Sacred Art?

Harry and I were enouraged to visit the Old Ursuline Convent when we were in New Orleans a week ago. The convent is the oldest girl's school on the continent, to my knowledge, and it has had numerous esteemed graduates including Anne Rice, Louisiana politician Lindy Boggs and the artist designer Michelle Saia Fournet; whose wedding we were in town for. Friends know her as NOLA's "Ya'at Girl," since she's a Louisiana version of "That Girl's" Marlo Thomas; encouraged us to take time to see the mosaic exhibition as well. Since we were staying in the French Quarter (a first!) we walked over to Chartres Street to check it out.

Thirty-three mosaics from the Vatican Workshop, of both a religious and a secular nature were on view. It turns out that Rome is the source of the finest tesserae anywhere (the tiniest of stones from which mosaics are created). Since the show closes on June 1st we were thrilled to be given comp tickets from a nun we happened to walk by on the sidewalk.

Each mosaic represents the perfection of an art form practiced by incredibly skilled masters of the Vatican Basilica as far back as the end of the 15th century. There were a number of pieces that were perfect representations of famous oil paintings by Van Gogh and Leonardo. Unfortunately, I felt more of a craftsmen's ego in these pieces (they were amazing) than a spiritual presence. Always the optimistic, I search for work that puts me in touch with something more than its making.

The mosaics were a bonus, really. The Old Ursuline Convent is worth a visit if you are in the French Quarter and need a break from the overwhelming flux of shop and bar propietors vying for your attention. The convent is still going strong, playing its part in creating a divine balance of the sacred and the profane in New Orleans.