilled to welcome artist Tobi Kahn for a very special launch of his dynamic solo exhibition, Formation: Images of the Body, on display in the Dadian Gallery and Seminary Board Room through the summer. Join us on Sunday, May 8, for an afternoon viewing with the artist and other special guests. Light refreshments will be served; all are welcome!
Online Panel Featuring Artist Tobi Kahn, co-sponsored by the Phillips Collection
The Luce Center is delighted to partner with the Phillips Collection to co-sponsored this special virtual event featuring artist Tobi Kahn in conversation with Aaron Rosen, Director of the Luce Center; Klaus Ottmann, Deputy Director for Academic Affairs and Special Initiatives at The Phillips Collection; and Debra Balken, independent curator and writer.
Living Sanctuary Closing Reception
This is the last week to see Living Sanctuary on display. All are welcome to join us this Tuesday, April 19 from 3:45-5pm for a closing reception.
We will have light refreshments and enjoy time together as we celebrate the closing of this space and the semester.
We hope to see you there!
Panel Discussion: Rage of the Matriarchs with Artist Gabriella Boros
Join us for an evening panel with artist Gabriella Boros in conversation with Dr. Aaron Rosen and Jonathan Homrighausen about her series, “Rage of the Matriarchs” (currently on display at the Luce Center).
Visual Music Panel Discussion with Jonathan Homrighausen, Judith Joseph, and Aaron Rosen
The Luce Center is pleased to present a virtual panel discussion of its dynamic online exhibition, Visual Music: Calligraphy and Sacred Texts. Join curator Jonathan Homrighausen for a lively conversation with Professor Aaron Rosen of the Luce Center and calligrapher Judith Joseph of Jewish Art Salon. Registration is required and can be completed here.
Cover image: Michel d’Anastasio, If I Forget Thee, O Jerusalem, 2020
Poetry Reading Featuring Marilyn Nelson + Jericho Brown
Join us Tuesday, November 30 from 7–8:30PM at City State Brewing Co. for an evening of poetry and fellowship with two of the most distinguished voices in contemporary literature. This free public event is co-sponsored by Image Journal and will be hosted by the LOGOS Poetry Collective. Those who are unable to attend in-person are invited to join us via livestream on the LOGOS Collective’s Facebook page.