Michelangelo’s Pieta. Bernini’s St. Theresa in Ecstasy. The colonnade of St. Peter’s Square. These are a few of the most iconic examples of the Catholic Church’s rich history of patronage of the arts in service of the divine. Seen as not only beneficial but necessary for worship, artwork continues to be a cornerstone of Catholic ritual. It is the ultimate expression of the idea that to create as humans is to co-create with God in an echo of His mighty works which brought our

51 Sandy Pond Road Lincoln, MA 01773 Admission Price: $14 Adults, $12 Students & Seniors Free for Trustees Members, NEMA members, children 12 and under Jim Dine, "Two Big Black Hearts." Bronze. 1985. Photo by author. The phrase “contemporary art exhibition” tends to conjure visions of colorful mixed media works set against the stark white walls of a pristine art gallery, complete with high glass windows, watchful docents, and a general sense of academic, even austere, silence