Art fills St. Mark's sanctuary in yearly exhibits

Several times a year, the work of talented artists from across the country finds its way to the walls in the sanctuary of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Glen Ellyn.

In a unique program offered by the church called "Art at St. Mark's," these artists have the opportunity to have their work seen, appreciated and purchased by the congregation and by the public. Earlier this year, the church exhibited the work of a nationally known organization of artists with mental disabilities, "The Awakenings Project."

Currently, the work of artist Beth Waltz is on display through mid-September. Aside from Sunday mornings, the exhibit is open to members of the public Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 393 N. Main St., Glen Ellyn, and Mondays from 9 a.m. to noon.

Cecilia Smith, spokeswoman for the church's visual arts committee, said about 15 exhibits have been hung in the church since the program began in 2013. The committee was formed after St. Mark's hosted "Icons in Transformation," an exhibit by internationally known artist Ludmilla Pavlovska.

"After we de-installed that exhibit, we decided to continue displaying artwork in our sanctuary, and the art committee was formed to carry out that intention," said Smith, who has a degree in studio art from Kenyon College.

"Some of the art we've displayed has a distinctly religious theme, such as the several icon exhibits we've shown," Smith said.

"Other exhibits are more secular, but all have a reference to the world as God's creation, or as ourselves as living human beings exploring our humanity as created in God's image."

Waltz submitted her work to the visual arts committee with a central focus of trees and stained glass.

Smith said the committee was drawn to its beauty and workmanship. When committee members explored Waltz's other pieces on the internet, they were amazed by the variety and quality of her extensive collection.

"We asked Beth to include other pieces and to make the show more of a retrospective exhibit that included her unusual use of found materials and varied subject matters. She graciously complied. The collection of her work is vast, and we wish we could show every piece," Smith said.

Waltz, who grew up in Elgin, was the only member of her family with a strong interest in fine arts, yet she was drawn to creative endeavors at an early age. She has three degrees in graphic design, and although she does still create commercial art and has dabbled in a variety of mediums, she now almost exclusively paints with acrylics.

"I usually work with the viewer in mind," Waltz said. "My paintings are often intended to be unobtrusive backgrounds for softening the glare of bare walls and the complicated lives lived within them.

"I paint what I feel and imagine, not exactly what I see in front of me," she said. "I am constantly reminded that between trying to control the creativity and allowing it free reign, I am constantly reminded that in addition to vision, my artwork becomes an expression of all my senses."

Smith believes having art directly in the church's worship space lends a dimension of all people's humanness and the gifts men and women have been given by God to explore what that means.

Artists interested in showing their work at St. Mark's can contact the front desk through email, frontdesk@stmarksglenellyn.org, or call (630) 858-1020. The committee looks at the work online or in 5 to 10 printed photos or scans of the work, usually selecting the year's schedule in January or February.