Adé Bethune Lecture Series Wrap-Up Luncheon

Thursday, December 4
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Coeur de Catherine 362

Did you attend the Adé Bethune: The Power of One Person exhibition or any of the accompanying lectures? Would you like to talk about what you saw and heard with others? Here's your chance!

You are invited to gather for lunch and a discussion of observations from the Adé Bethune lecture series. University Archivist and exhibition curator Deborah Kloiber will join the group. Please come prepared with a comment or question to share.

Cost for the luncheon is $20.00 per person. For more information or to register, please contact Ruth Brombach at rcbrombach@stkate.edu or 651-690-8665.

Adé Bethune Lecture Series: Dr. Judith Church Tydings Lecture

Adé Bethune in her later years

This week Dr. Judith Church Tydings, Ph.D., delivered the final lecture in the series on Adé Bethune, titled "Adé Bethune, Renaissance Woman: Creative Living and Aging." The lecture was part of Adé Bethune: The Power of One Person, a celebration of the centennial of Bethune's birth.

Tydings is an expert on women and aging. Her dissertation, “Old Yankee Women: Life Histories and Cultural Significance,” contains information about her experience living with Bethune. During her lecture, Tydings discussed her relationship with Bethune and her creative approach to aging.

In addition to being an active member of the community, Bethune was a pioneer in many fields, including liturgical design, graphic design and architectural criticism. Tydings listed Bethune's numerous accomplishments and stated that if she were alive today, her genius would be widely recognized. Tydings noted that Bethune is best known for her illustrations in The Catholic Worker, yet these drawings account for a relatively small percentage of her artistic output. Tydings suggested that Bethune ought to be recognized as a multi-media artist, not merely “The Catholic Worker artist.”

Tydings described her experiences living with Bethune during the final three summers of her life. She noted that despite the challenges brought about by the aging process, such as cataracts, Bethune worked ceaselessly until the end of her life. In her last years, she focused on building an intentional living community for the elderly called Harbor House in Newport, RI. Based on her belief that traditional nursing homes did not sufficiently meet people’s needs, Bethune designed Harbor House according to Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which is a psychological theory that focuses on how people can achieve their full potential. Bethune's adaptation of Maslow's pyramid is shown below.

Adé Bethune's adaptation of Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs

St. Kate’s Alumna Apprenticed with Adé Bethune

Icon of the Mother of God and Christ the Teacher,
designed by Adé Bethune.

St. Kate’s alumna Martha Greenwood Spaans, ’63, assisted Adé Bethune in creating the Icon of the Mother of God and Christ the Teacher, currently on display at the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery. Spaans spent the summer of 1964 working as an apprentice in Bethune’s Newport, RI home, where she set up a silkscreen shop in the basement. According to Spaans, “Adé showed me two large penciled icons she drew on white paper, one of Jesus and the other of the Madonna. She wanted to make them into large plaques for use in churches and chapels.

"I ordered clear birch boards to be cut to size for the plaques. I built drying racks so I could print one color at a time and all the boards would be drying in a convenient area close to where I was silk-screening. Adé and I got together at her big worktable upstairs and decided upon colors for the two icons. Adé watched for hours as I worked with her drawings and cut a stencil with an Exacto knife for each color on the icons.”

After the printing process was complete, Bethune sent Spaans to Boston to purchase gold leaf from her Russian gold dealer. Spaans applied the gold leaf to the halos and completed the icons, which were then sold through Bethune’s St. Leo Shop Bulletin. 

Bethune taught apprentices like Spaans throughout her career. She founded a workshop along with fellow Newport artists Graham Carey and John Howard Benson, which they cheekily called “John Stevens University.” Contrary to its name, John Stevens was not a university, but a working studio founded on the principle of quality craftsmanship. At John Stevens, students such as Spaans learned through hands-on apprenticeships with the artists. Bethune (whose childhood nickname was Lion) referred to the shared living and working area in her home as “Lion College” and dubbed her apprentices “cubs.”

Adé Bethune Lecture: Dr. Judith Church Tydings, Nov. 18, 6:30 pm

"Adé Bethune, Renaissance Woman: Creative Living and Aging"

Tuesday, November 18
6:30 pm
Visual Arts Building lecture hall

This will be the last in a series of lectures commemorating the centennial of liturgical artist, writer, and social activist Adé Bethune (1914-2002).

Harbor House designed by Adé Bethune.

