Moira Bryan

“Father brought the Cuban Blessed Virgin for Mother.  The statue was gorgeous, with brown skin!  She had earrings and a necklace, and the brightest colors of any Mother Mary I had ever seen.  Big red lips and a violet color on her eyelids like she was ready for a fiesta.” Rebecca Wells, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.

My art examines the ideation of beauty and takes a deeper look into the unique art of the Catholic Church, while taking into account other cultures and beliefs.  By constructing a shrine of sorts, I am able to tell the stories of holy individuals, including a reverence and celebration of their holy lives. 

Engaging the connection between the beauty of my own mother and the Virgin Mary, as well as my own idea of beauty, has been a part of my journey to this project. My faith was an important part of my upbringing and led me to my deep appreciation and love of art. 

Considering who my favorite saints are, based on their stories as well as the selfishness of choosing saints dedicated to my own interests, I’ve decided to create installations as shrines for one of my favorites. I used a mixture of found material, made material, as well as purchased goods as forms of “offerings."