THIS WEEK IN OUTSIDER ART
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HAPPENINGS
GO SEE:
NEW YORK
- American Folk Art Museum: Morris Hirshfield Rediscovered // Sept 23 – Jan 29
- Ricco/Maresca Gallery: Grant Wallace: Over the Psychic Radio // Oct 20 – Dec 03 (In-Person & Online)
- Andrew Edlin Gallery: Ann McCoy, Paulina Peavy and Olga Spiegel // Oct 28 – Dec 03
- Cavin-Morris Gallery: Swallowing The Ocean, Internalizing The Sea: New Paintings By Izabella Ortiz // Nov 10 – Jan 28 // Cavin-Morris Gallery
- SHRINE: Jennifer Rochlin, P-22 // Nov 10 – Dec 17
CHICAGO
- Intuit Art Center: Recent Acquisitions // Jul 22 – Dec 04
- Hanna Pietri Gallery presents Maurice Sullins // Online
- Carl Hammer Gallery: Mary Lou Zelazny: Whistling In The Dark // Oct 28 – Dec 30
- Cherry Mountain Arts: Estéban Whiteside: The American Dream… or Nightmare? // Oct 28 – Nov 27
LOS ANGELES
PHILADELPHIA
- Indigo Arts Gallery: Mithila: Evolution of a Women’s Art in India and Nepal // Sept 29 – Jan 25
- Fleisher/Ollman Gallery: Leigh Bowery & A Bottle of 7Up // Nov 17 – Jan 07
TEXAS
- Webb Gallery Waxahachie: Nobody’s Ark (Pt. 1) with Panacea Theriac // Nov 06 – Jan 22
- Garden Party: Paintings & Cut-Outs by Jackie Dunn Smith and Decanters by Adam Shrewsbury at Webb’s Fair & Square in Fort Davis
WISCONSIN
- John Michael Kohler Arts Center: Creative! Growth! // May 21 – May 19
- Milwaukee Art Museum: Playing Favorites: Spotlight on the Petullo Collection // Oct 08 – Apr 02
>x<
LONDON
OH WORD?
Dickeyville Grotto: Art Environment Tour #8
I’ve seen my fair share of Midwestern religious grottoes. I started in West Bend, Iowa, to visit the Grotto of Redemption. Then, I traveled to Cedar Rapids and West Burlington to see Our Mother of Sorrows Grotto and Our Lady of Grace, respectively. All gorgeous, all hard to fathom, and fabulous in their own right. In every photo and video posted, everyone kept saying the same thing, “you have to go to Dickeyville.”
Growing up in the Midwest, you develop not so much a fear of flying but a willingness to drive absolutely anywhere. So what was a lovely little four-hour drive across Iowa on the way to Milwaukee to visit the Milwaukee Art Museum? Right! It’s no problem at all! Luckily, on a cold, snowy day in Wisconsin, my wife traveled with me to visit one of the more amazing grottoes I have seen this past year. Only the Grotto of the Redemption holds a candle to Dickeyville (bigger is better is what I learned living in Texas!), but Dickeyville is well worth the trip and one of a kind in its own right.
The Dickeyville Grotto stretches across the entire church grounds and cemetery with numerous shrines and grottoes celebrating religion and country, there was so much to take in, and every turn proved better than the last. The colors, the antique heirlooms sprinkled throughout the precious stones were mesmerizing. How does one think of something like this?
The Main Grotto was last shrine completed by Father Wernerus and contains within it the shrine of the Blessed Virgin. On either side of the main grotto is a pillar fashioned of Rose Quartz from South Dakota, one crowned with an American Flag and the other with the Papal Flag; Patriotism and Religion. On the face of the arch of the Grotto, inlaid in stone, are the fifteen decades of the Rosary, the official prayer of the Mother of God. The statue is made of Italian White Carrara Marble and was sculptured in Europe. On the face of this little altar there is inlaid a very small cross with was made by the first Indian Convert Father Marquette, the missionary priest who discovered the Mississippi River. The walls of the interior are inlaid with precious stones from all over the world, along with beautiful shells and rare corals.
via DickeyvilleGrotto.com
There are several shrines in the Grotto garden. Besides the main shrine (which houses the Grotto of the Blessed Virgin), there is a patriotic shrine, the sacramental shrine of the Holy Eucharist, the Sacred Heart shrine, Christ the King shrine, Fatima shrine, and the Stations of the Cross. These shrines are located in a beautiful floral garden area surrounding the Holy Ghost Church.
via DickeyvilleGrotto.com
If you get a chance, whatever your religious beliefs or spirituality, the Dickeyville Grotto and many more grottoes across the Midwest are well worth your time. The ingenuity, commitment, and beauty are inspirational and will leave you wanting to know more, do more, and see more.
>> SEE MORE PHOTOS AND VIDEOS FROM THE DICKEYVILLE GROTTO <<
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- The Greatest List of All-Time for Must-Watch Documentaries on Outsider Artists
- Highlights from the Pettulo Collection at the Milwaukee Art Museum
- Art Environments in the Midwest: Photos, Videos, Info, and more!
- Looking for a good book on Outsider Art? Look no further!
- Change Makers: Stories that Inspire: Life & Work with Adam Oestreich
STAY TUNED…
Next Week: the greatest list of must-watch outsider art documentaries ever.
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