The purpose of the art gallery is to celebrate the creative artists’ unique contribution to the Christian community through creating images that are a thoughtful response to God, a reflection of His beauty, or meditations that are a blessing to the church.

We believe that the arts are a vital part of our community’s life and worship, and the visual arts in particular are important.

Art sometimes helps tell those important stories and brings a reflective or meditative perspective to ideas that permeate the life of the Christian in our broken world.

That’s why, in 2004, we set aside space for an art gallery, and every other year we have a show that invites artists from our community to submit their recent artwork for display. We welcome artists of faith who are interested in sharing their work, regardless of theme, medium, or style. In the past we have displayed a variety of artwork— photography, paintings, drawings, quilts, jewelry, and pottery.

Our goals:
•  Learn to better appreciate the artists as a member of the faith community
•  Support the artist and the art lover by providing space to show and enjoy art
•  Dialogue on a more meaningful level on the issues surrounding faith and art in our culture
•  Incorporate more artistic expressions into the life of the church, its worship services and
  the lives of the community.

Current Gallery Exhibit

APRIL 20 - JULY 20, 2018

Prints by Donald J. Forsythe and Christine A. Forsythe

This exhibition by Messiah College founding art department faculty members features 17 prints created during time spent in Ballycastle, County Mayo, Ireland in 2010. Christine presents monotypes on handmade paper inspired by the coastline. Don worked with a salt-etched whiskey tin found on the shoreline, and created unique intaglio-wiped and relief rolled images in limited editions.

Coming later this year

august 15 - october 15, 2018

Imanuel / God With Us: The Wonder of the Incarnation
Curated by Sarah Colago and Sandra Bowden

For the second half of summer 2017, the gallery featured the artwork of Kelle J. Alonso, a local artist who lives in Grantham with her husband, Dan, and three daughters: Lucy, Lily, and Maddie. She grew up in Dillsburg, and studied art at Houghton College in Houghton, NY, concentrating in painting. Kelle says, “I've been making art since my mom let me use scissors and glue. With the arrival of my first daughter in 2006, I began working in the art of building character and beauty in my children.”

Recent Gallery Exhibits

Summer 2017

For the second half of summer 2017, the gallery featured the artwork of Kelle J. Alonso, a local artist who lives in Grantham with her husband, Dan, and three daughters: Lucy, Lily, and Maddie. She grew up in Dillsburg, and studied art at Houghton College in Houghton, NY, concentrating in painting. Kelle says, “I've been making art since my mom let me use scissors and glue. With the arrival of my first daughter in 2006, I began working in the art of building character and beauty in my children.”

Witness to Faith: The Biblical Art of Sadao Watanabe

Japan’s foremost Christian artist, Sadao Watanabe (1913-1996) converted from Buddhism to Christianity at 17 years old. He soon combined his new faith with an interest in preserving the traditional Japanese folk art of stencil dyeing, or katazome, by creating colorful representations of biblical scenes that he hoped would speak to his people. He said, "My task is to stand within the artistic tradition of Japan…Theology will not take deep root in Japanese soil if it is merely an import."

You can learn more about Watanabe by clicking here.

Other recent exhibits: 

• Jeanne R. Johnson, award-winning watercolorist 

• Jesus: Good Shepherd and Lamb of God, from the collections of Sandra Bowden

• Peter Emerson, “From Land to Sea” recent oil paintings

• Ralph Hocker, “The Beauty all Around Us”