MOCRA Voices

Mary Reid Brunstrom explains how two major sculptures by Richard Serra prompted a new direction in her life.

This is an Audio Extra to Episode 8: Mary Reid Brunstrom.

Original release date: 6/7/2014

From the late 1980s through 2000, Austral Gallery brought St. Louis audiences the best in contemporary Australian art. In this episode, Mary Reid Brunstrom talks with MOCRA director Terrence Dempsey, S.J., about founding Austral Gallery, her collaborations with MOCRA, and her decision to return to school to pursue studies in art history.

Be sure to listen to the Audio Extra, "Serra Shows the Way."

Visit the MOCRA Voices website to learn more about Mary Reid Brunstrom and to explore a Listening Guide to the interview.

Recording Engineer and Editor: Mike Schrand Host: Linda Kennedy Theme and Incidental Music: Stephen James Neale Producer: David Brinker

Original release date: 6/7/2014

This episode was made possible with financial support from the Regional Arts Commission.

An invitation to China's Guangzhou Triennial leads artist Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons to the unexpected realization that her Cuban family includes Chinese relatives.

This is an Audio Extra to Episode 7: Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons.

Original release date: 11/15/2013

Multi-disciplinary artist Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons came to Saint Louis University in March 2013 to deliver The Kristen Peterson Distinguished Lecture in Art and Art History. Her talk, titled "Rituals and Spirituality in the Performative Photographic Work of Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons," concerned her exploration of themes of separation, fragmentation, and memory through multiple artistic disciplines.

The day before her talk, Campos-Pons sat down with MOCRA Director Terrence Dempsey, S.J., and Dr. Olubukola Gbadegesin, Assistant Professor of Art History and African-American Studies at Saint Louis University, for a rich and varied discussion of Campos-Pons' work as an outgrowth of her life experiences and passions, as well as her work's place in the wider context of diaspora art.

Campos-Pons notes, "I am always in awe of the extent of mystery that is there present in our surroundings . . . I see myself not just as an artist but a healer, a messenger dispensing small amulets of good energies to my viewers and centered by respect for all that is animated."

Be sure to listen to the Audio Extra, "Porcelain Doll."

Also, check out the related MOCRA Voices video episode, "Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons: The Kristen Peterson Lecture."

Visit the MOCRA Voices website to learn more about Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons and to explore a Listening Guide to the interview.

Recording Engineer and Editor: Mike Schrand Producer: David Brinker

Original release date: 11/15/2013

This episode was made possible with financial support from the Regional Arts Commission.

Revered Ralph Peterson and Dr. Jane Daggett Dillenberger reminisce about commissioning artist Louis Nevelson to design the Chapel of the Good Shepherd at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Manhattan.

This is an Audio Extra to Episode 6: Ralph Peterson and Jane Daggett Dillenberger.

Original release date: 7/8/2013

Rev. Ralph Peterson has had a lifelong passion for incorporating the arts into his ministry. He speaks with MOCRA Director Terrence Dempsey, SJ, about his role in commissioning the Erol Beker Chapel of the Good Shepherd, designed by artist Louise Nevelson, and located in St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Manhattan. They are also joined by art historian Dr. Jane Daggett Dillenberger, who consulted on the chapel project.

Be sure to listen to the Audio Extra, "Taking the Narrative Seriously."

Visit the MOCRA Voices website to learn more about Ralph Peterson and Jane Daggett Dillenberger, and to explore a Listening Guide to the interview.

Recording Engineer: Joe Grimaldi Editor: Mike Schrand Producer: David Brinker

Original release date: 7/8/2013

This episode was made possible with financial support from the Regional Arts Commission.

Museum directors Pamela Ambrose, Terrence Dempsey, S.J., and Ena Heller, talk about their favorite exhibitions from their respective museums.

This is an Audio Extra to Episode 5: Pamela Ambrose and Ena Heller.

Original release date: 6/6/2013

MOCRA Director Terrence Dempsey, S.J., is joined by two fellow museum directors: Pamela Ambrose (Loyola University Museum of Art, Chicago) and Ena Heller (Museum of Biblical Art). All three museums focus on art that engages the religious and spiritual dimensions.

Ambrose, Heller, and Dempsey discuss a range of topics, including the place of religious art museums in the ecosystems of both art and religion, the challenges of presenting art in a spiritual and religious context, and the wide range of responses each director has fielded from visitors and critics alike.

Be sure to listen to the Audio Extra, "Favorite Exhibitions."

Visit the MOCRA Voices website to learn more about Pamela Ambrose and Ena Heller, and to explore a Listening Guide to the interview.

Recording Engineer: Joe Grimaldi Editor: Mike Schrand Host: John Launius Producer: David Brinker

Original release date: 6/6/2013

This episode was made possible with financial support from the Regional Arts Commission.

Artist Archie Granot and collector Max Thurm discuss the Jewish concept of hiddur mitzvah and its application to The Papercut Haggadah.

This is an Audio Extra to Episode 4: Archie Granot.

Original release date: 8/9/2012

Israeli artist Archie Granot describes a harrowing experience with his chosen artistic tool: a surgical scalpel.

This is an Audio Extra to Episode 4: Archie Granot.

Original release date: 8/9/2012