Oct 18 - Nov 18: Father Dunstan, Lookout Gallery

This just in from Loren Wilkinson at Regent College...

"There will be an opening of a show on Fr. Dunstan's work this week at Regent--4:30--followed by the premier of a film the knowledge network will shortly be releasing in the US, "In the Footsteps of Michelangelo", mainly about this last fresco. He will be present (I spent most of yesterday retreiving some stuff from the abbey, especially the full-sized cartoon of the fresco, most of which will be hung at Regent for the next month.)"

Heavenly Banquet
Paintings, frescos and sculptures of artist-priest Father Dunstan Massey

October 18–November 18, 2006

Opening reception 4:30 - 7:30pm, Wednesday, October 18
In the Footsteps of Michelangelo, 7:30pm, Regent College Chapel

Exhibition of the life work of Father Dunstan of Westminster Abbey, Mission,
and the debut of a documentary on his life shown in the Regent Chapel.

In The Footsteps of Michelangelo, produced by Woodfilms for the Knowledge Network, documents the life of Father Dunstan Massey, an artist-priest who, while living in the 21st century, practices the art form of fresco painting perfected by Michelangelo in the 16th century. It is an intimate portrait of a man who has devoted his life to his God and his art, and the Benedictine Monastery where he has lived for more than fifty years has become his gallery - a showcase for his paintings, frescos and sculptures. The Film will be shown at 7:30pm.

From IMAGE Update...

Father Dunstan Massey, an artist and Benedictine monk living in Mission, British Columbia, recently completed what many consider his crowning artistic achievement. Thirty years in the works, Father Dunstan’s four-story fresco, “The Heavenly Banquet,” features a different take on the Last Supper. “I searched and searched for a painting of this heavenly banquet,” Dunstan said, “but I couldn’t find one. So, the Eucharist features in the new fresco, but it’s in heaven.” Combining simplicity of style with a modern interpretation, the luminous work hangs at one end of the refectory at the Westminster Abbey in Mission. Born William Harold Massey in Vancouver, B.C., Father Dunstan’s artistic gifts were noticed early. In 1940, at age 16, he was offered a one-man art show at the Vancouver Art Gallery. As a young man, however, a different sense of vocation was forming, and in 1942 he entered seminary. Eight years later, he made his monastic vows and received the name Dunstan. After earning degrees in both theology and art, Dunstan was ordained to the priesthood in 1955, and has lived at Westminster Abbey ever since. Though the cloistered life is quiet, Father Dunstan has remained busy with artistic endeavors, including such projects as the series of twenty-two bas-reliefs in the abbey church. His other large fresco, “The Temptation of St. Benedict,” led to a Time Magazine profile in 1971. In addition to painting, Father Dunstan is a poet, filmmaker, and musician. His film on the temptation of St. Benedict, “Crown of Fire,“ won the Golden Eagle at the Cine Awards in Washington, D.C. in 2001. Piquant Editions has recently published his “Mystic Mountain,” a book length poem dramatizing the Christian hope of resurrection. Having completed “The Heavenly Banquet” in December 2005, Father Dunstan has now made available the series of drawings he used to plan the project. As he is one of only a handful of North American artists creating large scale religious frescoes, Father Dunstan’s drawings provide the viewer with a unique behind-the-scenes look at one of history’s most important artistic traditions. Hosted by Regent College in Vancouver, B.C., Heavenly Banquet: Paintings, Frescoes and Sculptures of Artist-Priest Father Dunstan Massey will continue through November. A documentary, In the Footsteps of Michelangelo, produced by Woodfilms for the Knowledge Network will be shown opening night, October 18, 2006.