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
- A Camp Friendship that Stirred Up Lifelong BondsIn the summer of 2005, Mary Kate Keenoy (Chaifetz Grad '22) and Genevieve Willman met at SLU's Gardens to Tables culinary camp. What started as a shared interest in cooking grew into a lasting friendship that has endured for two decades.
- Bruce Bacon, M.D.: 1949-2025Bruce Bacon, M.D., professor emeritus of internal medicine, died Sunday, July 6, 2025. He was 75. Bacon was known globally for his expertise in all aspects of clinical hepatology, specifically hemochromatosis, viral hepatitis, chronic liver disease / general hepatology, and liver transplant. Bacon was also a member of the research team that discovered the gene for hemochromatosis, HFE, in 1996.
- SLU Launches William L. Clay, Sr. Institute of Civic Engagement and Economic JusticeThe Clay Institute will provide immersive learning experiences and hands-on training that address the social and economic challenges facing the St. Louis region and the nation. Institute programming will be available to all students with an interest in civic engagement and democratic participation.
- SLU Research Explores Depression's Ripple Effect on DiabetesA study conducted by researchers at Saint Louis University found that patients with depression were more likely to have uncontrolled diabetes over time and that depression contributes to a heightened economic burden to diabetes management.
- SLU/YouGov Poll: Statewide Cell Phone Ban for Missouri Schools Popular with VotersGovernor Mike Kehoe has signed Senate Bill 68 into law, enacting a statewide ban on the use of personal electronic devices, including cell phones, tablets, and smartwatches, throughout the school day in Missouri public and public charter schools.
- SLU Vaccine Center Will Enroll Healthy Volunteers in Yellow Fever Vaccine Clinical TrialSaint Louis University's Center for Vaccine Development will enroll up to 70 adult volunteers in a clinical trial to study the safety elicited by a new investigational vaccine for yellow fever, a potentially deadly disease that is spread by mosquitoes. The research is funded by Sanofi Pasteur.
