2008 Woodie Awards
O'Malley Library Features Poetry in Stained Glass
Meg Driscoll
Issue date: 10/4/06 Section: Features
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Amy Surak, Manhattan College archivist, oversees exhibits in the library. Flemish Art Inc. contacted Surak, the directors of the exhibit last year. She chose the exhibit because she felt it would be fitting in the environment of the Alumni Room.
"The studies would bring a cathedral feel, [and create] an illuminated environment," said Surak.
Surak also felt the religious nature of the exhibit was suitable for MC's campus.
In addition, the exhibits are chosen in the interest of the humanities and the curriculum of classes offered at Manhattan and the College of Mount St. Vincent.
Twenty out of the forty-one works are on display from Yoors's 1929 portfolio entitled "Poems in Stained Glass." Most of Yoors's work was created on stained glass windows of churches. To create the same atmosphere, the creators of Flemish Art Inc. had the works of Yoors mounted onto light boxes. One of the directors of Flemish Art Inc, Laura S. Flores, was given Yoors's portfolio because her family had supported his work while living in Belgium. "The objective of the company was to find how to share [the work] and make it look like church windows," said Flores. The company decided that the light boxes were the best way to bring his work to people.
This is only the fourth exhibit that Flemish Art has given. They brought the exhibit to Manhattan because of contacts within the college. "Amy [Surak] had a vision of this room and this environment and gave us the opportunity to come here," said Flores as she looked around at the glowing Alumni Room.
The works are composed of vibrant green, red, blue, orange, white, and violet. Each color carries a symbolic significance to tell the stories of the Catholic Church. Yoors also used animals such as lions, dragons, and red fish in his paintings to convey concepts such as evil and faith. He is known for breaking through the traditional barriers of artistic expression regarding religious icons, such as Christ.
Students in Dr. Jeff Horn's History 200 class were encouraged to attend the exhibit and receive credit for their interpretation of the work. Horn feels that any artistic expression that has been going on for a long time is history. Sophomore Dominick Caggiano, one of Horn's students, said, "The whole setup looks very nice. I'm not usually into art, but I can appreciate this."