The Overflow
Reflections on the opening night of "To the Ends of the Earth," a multi-disciplinary group exhibition in NYC
It starts to drizzle as we stand in line waiting to enter the gallery. I tell a new friend I’m doing a master’s in Norwich, ‘a little outside of London,’ and the guy in line behind me jumps in to say, “I grew up in East Anglia, and Norwich is quite a bit outside of London.” Good to stay humble, I guess. After a woman enters our names into her computer, we enter a sanctuary-turned-gallery. Raised tables hold hors d’oeuvres, and crowds of young people pack into the space. We mingle over sparkling water and goat cheese, and all the while I’m pleasantly surprised at the turnout.
The MC takes the mic and introduces the exhibition. Each of the eight artists presents their work, and he asks follow-up questions. “I’d love to do his job,” I think to myself.
On September 4th, eight new works debuted live in a gallery space supported by creative.nyc. The exhibition centered around the Bible verse Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The artists talked about New York City as a place where the ends of the earth meet.
The artists: Daniel Anger, Ryan Dunn, Autumn Harvey, Meredith Schomburg, Julia Light & Kaiti Yoo, Julie Loncar, Sarah Mathai, Annell Moya.
The exhibition explored the verse using a variety of lenses, themes, and mediums; each artist brought a unique perspective. Meredith Schomburg’s abstract painting series Nothing Will Be Wasted / All Will Be Made Right celebrated the role of women in God’s story. Schomburg stretched a tablecloth from a dinner with friends for the canvases and used paint she had leftover from other projects. The title / concept reminded me of the line ‘there’s no waste at the altar’ from the Abbie Gamboa + Elevation Rhythm + Tiffany Hudson song.
Annell Moya’s song To: New York took our breath away. Inspired by the line from the Lord’s prayer “on earth as it is in heaven,” she wrote a song with “in New York as it is in heaven” as the chorus. She taught the audience the chorus and invited us to sing with her. Her booming vocals filled the space and sent chills down our spine. Afterwards, I saw one guest describe her experience by placing her fist on her heart and saying, “It hit me here.”
Visitors did not leave the exhibition empty handed. We held flyers designed like newspapers with the front-page headline ‘Is Gen Z Believing in God Again?’ Inside, each artist wrote a description of their work, and the back page included fun facts and reflection questions.
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Last days! Visit 417 W 57 Street to see “To the Ends of the Earth” before it closes on September 16th.
