MOCRA Presents Exhibition Exploring Faith and Spirituality, Featuring Artists Who Utilize Everyday Materials, Craft Production
The Museum of Contemporary Religious Art (MOCRA) at Saint Louis University presents Open Hands: Crafting the Spiritual. Open Hands contains works by six artists who use everyday materials, found objects, and elements of craft production to explore issues related to faith and spirituality, personal and cultural identity, and tradition and community.
Top row, from left: Michael Velliquette, Our newly awakened powers cry out for unlimited fulfillment (detail), 2020. Courtesy of the artist; Beliz Iristay, Where Is He? (detail), 2017. Courtesy of the artist; Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt, Chalice (detail), ca. 1990s. Courtesy of the artist and Pavel Zoubok Fine Art, NY.
Bottom row, from left: Gabriel Garcia Roman, José Villalobos (detail), 2023. Courtesy of the artist. Jenelle Esparza, Landscape Tapestry 4 (detail), 2022. Courtesy of the artist. Gwendolyn A. Magee, Full of the Faith (detail), 2004. Courtesy of the Estate of Gwendolyn A. Magee. Photo © Roland L. Freeman.
Open Hands includes artworks made from clay, fiber, fabric, photographs, paper, and tin foil. Artists whose works are showcased include Jenelle Esparza (Texas), Gabriel Garcia Roman (New York), Beliz Iristay (California/Mexico), Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt (New York), Gwendolyn A. Magee (Mississippi), and Michael Velliquette (Wisconsin). The exhibition will be on display at MOCRA through May 19.
Check out the Open Hands Gallery Guide for more information about the art and artists.
Open Hands: Crafting the Spiritual is organized for MOCRA by René Paul Barilleaux, head of curatorial affairs at the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio.
Upcoming Events
René Paul Barilleaux: Crafting a Curatorial Practice
Sunday, April 14, 2 p.m.
Open Hands curator René Paul Barilleaux will trace the evolution of his curatorial practice over 40 years, including a sustained interest in everyday and craft materials and the handmade. Barilleaux connects his initial fondness for traditional craftwork to the stained glass and mosaics he encountered as a child in his parish church. The talk is free and open to the public. It will be held at 2 p.m. in Anheuser-Busch Auditorium, followed by a reception at MOCRA.
Location and Parking Information
Curator Tour: Spirituality, Culture, and Identity with MOCRA and the Pulitzer Arts Foundation
Friday, May 17, 5-7 p.m.
Walk and talk with David Brinker, director of MOCRA, and Pulitzer Curatorial staff in a discussion of themes of spirituality, culture, and identity reflected in two current exhibitions: MOCRA’s Open Hands: Crafting the Spiritual and the Pulitzer’s Delcy Morelos: Interwoven.
The group starts at MOCRA and walks to the Pulitzer to end the evening. Light refreshments will be served after the talk.
MOCRA Spotlight Tours
These 30-minute tours each focus on two of the artists featured in Open Hands: Crafting the Spiritual. Spotlight Tours are free and open to the public.
- Beliz Iristay & Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt – April 4, April 5 and April 7
- Gabriel Garcia Roman & Gwendolyn A. Magee – April 5, May 3 and May 8
- Jenelle Esparza & Michael Velliquette – May 1, May 4 and May 5
Tour Times and Additional Information
About MOCRA
Saint Louis University’s Museum of Contemporary Religious Art (MOCRA) is the first museum to bring an interfaith focus to contemporary art. Officially opened in 1993, MOCRA is located in a spacious chapel that was used for over 35 years by Jesuits studying philosophy at Saint Louis University. Through exhibitions, collections, and educational programs, MOCRA highlights and explores the ways contemporary visual artists engage the religious and spiritual dimensions. MOCRA serves the diverse Saint Louis University community, and the wider public, by facilitating personal discovery, experience, and inspiration, while contributing to a wider culture of interfaith encounter and dialogue.
MOCRA is located at 3700 West Pine Blvd. on the campus of Saint Louis University. Museum hours are Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, from 11 a.m to 4 p.m., and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call 314-977-7170 or visit www.slu.edu/mocra.
Latest Newslink
- SLU, Collegiate Strengthen High School-to-Medical School PathwayA partnership between Saint Louis University School of Medicine and local high school Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience serves as a model for how early exposure and mentorship can transform lives—and communities— as SLU invests in future physicians.
- St. Louis Literary Award Discussion with Director Mira Nair Moved to November 13Saint Louis University will hold a Zoom discussion with "The Namesake" director Mira Nair on Thursday, Nov. 13. "The Namesake" is based on the novel of the same name by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri, the 2026 St. Louis Literary Award honoree.
- Two Companies Led By Saint Louis University Alumni Awarded 2025 Arch GrantsTwo firms led by Saint Louis University alumni received 2025 Arch Grant awards. GenAssist, led by Gabe Haas (SSE ’20) and co-founder Joe Beggs, and Decodable Reads, led by Paul Heinemann (A&S ’18) and Joe de Lorimier (CSB ’19), are part of a cohort of 19 new businesses receiving Arch Grants funding this year. GenAssist was one of four companies in SLU’s inaugural New Venture Accelerator (NVA) cohort in 2024.
- SLU Students Commemorate Legacy of Gift Body Donors at Memorial ServiceStudents from Saint Louis University’s School of Medicine Class of 2029, along with graduate students from the SOM's Master of Anatomy program and the Doisy College of Health Sciences, recently gathered for an interfaith memorial service to honor 355 individuals who generously donated their bodies to SLU’s Gift Body Program.
- SLU's Flying Billikens Secure Spot in 2026 National Intercollegiate Flying CompetitionA team of aviation science students from Saint Louis University’s School of Science and Engineering placed high enough this weekend to secure a spot in the 2026 National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) Competition. This is the third straight year the team has qualified for the national competition.
- Frequent Heartburn May Signal Risk for Alcohol Use Disorder, SLU Study FindsA new study from Saint Louis University reveals that individuals with frequent heartburn—clinically known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)—have a higher chance of being diagnosed with alcohol use disorder within two years. Researchers are urging primary care providers to screen GERD patients for alcohol misuse during routine visits.
