ABOUT THE SHOW

The Nave is an art gallery located in a church. What does having a gallery in a "sacred space" do to the art in that space? What effect does it have on art produced for that space? A place of worship is inviting artists to display their inspirations. Does the juxtaposition allow the spiritual and artistic to inform and feed off of each other? Or does it raise questions on the appropriateness of certain subjects, fear of proselytization, and concerns about censorship and interference? The show "Sacred Spaces" wishes to answer these questions, or, at least, to propose some individual reactions to them.

A special performance—for mature audiences—of "The Hyperbolist" by Joe Mazzan, at the opening of 'Sacred Art' at The Nave

"[T]he genuine artistry of puppeteer Joe Mazza [is] all the more engaging. In "The Hyperbolist", he mounts a metal stepladder and manipulates a small, faceless hand puppet that looks like a heap of linen with a rock mounted on top. Adopting the affected diction of a Victorian elocutionist, Mazza turns the puppet into a grotesque parody of a faithless yet godlike cynic who sends his assistant—a rag on a stick—to the world below, to find one example of true love. When the rag ends up crucified, the hyperbolist, in one of the silliest theatrical moments in recent memory, unleashes a stentorian—not to say, hyperbolic—lament: "Come in, Fate! I wasn't expecting you! I would have stewed more woe!" Mazza works his puppets with sublime subtlety, each tiny movement conveying recognizable emotion and psychology—a particularly impressive feat given the ridiculous text and the diminutive scale of the puppets."
—Chicago Reader

ARTISTS

HANNAH BUREAU

YOON CHO

NATHALIE FERRIER

WYLIE GARCIA

SYDNEY PHILLIPS HARDIN

KATIE JURKIEWICZ

JOE MAZZA

NANCY MILLIKEN

TED OLLIER

CHRISTINA PAPPAS

DAYLYNN RICHARDS

SAGE TUCKER-KETCHAM

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