We are pleased to welcome Alfonse Borysewicz to FSA’s Artist-in-Residence program in Charleston this fall (September 28–November 8). Borysewicz’ practice is informed by his Catholic faith, his deep knowledge of its teachings and traditions, and his belief in the role that contemporary art might yet play in its sacred spaces. The artist’s lifelong exploration of religious imagery is rooted in personal experience. Before embarking on his artistic journey, Borysewicz spent several years in a Detroit seminary with the intention of becoming a Catholic priest. He was encouraged to paint by a local bishop, and pursued an artistic vocation after leaving the seminary. His abstract approach to religious imagery gained Borysewicz critical acclaim. Over the past two decades, he has embraced a more representational way of painting, employing various symbols, motifs, colors, and materials to meaningfully address subjects encompassing Christology, theology, ecclesiology, the role of faith in contemporary life, and reflections on community and divine grace.

Borysewicz has also produced a number of sculptural works that, in conception and material, evoke both the past or discarded icons of the church and, by extension, the loss of faith to the present day. He is particularly concerned with bridging the gap between contemporary visual art and the space of the Catholic church. Although the church was once a major patron of arts, and the western art historical canon includes numerous religious paintings produced by renowned artists, little cross-collaboration and cross-fertilization occur today. For Borysewicz, art can inspire profound contemplation, especially on the transcendent values of love, community, and divine grace. In much the same way that observances such as Christmas or Easter enact in the present a remembrance of the past, the artist believes the visual environment of the church should “breathe the present along with its past.” Borycewicz examines these ideas at length in his recent book: Painting Prayer; Why Faith Needs Art and Art Needs Faith.

In Charleston, Borysewicz, inspired by the concept of the “understanding heart” that appears throughout the Hebrew scriptures and New Testament, plans to explore the acts of discernment by which people are able to discover the divine presence in their lives. Working intuitively around three anchor paintings that represent parables, his studio and practice will constitute something of a sacred space.