Main Library’s gallery hosts ‘Journey of Beauty‘
TOLEDO — This summer, visitors to the Toledo Lucas County Main Library have the opportunity to browse a collection of 59 pieces of art by 20 Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio.
The exhibition, titled Journey of Beauty, has never before been displayed in a public gallery, and includes a diversity of media spanning more than a century. It began on June 14 and will run until August 2.
The oldest piece in the exhibition is an oil painting of red roses dating back to 1905, painted by Mother M. Adelaide Sandusky, OSF, the foundress of the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania. Her legacy is reflected in the wide array of artwork spread around the Lourdes University campus and the sisters’ motherhouse, which is a combination of Mother Adelaide’s large collection from traveling, along with original pieces by the Franciscan sisters whom she encouraged to follow their creative pursuits.
“She operated on the conviction that, if you surround yourself by beauty, it will affect you and change you, open your soul and spirit,” said Sister Magdala Davlin, OSF, the artist of seven pieces in the exhibit. She said her hope for her artwork is that “it will touch others in their search for beauty, truth and goodness.”
Davlin has been a Franciscan Sister for 59 years, the majority of which she spent as a nurse. In 2021, she completed a full-sized bronze statue of Mother Adelaide, and the exhibit includes her smaller statue of the foundress, as well. She is also the creator of the most recent piece of art—a ceramic mural of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, which she completed this year.
This piece caught the eye of Kelly O’Brien, a local artist from Toledo who visited the exhibit on July 3.
“It is interesting to see the styles and the different eras” of the artwork, O’Brien said.
Both the Sisters of St. Francis and the staff of the library felt that the artwork by the sisters ought to be shared with the wider community.
“Main Library’s gallery space provides the Toledo Library the opportunity to collaborate with partners from across Lucas County to showcase the rich and vibrant artwork that is created in the community,” said Jason Kucsma, executive director of the Toledo Library.
“Having works from the Sisters of St. Francis’ art collection—a true hidden gem in the Toledo region—on view for customers to enjoy has been a highlight of the library’s summer programming.”
For the sisters, nearly 40 of whom gathered for the gallery’s opening reception on June 21, the exhibition has provided an opportunity for them to see pieces they didn’t know about and to share a bit of their community’s spirit with people who may not visit their campus.
“It is very humbling to see that heritage, and to bring that message of the importance of beauty and hope to a broader community,” said Sister Barbara Vano, OSF, vice president for mission and ministry at Lourdes University. She has several photographs in the exhibit.
Vano noted that art is a subset of their wider Franciscan mission of acknowledging the beauty of creation and bringing more beauty into the world. She said it is the ability to capture a detail or a moment that people would ordinarily hurry by that inspires her photography.
“It allows me, and hopefully others, to spend a little bit more time in reflection to the goodness in our world and the times when we aren’t always as attentive to what is happening in our world,” she said.
Mary Hamann, a retired art teacher from Toledo, found herself drawn toward the exhibition because of what she described as a recent “spiritual awakening” that has happened in her life. While she has largely left the Catholic religion she grew up with, “I still go back to, there is something there.
“I wish we had more spaces where people could talk about science and spirituality without religion,” she said.
Even for those who might not connect with specifically religious imagery, the Sisters of St. Francis hope there is something there to inspire everyone.
“On the small scale, this is a very talented group of sisters that can compete with other artists anywhere,” said Christine Deemer, the art and rare book curator and congregational archivist for the Sisters of St. Francis.
“Their message is religious-based most of the time, but we are all looking for beauty.”
