From the Curators
Elisabeth Jones MFA and John Teply MFA
What we are most impressed with by Pope Francis’s Encyclical is his love of the natural world, his connectedness to all life great and small, and his marvel and awe in creation. It’s a point of view in which everyone and everything is related. Justice is key in his vision. Justice to the poor, for those who are socially disadvantaged, for future generations, and to the different living creatures with whom we share the planet. The Encyclical, in the section on Integral Ecology, finds a basis for human dignity and for our obligation to care for one another, the planet, and the diverse creatures on it. A conviction that to solve the environmental crisis is not an economic, technological or scientific problem. Ultimately it’s a moral problem of our relationship to each other, our children, to future generations, to all the living things in nature, the universe, spirituality and God. Importantly, Pope Francis is inclusive with a message that addresses all of us that share this planet, not just members of the Catholic Faith.
There are certain themes that we hope to develop the show around. Rather than trying to paraphrase, I think it best to quote Pope Francis from the Encyclical.
Excerpts from the Encyclical of Pope Francis.
“If we approach nature and the environment without an openness to awe and wonder, if we no longer speak the language of fraternity and beauty in our relationship with the world, our attitude will be that of masters, consumers, ruthless exploiters, unable to set limits on our immediate needs. By contrast if we feel intimately united with all that exists, then sobriety and care will well up spontaneously. Rather than a problem to be solved, the world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise.”
“Intergenerational solidarity is not optional, but rather a basic question of justice, since the world we have received also belongs to those who will follow us.”
"These problems are closely linked to a throwaway culture which affects the excluded just as it quickly reduces things to rubbish. "
“For human beings to destroy the biological diversity of creation; for human beings to degrade the integrity of the earth by causing changes in its climate, by stripping the earth of its natural forests or destroying its wetlands; for human beings to contaminate the earth’s waters, its land, its air, and its life – these are sins.”
"There are too many special interests, and economic interests easily end up trumping the common good and manipulating information so that their own plans will not be affected."
“Both everyday experience and scientific research show that the gravest effects of all attacks on the environment are suffered by the poorest.”
“It is not enough to seek the beauty of design. More precious still is the service we offer to another kind of beauty: people’s quality of life, their adaptation to the environment, encounter and mutual assistance. “
”Each organism is good and admirable in itself; the same is true of the harmonious ensemble of organisms existing in a defined space and functioning as a system. Although we are often not aware of it, we depend on these larger systems for our own existence. “
“Our relationship with the environment can never be isolated from our relationship with others and with God.”
“Or indeed when the desire to create and contemplate beauty manages to overcome reductionism through a kind of salvation which occurs in beauty and in those who behold it.”
This show hopes to touch on the importance of the Encyclical of Pope Francis.
Artists of all spiritualities and beliefs are encouraged to apply.
Elisabeth Jones MFA and John Teply MFA
What we are most impressed with by Pope Francis’s Encyclical is his love of the natural world, his connectedness to all life great and small, and his marvel and awe in creation. It’s a point of view in which everyone and everything is related. Justice is key in his vision. Justice to the poor, for those who are socially disadvantaged, for future generations, and to the different living creatures with whom we share the planet. The Encyclical, in the section on Integral Ecology, finds a basis for human dignity and for our obligation to care for one another, the planet, and the diverse creatures on it. A conviction that to solve the environmental crisis is not an economic, technological or scientific problem. Ultimately it’s a moral problem of our relationship to each other, our children, to future generations, to all the living things in nature, the universe, spirituality and God. Importantly, Pope Francis is inclusive with a message that addresses all of us that share this planet, not just members of the Catholic Faith.
There are certain themes that we hope to develop the show around. Rather than trying to paraphrase, I think it best to quote Pope Francis from the Encyclical.
Excerpts from the Encyclical of Pope Francis.
“If we approach nature and the environment without an openness to awe and wonder, if we no longer speak the language of fraternity and beauty in our relationship with the world, our attitude will be that of masters, consumers, ruthless exploiters, unable to set limits on our immediate needs. By contrast if we feel intimately united with all that exists, then sobriety and care will well up spontaneously. Rather than a problem to be solved, the world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise.”
“Intergenerational solidarity is not optional, but rather a basic question of justice, since the world we have received also belongs to those who will follow us.”
"These problems are closely linked to a throwaway culture which affects the excluded just as it quickly reduces things to rubbish. "
“For human beings to destroy the biological diversity of creation; for human beings to degrade the integrity of the earth by causing changes in its climate, by stripping the earth of its natural forests or destroying its wetlands; for human beings to contaminate the earth’s waters, its land, its air, and its life – these are sins.”
"There are too many special interests, and economic interests easily end up trumping the common good and manipulating information so that their own plans will not be affected."
“Both everyday experience and scientific research show that the gravest effects of all attacks on the environment are suffered by the poorest.”
“It is not enough to seek the beauty of design. More precious still is the service we offer to another kind of beauty: people’s quality of life, their adaptation to the environment, encounter and mutual assistance. “
”Each organism is good and admirable in itself; the same is true of the harmonious ensemble of organisms existing in a defined space and functioning as a system. Although we are often not aware of it, we depend on these larger systems for our own existence. “
“Our relationship with the environment can never be isolated from our relationship with others and with God.”
“Or indeed when the desire to create and contemplate beauty manages to overcome reductionism through a kind of salvation which occurs in beauty and in those who behold it.”
This show hopes to touch on the importance of the Encyclical of Pope Francis.
Artists of all spiritualities and beliefs are encouraged to apply.