I had a long and very interesting conversation with Dr Jordan Haddad recently. Jordan is a co-Director of the St Louis the IX Art Society. Their website is here. Their stated mission is as follows:
The St. Louis IX Art Society (SL9) exists to promote a culture of Catholic art in South Louisiana by creating opportunities for all people to encounter firsthand the beautiful Catholic artwork being created by local artists.
To this end, we host Catholic art events in local dioceses, provide a platform for local Catholic artists to display and promote their work, and beautify under-resourced Catholic parishes, schools, and ministries throughout South Louisiana at no cost to them.
We seek to answer the call of Pope St. John Paul II in his “Letter to Artists” for Christian artists “to use [their] creative intuition to enter into the heart of the mystery of the Incarnate God and at the same time into the mystery of man.” In this way, we hope to facilitate a springtime of sacred art in South Louisiana for God, the Church, and our local region.
There are several reasons that I am hopeful that this might be a model for the future:
It is lay run, and locally based. The goal is to establish a network of artists, patrons, and enthusiasts in south Louisiana. Nobody here is describing themselves as the finished article.
Furthermore, Jordan described how they are committed to the continuing formation of all three categories of members and that they are taking a long-term view for this project so that the style of art that is appropriate to the people that it serves, today will emerge organically bearing, they hope, both the universal characteristics of Catholic sacred art and stylistic elements that speak to contemporary Catholics in southern Louisiana. They are thinking in terms of a 50-year time frame. Again, this seems absolutely right to me. They are looking to establish the habit of tradition, by which artists teach by passing on what they know by establishing studio-based apprenticeships.
Also, there is an understanding that the universal elements derive from art forms that nourish authentic worship in the Sacred Liturgy. Jordan described to me how they are looking for experimentation but this is primarily in the art that serves the community outside the church. They are extremely conservative in their view of what is appropriate for the liturgy. This is just as it should be, I feel.
I suggest you check it out. If they deliver on the vision that was described to me, then they will likely be at the cutting edge of the evangelization of the culture through beauty.
Relief sculpture by St Louis IX Art Society Artist, Andrew Coleman
