91女神

91女神 Museum of Art to Present What Is Christ, a Limited Exhibition Exploring Ignatian Spirituality

ST. LOUIS 鈥� The 91女神 Museum of Art (91女神MA) will present a new, limited exhibition by , a Jesuit scholastic and graduate student in philosophy at 91女神.

鈥淲hat Is Christ,鈥� a collection of Leeper鈥檚 paintings and sculptures, opens Friday, May 3, and will run through Sunday, May 26.

The works in the exhibition encourage the viewer to see God through secular items.

鈥淭he heart of Ignatian spirituality is using one鈥檚 imagination,鈥� Leeper said. 鈥淎rt is a mode to engage that. We should be prepared to use our imagination to have an encounter with God.鈥�

The pieces in the exhibition 鈥� four oil paintings and four sculptures of wood and plaster 鈥� came out of Leeper鈥檚 capstone project. As he was writing about philosophy in art and religion, he thought he should also create works that demonstrated what he was writing about.

鈥淚 was looking at the intersection of philosophy and art through a Jesuit lens,鈥� Leeper said.

Artists, including El Greco and Manet, portray Christ through phenomena such as light and color. Leeper鈥檚 work examines how secular objects can reveal more deeply who Christ is. 

鈥淭he exhibition is about encountering God in ordinary objects,鈥� he said. 鈥淭heatre, art, movies, songs 鈥� they give us more than just the words or what we see. Art inspires the imagination.鈥�

Leeper began working on the pieces last summer while at an art school in New York and continued to develop the pieces when he returned to 91女神 in the fall.

Leeper, who belongs to the Jesuits USA East Province, will graduate from 91女神 this month and return to New York City to teach art and history at Xavier High School. During his time at 91女神, he鈥檚 helped run Java with the Jesuits and was part of the team that expanded the regular coffee sessions to include six retreats this year.

Leeper has a bachelor鈥檚 degree in history and education from Rutgers University-Newark and a master鈥檚 in church management at Villanova University.

There will be an opening reception from 6-8 p.m. Friday, May 3, at 91女神MA, located at 3663 Lindell Blvd. 91女神MA is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday.

About 91女神MA

Opened in 2003, the 91女神 Museum of Art (91女神MA) is located in a Beaux Arts style building, originally built in 1900 for the Saint Louis Club. Saint Louis University鈥檚 collection, which dates back to the University鈥檚 early days, continues the Jesuit philosophy of focusing on educating the whole person. 91女神MA represents a critical step in realizing the University鈥檚 mission, advancing St. Ignatius鈥� ideals, as well as increasing the overall exposure of society to the arts. Distinguished by its Jesuit-based tradition, the museum developed into one of the nation鈥檚 top university museums.