Members of the Ordered Universe team will be in California in January 2019 for the Napa Lighted Art Festival, bringing our favourite blend of medieval history, modern science and mesmerising art to the west coast of the USA for the first time.
This is the first in a series of posts designed to tell you more about each of our events at the Napa Lighted Art Festival and how you can get involved.
Details
Event: Beyond Belief: Sacred Space, Art and Heritage
Date: 17 Jan 2019
Time: 10am – 11:30am
Location: First Presbyterian Church, 1333 Third Street, Napa, CA 94559
Tickets: We strongly recommend booking tickets for this event. Tickets are free and are available via Eventbrite here.
Explore the powerful role of artistic expression in religious belief with two experts from the UK. Cate Watkinson, glassmaker, academic and stained glass restorer is joined by Giles Gasper, a historian of the Middle Ages. They will talk about experiences of working with glass in sacred space, the longer histories of glasswork and the Christian church, and how heritage, maker-skill, and artistic sensitivity can be used to enhance an aesthetic and spiritual experience, enabling the viewer to see and sense beyond the material.
About the Presenters
Professor Giles E. M. Gasper: Giles is a historian of European medieval culture, focusing on science and religion at Durham University, UK. Educated at the University of Oxford and the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, Toronto, he has taught and researched in Durham since 2004. Leader of the Ordered Universe research project since 2008 his other interests encompass medieval food culture and monastic life and thought. Giles collaborates with non-academic partners regularly, with creative arts, restaurants, churches, museums and galleries. He is occasionally to be heard on BBC Radio and seen on BBC Television.
Dr. Cate Watkinson has been working as a glass artist and designer since 1988. In that time, she has built up an extensive body of public art work and private commissioned pieces throughout the UK and has exhibited gallery pieces internationally. Within the North-East of England these include a stained glass window for Newcastle Cathedral and a laminated glass screen for the Arrivals Hall at Newcastle International Airport. She trained in the traditional skills of stained glass making including, glass cutting and leading. Over the years she has developed the skills and knowledge gained from working in the traditional methods to bring a fresh slant and new techniques and ideas to her contemporary work. Since 2006 she has held the post of Subject Leader and Senior Lecturer in Architectural Glass at the University of Sunderland.
Image of the First Presbyterian Church, Napa, ©First Presbyterian Church, Napa; images of glass taken by Rosie Reed Gold.