Tydings will discuss how she knew and experienced Adé Bethune during the last 10 years of her very active life. She will explore how Bethune applied Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to her life and to the design of the community housing for elders that she founded in her eighties, Harbor House in Newport, Rhode Island.

Tydings received her M.A. in History in 1959. She returned to graduate school in her sixties, earning a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Maryland in 2010. Her dissertation, "Old Yankee Women: Life Histories and Cultural Significance," contained a chapter on Adé Bethune. As part of her doctoral research on women and aging, Dr. Tydings lived with Bethune for a time during the final years of her life.

The lectures are presented in conjunction with the exhibition Adé Bethune: The Power of One Person at the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery through December 19, 2014. The exhibition draws from items in the University's Adé Bethune Collection and each speaker has used the Collection for their research.

Co–sponsors of the lecture series are: the Myser Initiative on Catholic Identity; Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Paul Province; Alumnae Council Lifelong Learning Committee and Friends of the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery.

For more information about the exhibition and lecture series see http://www.stkate.edu/gallery/14-15/ade_bethune.php

Adé Bethune and the Church of St. Paulinus

Two artworks from Adé Bethune’s first official commission as a liturgical artist are currently featured in the exhibits, Adé Bethune: The Power of One Person, on view at the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery and Wisdom Ways Center for Spirituality in the Carondelet Center. One of these works is a full-size cartoon for the church’s stained glass rose window, the other is a sketch of five saints, which were painted in the church sanctuary.

Bethune's sketches of saints for the Church of St. Paulinus

Bethune is highly regarded for her work as an illustrator, writer, activist, and liturgical artist. Throughout her career, she acted as a designer/consultant on nearly 300 churches all over the world. The first of these was the Church of St. Paulinus in Clairton, Pennsylvania.

In 1936, the church pastor, Father Joseph Lonergan, commissioned Bethune to create several works for the church. He had seen her illustrations depicting the Stations of the Cross, which were published in the March 1935 issue of The Catholic Worker. Father Lonergan had a strong interest in Neo-Gothic works, so Bethune was a natural choice for these commissions. Her sketches depicting five saints is reminiscent of traditional Russian icons, with their dark outlines, bold colors and the use of gold leaf.

Bethune’s sketch for the painted panels of saints for the Church of St. Paulinus is on display at the Carondelet Center through November 10. Her cartoon for the stained glass window at St. Paulinus is on view at the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery through December 19.

For more information, visit:
http://www.stkate.edu/gallery/14-15/ade_bethune.php

http://wisdomwayscenter.org/ade-bethune-the-power-of-one-person.html

This Week in St. Kate's History

On October 27, 1939, St. Kate’s newspaper, The Wheel, published an article about an emerging liturgical artist named Adé Bethune.  Bethune paid her first visit to St. Kate’s campus as part of the third annual Catholic Art Association convention on October 21, 1939. As noted in the article, Bethune delivered a lecture entitled “Personalism and the Industrial Counter-Revolution,” in which she stressed the value of hand-made items over mass produced pieces.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of Bethune’s first visit to St. Kate’s. While at the College of St. Catherine, Bethune developed friendships with several of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, who were later instrumental in persuading Bethune to deposit her writings, artwork and other personal belongings in the archives at St. Kate's. In recognition of this connection, many of Bethune's works are currently on display at the Wisdom Ways Center for Spirituality in the CSJ Carondelet Center (through November 10). This is in addition to the exhibition at the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery on the St. Paul campus (through December 19).

To read the article about Adé Bethune's visit and the Catholic Art Association convention in its entirety, go to  St. Kate's Archives website and click on St. Kate’s Publications.

Adé Bethune Exhibit at Wisdom Ways

Second Station of the Cross by Adé Bethune

 An exhibit of Adé Bethune’s works will be on view at Wisdom Ways Center for Spirituality through November 10, 2014. In conjunction with the exhibit, Adé Bethune: The Power of One Person (on view at the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery through December 19th), this exhibit features items from St. Catherine University’s Adé Bethune Collection. 

Bethune was an important figure in the American Liturgical Movement. Items on display include her Works of Mercy, Stations of the Cross, and several stories she created for  Treasure Chest, a Catholic comic book created for young people. In addition to demonstrating Bethune’s depth and breadth as an artist, the artworks in the exhibit highlight her commitment to various aspects of liturgical reform.

Wisdom Ways Center for Spirituality is located in the Carondelet Center, 1890 Randolph Ave., St. Paul.

