In Conversation with Community
Curatorial Statement
MOFSA is pleased to present “In Conversation with Community”. This exhibit brings together the brilliant and expansive work of five remarkable individuals. Five artists who wholeheartedly reflect the mission of MOFSA— “to create works that inspire peace within individuals and between disparate communities”. They welcome us into spaces of openness, healing, and hope. Their work speaks not only of individual journeys, but also of a collective desire to cultivate community— to illustrate what is possible when we create from the spirit, with love, truth, and compassion. To illuminate that we are far more alike than we are different.
We celebrate these artists and the gifts they have given through their art and through lives lived with spiritual integrity. Congratulations to Abi Ogle, Nicole Leth, Trinh Mai, Steve Prince, and Clark Valentine. We are honored to share this work as well as an insight into the artists’ practice, process, history, and purpose. We encourage you to visit their respective sites and socials to see more, learn more, and do more. Be inspired and blessed.
About Spiritual Art
Spiritual art is transcendent. Spiritual artists are seekers. They are lovers. Their desire is for the flourishing of the human community. In our 2024 artist call, we sought individuals who actively seek the transcendent through their art as evidenced by a supportive body of work and a desire to create more. Grant recipients must use the lens of spirit to focus on the better way, the way that leads to the beloved community.
Juror Statement
Had we asked Kandinsky or Tolstoy, Picasso or Baldwin to define spiritual art, they would have told us we are being redundant. Art is, by its very nature, spiritual. Art exists to challenge perspectives, reveal hidden truths. The role of the artist, as James Baldwin explains, “…is exactly the same as the role of the lover. If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.”
And that is exactly what the Marianne Oberg Foundation for Spiritual Art is all about. We are looking for the transformative power of love, expressed through the visual arts. We want to support and promote artists whose body of work transforms us as it informs us. This year, 2024, we have been blessed with an abundance of such art. The mark making of Clark Valentine, poignant family treasures of Trinh Mai, textures of Abi Ogle, comfort of a Nicole Leth postcard, and invitation into community of a Steve Prince print have all transformed me. We invite you to spend a moment with each of these gifted individuals; to observe them as they “…recreate out of the disorder of life that order which is art.”
– Marty Dunn, Lead Juror
2024 Spiritual Art Grants
MOFSA is honored and pleased to announce that the recipient of our major 2024 spiritual art grant is Abi Ogle.
In addition to our major spiritual art grant recipient, we have invited four additional artists – Nicole Leth, Trinh Mai, Steve Prince, and Clark Valentine – to receive spiritual art grants.
About the Selection Process
We asked the applicants to tell us about what drives their work:
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What has drawn you to pursue the spiritual in art?
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How do you see the role of art in spiritual and social transformation?
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Where do you see your art heading over the next few years?
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What are your thoughts for the new work you want to create for the exhibit?
About the Jurors
All are artists in their own right, as well as previous MOFSA grant winners. We thank the jurors for their heartfelt and thoughtful discussions for the 2024 award cycle (in alphabetical order):
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About Martin Dunn
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About Karen Benioff Friedman
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About Deborah Hamon
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About Jennifer McCormick
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About Emily McIlroy