Spirituality and Hope in Art Making

Ronald K. Brown and Laurie Wohl in Dialogue
Saturday, October 27, 2018, 5:00 – 6:00 PM
Gorecki Gallery, Benedicta Arts Center
College of Saint Benedict 

Choreographer Ronald K. Brown and fiber artist Laurie Wohl will explore the role of spirituality and hope in their work as artists. Their dialogue will take place in the midst of Wohl’s exhibit “Birds of Longing: Exile and Memory” prior to the public performance by Brown’s EVIDENCE, A Dance Company, which will begin later this same evening at 7:30 in the Benedicta Arts Center’s Escher Auditorium. 

Ronald K. Brown has created work for some the most respected dance companies in the world, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Philadanco. His dance company, EVIDENCE, seamlessly combines traditional African dance with contemporary choreography and storytelling to celebrate spirituality and deep community connection. This world-renowned dance company presents a distinctive movement vocabulary that blends cultures and styles with technical precision to showcase human struggles, triumphs, and compassion. The result is a performance of uplifting dance filled with messages of empathy, unity, and hope. The signature piece of the performance this evening in Escher Auditorium will be a Stevie Wonder-filled suite titled On Earth Together. 

Laurie Wohl is an internationally known fiber artist whose unique Unweavings® convey spiritual narratives through form, color, texture, and calligraphy. Her works are held in the collections of the Museum of Arts and Design, Constitutional Court of South Africa, Catholic Theological Union, and numerous other public and private collections. Among her special projects have been interactive set designs for full-length dance pieces by Callince Dance (New York City) and Jan Erkert & Dancers (Chicago). She speaks frequently on art and worship, as well as on text and textile. Her exhibit “Birds of Longing: Exile and Memory,” which is currently in the Gorecki Gallery, interweaves Christian, Jewish, and Muslim spiritual texts and poetry in a fiber art series and an accompanying audio soundscape. 

This program is presented in partnership with Fine Arts Programming at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University.