For more information, visit: http://wisdomwayscenter.org/ade-bethune-the-power-of-one-person.html

Adé Bethune Lecture Series: Rebecca M. Berru-Davis and Katharine E. Harmon, October 9, 6:30 PM

Thursday, October 9

6:30 PM

Visual Arts Building lecture hall

This is the second in a series of lectures commemorating the centennial of liturgical artist, writer, and social activist Adé Bethune (1914-2002). Rebecca M. Berru-Davis and Katharine E. Harmon will each discuss different aspects of Bethune’s life and artistic legacy.

"Liturgical Design, Art, and Community: Adé Bethune’s Evolving Mission to Transform Church Space" 

Rebecca Berru-Davis, Ph.D.

Rebecca M. Berru–Davis, Ph.D., will examine the ways in which Bethune’s liturgical design projects reflected her vision of church, enhanced the experience of worship for the faithful, and coalesced to shape the larger Liturgical Movement.

Berru-Davis is currently the Louisville Institute Vocation of the Theological Educator Postdoctoral Fellow at St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN. She earned her doctorate in the area of Art and Religion at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. Her ongoing research is focused primarily on women’s art created in places such as home and church and as far-reaching as the shantytowns of Lima, Peru, evidenced by the exhibit she curated called Picturing Paradise. 

"Work and Worship: Adé Bethune and the American Liturgical Movement"

Katharine E. Harmon, Ph.D., will discuss Adé Bethune’s contribution to and leadership in liturgical renewal in the United States in the years prior to the Second Vatican Council. Harmon will highlight how Bethune’s advocacy for the arts intersected with the liturgical movement’s goal of uniting the intelligent, active participation of the lay faithful with worship in the Roman Catholic tradition.

Katharine E. Harmon, Ph.D.

Harmon is a currently a lecturer in Theology at Marian University in Indianapolis, IN. She earned her doctorate in theology from the University of Notre Dame and is a member of the North American Academy of Liturgy. She is the author of There Were Also Many Women There: Lay Women in the Liturgical Movement in the United States, 1926-59.

The lectures are presented in conjunction with the exhibition "Adé Bethune: The Power of One Person" at the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery through December 19, 2014. The exhibition draws from items in the University's Adé Bethune Collection and each speaker has used the Collection for their research.

Co–sponsors of the lecture series are: the Myser Initiative on Catholic Identity; Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Paul Province; Alumnae Council Lifelong Learning Committee and Friends of the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery.

For more information about the exhibition and lecture series see http://www.stkate.edu/gallery/14-15/ade_bethune.php

Adé Bethune Exhibit Part of Fall Art Tour

This Saturday October 4th the Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities (ACTC) is sponsoring the 11th Annual Fall Art Tour. The Catherine G. Murphy Gallery at St. Kate’s will be one of ten stops on the tour. Adé Bethune: The Power of One Person, an exhibit featuring the works of renowned liturgical artist and social activist Adé Bethune, is currently on view in the east wing of the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery; Near and Far Contemporary Landscape Paintings is on view in the west gallery. Participating galleries will offer guided tours, refreshments and live music.

For more information on the Fall Art Tour, visit:

http://actc-mn.org/programs/college-art-gallery-collaborative/
http://news.stkate.edu/articles/actc-fall-arts-2014

For more information on Adé Bethune: The Power of One Person, visit:

http://www.stkate.edu/gallery/14-15/ade_bethune.php
http://www.pinterest.com/stkateslibrary/ad%C3%A9-bethune-the-power-of-one-person/

Adé Bethune Lecture Series: Dr. Julia Upton Lecture

Dr. Julia Upton (center) with Catherine G. Murphy Gallery Director Kathy Daniels (left) and St. Catherine University Archivist and exhibition Curator Deborah Kloiber (right).

Image from http://www.catholicworker.org/bethune.htm

The Adé Bethune lecture series commenced last week with a talk by Dr. Julia Upton, RSM, of St. John's University in New York.  Dr. Upton’s talk focused on themes highlighted in the exhibit, Adé Bethune: The Power of One Person, currently on view at the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery.

Dr. Upton shared her favorite portraits of Bethune, including the one at right, and discussed her importance as a "wisdom figure who lived a life worth emulating."  She gave a biographical background of Bethune, from her aristocratic origins in Belgium, her family's emigration to New York City in 1928, to her meeting with Dorothy Day and her subsequent work for The Catholic Worker. 

