The art of a people is a true mirror of their minds.
Jawaharlal Nehru
Artistic Heritage
Images have always been a part of this congregation's heritage. St. Mark's first met in 1952 beside an abandoned airstrip in a small café decorated with Hopalong Cassidy wall paper. On that site, they built first a meeting hall and then a majestic sanctuary with an interior outlined by soaring arches reminiscent of a boat hull. This sanctuary is the site of all our shows.
Art Shows
In 1963 a church member, Harriett Torrens, won first prize in the Coronado Art Show. Her painting "Humility" (shown on the right) became the focal point of a show that included religious paintings solicited from other artists. The next year, the church sponsored its first juried show. This show initiated our Lenten Art Festival that continues today.
All Media Art Show
These shows welcome all2D and 3D media, and poetry was first included in 1992. The next all-media show will be February 22 – April 8, 2012.. Its theme is "Let There Be Light.".
Our art winners for the 2011 were 1st Place, George Geisler; 2nd Place, Joyce Bruun; and 3rd Place, Sarah Sedgwick. Mary Connelly, Lora Lee McAuliffe, Tamara Stautland, and Vita Sorrentino received Honorable Mention Awards.
The poetry winners were 1st Place, Sandra Carpenter; 2nd Place, David L. Henkel; 3rd Place, Francis X. Klose; and Honorable Mention, Lynn Parrish and Bev Williams.
Digital Art Show
In 2004,we began our Digital Art shows. They occur in the Fall. The 2011 show will be October 16 - November 13, 2011. The theme is "Let There Be Light" and the juror will be Esther Beish, owner of Main Street 5 Gallery in El Cajon.
More Information
We also have hosted art shows for the Clairemont Art Guild and the Children's Initiative in the past and welcome shows for other non-profit groups. For information on how to set up an art show at St. Mark's, contact the church office.
