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Soaring Spaces, Inspiring Artistry a centennial lecture and tour series on the artistry of Washington National Cathedral Saturdays, March 29–June 14, 2008 |
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Join us in a rare opportunity… 
 Explore the majesty of the only Gothic cathedral to be built entirely in the twentieth century. Discover how an unknown sculptor won a commission to design the much-heralded Creation sculptures over the Cathedral main entrance. Learn why the Cathedral ranked third in a national poll of America’s favorite architecture. Hear about the immigrant stone carvers who devoted their lives to shaping the Cathedral’s limestone. A Cathedral Centennial celebration offering, these eleven programs explore incomparable artisanship and architecture of the Cathedral’s magnificent spaces. Each presentation includes a slide lecture and a tour, often to areas not usually open to the public. (photo: Robert Lautman) 
 Saturday, May 10, 10 amForged by Fire: Flora, Fauna, and Fantasy in Wrought Iron Nol Putnam, Virginia blacksmith and artist of the Cathedral’s dramatic columbarium gates, surveys often overlooked treasures: the gates, screens, grilles, and locks which grace sacred spaces throughout the Cathedral. (photo: Christopher Budny) A tour explores the work of Samuel Yellin, who rose to national renown after beginning as an immigrant blacksmith at the turn of the twentieth century. The tour also includes a visit to the newly installed Good Shepherd Gate by artist Albert Paley.
 Saturday, May 17, 1 pmJewels of Light: The Poetry of Stained Glass We regret that spaces for this program have now been filled. Diane Ney and Elody Crimi, authors of Jewels of Light, lecture with slides on the incomparable artistry of the Cathedral’s extraordinary windows. (photo: Ken Cobb) Dieter Goldkuhle, gifted fabricator and installer of Cathedral stained glass, leads a tour of window highlights including the vibrant clerestory windows and the Creation Rose. The first 40 registered participants will tour with Goldkuhle; additional participants will tour with a stained glass specialist.
 Saturday, May 31, 10 amMajesty and Mystery: Frederick Hart and the Creation Sculptures In 1974, an unknown sculptor, Frederick Hart, was commissioned to create the sculptures for the Cathedral’s west façade, interpreting the theme of creation. The resulting works were a triumph. In the words of then National Gallery of Art Director J. Carter Brown, “My own response…was one akin to awe…the façade is startling…a virtuosity of execution.” James F. Cooper, personal friend of the late Rick Hart, director of the Newington-Cropsey Cultural Studies Center and editor of American Arts Quarterly, explores Hart’s genius and seminal Creation sculptures. Attendees venture to the Cathedral’s overcroft “attic” to view plaster models and visit the dramatic sculptures in situ.
 Saturday, June 7, 10 amCapturing Gothic Light: The Cathedral Photography of Frederick Evans Noted photographer Frederick Evans devoted his life to exploring the powerful light and deep shadows of European Gothic cathedrals at the turn of the last century. Brian H. Peterson, senior curator at the James A. Michener Art Museum, writes that Evans sought to convey “something of the ecstatic, transforming, transcendent nature of the spiritual experience.” (photo: Frederick Evans) Peterson shares Evans’ unique techniques, which illuminate the interiors and penetrate the corners of the cathedrals he loved. Evans was creating his mystical images at the very time Washington National Cathedral’s visionaries, inspired by fourteenth-century English cathedrals, were beginning the creation of a Gothic cathedral in the nation’s capital.
 Saturday, June 14, 1 pmThe Fabric of Worship: Needlework Artistry From the exquisite altar pieces and vestments created by the first Cathedral altar guild to more contemporary pieces, needlework enhances worship and softens Cathedral spaces. (photo: Christopher Budny) Dixie Rettig, needlework historian and textile conservator, discusses silk and metal thread embroidery—its history as well as the Cathedral’s superb needlework collection. Attendees have a private viewing of rarely seen historic pieces from the needlework archives, including Lucy Vaughan Mackrille’s work from the early 1900s. |
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