Dr. Upton’s lecture featured slides of places that were important in Bethune’s formative years, including her childhood home in Brussels, which is located across the street from the church where Bethune attended mass daily with her grandfather.  Dr. Upton suggested that Bethune’s religious devotion may have been a result of growing up quite literally in the shadow of her neighborhood church in Brussels.  She showed a photo she took from the back yard of Bethune’s childhood home in which the dome of the church looms over the roof of the house.

Dr. Upton also highlighted Bethune’s significant artistic legacy, including her work as a liturgical designer. She explained how Bethune used volunteers from the local community to help with her commission at the Church of St. Paulinus in Clairton, Pennsylvania.  Bethune drew figures of various saints in the panel paintings of the church sanctuary and had volunteers assist with filling the colors in.

Professor Upton described Bethune as a "feisty woman" whose temperament made her an effective advocate for the social causes she championed in Newport, such as affordable housing for the elderly.  She discussed Harbor House, the intentional community for the elderly Bethune planned, which was completed in 2002.

Dr. Upton is the author of six books, including one forthcoming about Adé Bethune.

For more information about the exhibit and the accompanying lecture series, visit:
http://www.stkate.edu/gallery/14-15/ade_bethune.php

Adé Bethune: The Power of One Person

September 8 - December 19, 2014

An exhibition featuring materials from the Adé Bethune Collection began this week at the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery. The show, entitled Adé Bethune: The Power of One Person, commemorates the centennial of artist, writer, and activist Adé Bethune (1914-2002).

The opening reception is Saturday, September 13, 6-8 p.m.

In the 1930s, Bethune gained recognition as an illustrator for The Catholic Worker newspaper. Although she is principally remembered for her involvement with the Catholic Worker, Bethune made significant contributions in other areas, most notably in her role as a liturgical designer and consultant, graphic designer, and community activist.

The exhibit includes a selection of artworks and other materials, which highlight Bethune’s varied interests as an artist and social activist. The show runs from September 8 - December 19, with an opening reception on Saturday, September 13, 6:00 - 8:00 P.M.

University Archivist Deborah Kloiber arranges objects for
display in the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery.

For more information on the exhibit and the accompanying lecture series, visit: http://www.stkate.edu/gallery/14-15/ade_bethune.php

For more information on Adé Bethune, visit:
http://library.stkate.edu/archives/ade-bethune

Saint Nicholas Day

In many parts of Europe today is known as Saint Nicholas Day.

St. Nicholas was a fourth century Greek bishop in Myra (now part of Turkey).  December 6th (or 19th in the Orthodox church) is his feast day because it commemorates the anniversary of his death in 343 AD.  St. Nicholas came to be known as both a patron and protector of children and as a giver of gifts to those in need.  From the legends about his life and the Dutch version of his name, Sinterklaas, came the American Santa Claus.

To the right is a 1959 drawing Ade Bethune made depicting St. Nicholas, shown in his bishop's vestments.  Below is a drawing in the Ade Bethune Collection that Bethune made in 1943.  It illustrates one of the stories told of St. Nicholas.  According to the story three small children became lost and were captured by an evil butcher.  The butcher murdered them and placed them in a pickling tub.  St. Nicholas heard of the children and appealed to God to return them to life.

Women's History Month!

Exactly one hundred years ago this week, women took a stand. Eight thousand men and women, to the tune of ten bands and the roar of stomping feet, marched down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C. for the great women’s suffrage parade of 1913. They were insulted and blocked and hundreds were injured, but they did not give up. They stood tall for what they believed in, and it helped shaped the way our country is today.  Just a few days ago, thousands of men and women flocked to Washington D.C. to reenact this march, and to honor women everywhere as our nation, and the world, celebrates Women’s History Month. 

Saint Catherine University students celebrate women every day of the year, but why not take a little extra time this month to read up on your favorite female celeb? Your historical heroes? Your modern day favorites?

ARTstor, our new and fabulous digital library database has several excellent articles about women’s history month.

Check out a plethora of artwork depicting the tale of Judith and Holofernes. This is a tale of bravery and beheading, where young Judith is welcomed into the tent of the wicked Holofernes, on the night before he intends to burn down her lands, and while he is in a drunken stupor, she beheads him and saves her people.

Gape in awe at this beautiful “Crazy” quilt sewn together from pieces of old campaign banners to form a colorful and intricate tale of woman’s suffrage.

Sift through the amazing Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library. This amazing photograph library has over 36,000 images, both professional and amateur, documenting the history of women in America. 

Who knows? Maybe some day one of you Katies will be up among the greats, marching or writing or laughing or singing your way into the minds of the world.