"I am the light of the world. If any man follow me, he shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life." John 8:12   

Advent, the beginning of the church year, occurs during the darkest days of Winter when the lush beauty of nature has disappeared and our souls long for warmth.  During this season we prepare for the coming of Light from Light through treasured rituals of greening naves, lighting advent candles, lessons and carols, reflection and meditation. These Advent traditions serve as symbols for our search in darkness for the mystery of life-giving light. 

How do we find and manifest that light?  Lux Mundi, the Light of the World. 

ECVA calls for images that give vision to longing for light in the darkness and growing anticipation of the birth of Christ.  

How do we find this light in our inner landscapes?  How is His light manifested in your heart?  During this season of darkness how do you imagine the coming light of life for all to see? 

Exhibition Publication Date:
November 30, 2008

Submissions Deadline:
November 1, 2008

The exhibition banner seen above is by Jan Neal, ECVA Exhibitions Director.

Light of the World is an ECVA exhibit. Artists wishing to submit art for this exhibit must first be registered at The Artists Registry. 

If you are not already a member, we invite you to become part of this rich and diverse artists community at ECVA. (Becoming a member is easy, just click here to begin.) All artists are encouraged to participate.

We hope that all artists who have exhibited with ECVA in the past eight years will both become a member of The Artists Registry and submit entries for this Call.

View complete details of this Call: Light of the World HERE.

Images, right, by Margaret Adams Parker, clockwise: Sculpture (detail) Ruth and Naomi, 1996, plaster over armature, 45 inches high; African Exodus, 1997, 2-color woodcut, handprinted on Okawara, edition of 50, 12 x 7 inches; Winter Stream, 2007, woodcut on BFK Rives, edition of 5, 17 x 22 inches

Curator's opening statement

Many religious traditions draw a link between light and the holy; what distinguishes us as Christians is our belief that the Light became incarnate and lived among us. How do we understand Light as a manifestation of the mystery and power of God the Creator and as the Light of the World, the incarnate Word, Jesus Christ? How is that light manifested in our lives?  How might imagery express an understanding of Light: as the longed-for and ineffable presence of the Holy and/or as the concrete embodiment of the Holy, in scripture, in our own lives, in the world around us? 

About the Curator:

Margaret (Peggy) Adams Parker has a dual vocation: as an artist and as a teacher in the church.  Her artworks – sculptures and prints - often treat religious and social justice themes.  Her sculpture of MARY is installed at the Cathedral College (at Washington National Cathedral) and at churches across the country. Her sculpture Reconciliation, depicting the parable of the prodigal son, is at Duke Divinity School. Her woodcuts accompany Ellen Davis’ translation, Who Are You, My Daughter? Reading Ruth through Image and Text (Westminster John Knox, 2003). Her suite of 15 woodcuts, WOMEN, is owned by the Library of Congress, and her woodcut, African Exodus, is the frontispiece to the UNHCR publication, Refugee Children.  She is currently completing drawings for life-sized figures picturing the Communion of Saints, to be etched onto glass panels for St. Agnes Catholic Church, Shepherdstown, WV.  

Parker has taught since 1992 on the adjunct faculty at Virginia Theological Seminary; she also writes and lectures widely. She contributed essays to Scrolls of Love – Ruth and the Song of Songs (Fordham University Press) and Heaven (Seabury Press) and wrote a catalogue essay for Visual Exegesis (Religious Art by African American Artists), an exhibition held at Yale Divinity School.

www.margaretadamsparker.com