Body of Water/Metanoia
By Mary Gallagher
Artist Statement
My latest Landscape Series contain byways, waterways, and pathways through Nature and are stamped with quotes from Laudato Si, Pope Francis’ Encyclical devoted to protecting the environment and cherishing our planet like "a sister with whom we share our life, a mother who opens her arms to embrace us". The Landscapes are square, denoting balance, physicality, the laws of nature, and our Earth - Terra Nostra.
“Metanoia, The Turning Around” and “Body of Water” depict the bends and shifts in direction that are essential to true Synodality in a moving, changing world. Being grounded in the beauty and sacredness of the land, waterways and sky, while being mindful of human adaptations and incursions is key to fruitful and lasting growth together as Catholics at this juncture. Purity of color, rich surfaces, dynamic design and celebration are precisely the elements needed to collaboratively discern how to travel to a new future, while cherishing the beauty of the past.
Catholicism and synodality are both global, ancient, and focused on well-being. The vast infrastructure of the Church is a perfect vehicle to convey messages via art of care for our common home, the Earth, and the salvation of our own and other species including those at the margins. The Church’s synodal mission of communion and ever broader participation means walking the byways, waterways and pathways together with a Vibrant Spirit. And doing so in a way that makes space for everyone in our shared landscape.
About the Artist
Mary Gallagher received her BA from the University of Wisconsin in Madison with majors in Art and Psychology. She had the privilege of studying sculpture with Debra Butterfield while there. She later received her MFA from the City University of New York at Brooklyn, studying with Philip Pearlstein, Lee Bontecou, & Lois Dodd among others. While in NYC, she exhibited at Westbeth Gallery and Mercer 55 in Soho. After moving to the Twin Cities, Mary exhibited her paintings at Circa Gallery for 6 years. She taught painting, art appreciation and drawing at Century College, Minneapolis Community College, Dakota Center for the Arts, and Wayzatta Art Center. Mary is the founder of Catholic Artists for Environmental Justice, a small not-for-profit comprised of a diverse group of artists who are concerned about the climate crisis. Our website is at catholicartistsforenvironmentaljustice.com Mary is also founder of Elder Murals, a new group of artists working in Memory Care and Assisted Living facilities to discern the joys and challenges of being an elder. The insights shared with us by residents in a group setting are then depicted in a small mural for their facility.