Laudato Si’ Exhibition Opens at Maguire Art Museum

From June 11 to Aug. 10, the Frances M. Maguire Art Museum at Saint Joseph’s University will house “Laudato Si’: Caring for Our Common Home,” an exhibition reflecting the call for environmental stewardship outlined in Pope Francis’ encyclical of the same name.  

“So many artists use art to tell a story, raise awareness or ignite change,” says Jeanne Bracy, MS, associate director of Maguire Art Museum. “The encyclical is very deep and complicated, but people coming to this exhibition will be able to touch the surface and see the real meaning of Pope Francis’ words.” 

The exhibition comes after the University formalized its commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship in 2024 through a seven-year Laudato Si’ Sustainability Initiative. Bracy and Assistant Curator Erin E. Downey, PhD, have coordinated the project alongside student interns Brianna Kelly, BA ’26, and Natalie Parone, BA ’27. 

An open call for pieces for the exhibition yielded close to 200 submissions, which the team then narrowed down to 24. These selected pieces run the gamut from paintings to sculptures to photography, and several Philadelphia artists will have their work featured. 

“All throughout this process, we were not only thinking about how what the artists submitted reflected what we wanted to portray in the exhibition, but also how what they submitted expanded what we could portray in the exhibition,” Parone says.

Among Kelly’s favorite works is Symbiont IV, a drawing from Gregory Brellochs’ Arborescent Series that takes inspiration from his childhood spent connecting to nature in the woods of Ithaca, New York. 

Rebecca Rutstein, the artist responsible for outdoor murals on the AT&T building, Edgewater Apartments, and North Broad Street in Philadelphia, is also featured in the exhibition. On a month-long expedition with an oceanography team, Rutstein committed to creating a unique painting every single day. “Laudato Si’” will display nine of these paintings. 

“I think that’s one of the beauties of the exhibit: We have seasoned artists and emerging ones, we have Philadelphia artists and people from elsewhere, and we have a mix of everything when it comes to style,” Bracy says. “Every artist’s interpretation of caring for our common home is a bit different.” 

The team hopes that those who view the exhibition will walk away inspired to learn more about the encyclical and examine their own connection to the natural world. 

“Art reaches parts of our brains that words don’t,” Parone says. “It touches your soul rather than just the logical parts of our brains. That’s what I’m hoping will happen with this exhibition: People will see the message that Pope Francis was trying to convey through the eyes of these artists and it will reach them in a way that words can’t.” 

The museum will host Summer Solstice Family Day to open the exhibition on June 21 and will host related workshops throughout the summer.