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| John T. Downs, La Via Dolorosa Last Station, Collograph Print. |
Plymouth, N.H. – La Via Dolorosa, a collection of 14 art prints by Plymouth State University Professor John T. Downs, based on the Catholic meditational devotion of the same name, will be presented on the main level of the Lamson Library and Learning Commons through May 17.
An opening reception with the artist will be held from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, March 2 at Lamson.
The Via Dolorosa meditation dates back to the time of St. Francis of Assisi, 1182-1226. The roadway Via Dolorosa within the Old City of Jerusalem is thought to be the path that Jesus walked carrying his cross, on the way to his crucifixion. The route is a place of Christian pilgrimage.
Downs intends for the series of collagraph prints to present a devotional meditation that is metaphorical rather than literal. He also intends for the works to inspire an experiential meditation as the viewer proceeds from image to image reflecting on the broader meaning referenced in the piece. He says, “In this regard, the experience of the human condition would be universal to all those who experience the meditation, regardless of religious belief. I hope viewers of the series can use the prints to reflect on their own life and on those around them.”
Downs says the final print in the series should be a beginning rather than an end. “This station is a beginning of a new stage of existence of some nature. …What will we leave behind that embodies our individual spirit? How will we be reborn?” he asks.
Lamson Library and Learning Commons is open seven days a week. Specific hours are listed at library.plymouth.edu/hours.
Information about the exhibition is available from Anne Lebreche, outreach librarian at
(603) 535-2833.
General information about events at PSU is available at ThisWeek@PSU.
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