Past Exhibitions

Browse the chronological list of past exhibitions at the Saint Louis University Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCRA), or search for a specific exhibition. Click “View” for more information about an exhibition. If you need further information about an exhibition, please contact us.

Name

Consecrations: The Spiritual in Art in the Time of AIDS

Dates

October 15, 1994 to February 19, 1995

Description

Consecrations is the first group exhibition that seeks to put AIDS within a spiritual framework. The 28 artists in Consecrations represent the religious, ethnic, cultural, sexual and geographical diversity of this country. Several of the artists are expressing first-hand experience with this deadly disease while others are responding to how AIDS has affected close friends. Media employed include sculpture, painting, print-making, photography, textiles, video and audio, and mixed media.

There are artworks in this exhibition that are very difficult, while other works are serene and peace-filled. In all cases, the art reflects a profound empathy for anyone who has been touched or will be touched by the reality of AIDS. What becomes clear is that AIDS is everyone's concern, and the artists in Consecrations have given us images of suffering, courage, compassion, hope, faith and love.

Artists in the exhibition include:

Download the exhibition brochure.

Reduced traveling versions of Consecrations were exhibited at the Flora Lamson Hewlett Libarary of the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA (October 10, 1995–January 5, 1996); Bush Barn Art Center, Salem, OR (January 19–February 22, 1996); Greenville College in 1996; and Inspirations Gallery, Louisville, KY (February 22–May 3, 1998).

This exhibition is made possible in part through private donations and generous grants from the Missouri Arts Council and the Regional Arts Commission.

Consecrations is a coming together of the art community in response to the AIDS crisis. With boldness and in many modes of expression, these artists courageously confront human suffering and loss, but transcend the pain with faith, hope, love and compassion. | Terrence Dempsey, SJ

above:
Installation view of Consecrations: The Spiritual in Art in the Time of AIDS at MOCRA, 1994. Photo by Jeffrey Vaughn.

Related programming

Consecrations dance program and opening reception

The Amici Quartet in recital

Thomas Sokolowski: “The Changing Face of AIDS”

Terrence Dempsey, S.J.: “The Spiritual in Art in the Time of AIDS”

Day Without Art

Lynn Hague in recital

Related MOCRA Voices episodes

Episode 3: Thomas Sokolowski

Episode 17: MOCRA Memories - Consecrations

Show entries

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Exhibition
Open Hands: Crafting the Spiritual January 28, 2024 to May 19, 2024 Open Hands: Crafting the Spiritual assembles the work of six intergenerational artists from across the country who use everyday materials, found objects, and elements of craft production to explore issues related to faith and spirituality, personal and cultural identity, and tradition and ...
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Vicente Telles and Brandon Maldonado: Cuentos Nuevomexicanos March 19, 2023 to June 25, 2023 Engaging a Living Tradition Artists Vicente Telles and Brandon Maldonado are forging new links in the chain of the continuing story of the people of New Mexico. Telles is firmly rooted in the Santero tradition (the making of santos, or images of saints), w...
$Jordan Eagles: VIRAL\VALUE$ Jordan Eagles: VIRAL\VALUE October 26, 2022 to December 18, 2022 Medium and Message Jordan Eagles is the master of a most unlikely medium: blood. His signature preservation technique permanently retains the organic material’s natural colors, patterns, and textures. In recent years, he has produced works made with donated human bloo...
Lesley Dill: Dream World of the Forest August 24, 2022 to October 16, 2022 MOCRA is pleased to present three new collage-paintings by Lesley Dill, an American artist who works at the intersection of language and fine art in sculpture, printmaking, installation and performance, exploring the power of words to cloak and reveal the psyche. Dill transforms the emotions of t...
This Road Is the Heart Opening: Selections from the MOCRA Collection August 24, 2022 to December 18, 2022 The COVID-19 pandemic has illuminated harmful systemic inequities and our responsibility to name and respond to them. Simultaneously, we are recognizing the importance of attending to our own well-being in mind, body, and spirit, a holistic vision of human wellness that Ignatian spirituality refe...
Double Vision: Art from Jesuit University Collections February 16, 2022 to May 22, 2022 Three museums and seven centuries of art Double Vision: Art from Jesuit University Collections speaks to the unique role of art in Jesuit teaching as an instrument for finding meaning in life through imagination, feelings and reflection. The exhibition features 28 works ...
Tom Kiefer: Pertenencias / Belongings September 03, 2021 to December 19, 2021 In July 2003, fine art photographer Tom Kiefer started working part-time as a janitor and groundskeeper at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing facility near Ajo, Arizona. In mid-2007, he was given permission to collect food confiscated from migrants and asylum seekers and donate it to...
Quiet Isn't Always Peace February 03, 2021 to May 20, 2021 People everywhere were captivated as Amanda Gorman delivered her poem The Hill We Climb on the steps of the Capitol on Inauguration Day. Her cascading cadences of imagery alluded to orators of the past but unequivocally asserted her own voice in addressing the present moment. A short phrase from...
Surface to Source February 05, 2020 to November 22, 2020 For his first show curated as Director of MOCRA, David Brinker delves into the MOCRA collection, bringing out works that haven’t been shown in a number of years and juxtaposing them with perennial favorites. The works from the collection are joined by several works on loan. Meanwhile, the remov...

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Past Exhibitions

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