After the fall of Rome, St. Augustine wrote a book, The City of God, that was the template for the church as it built a new world out of the ashes of the old. He explained we are citizens both of this earth and, ultimately, of the New Jerusalem, our eternal home, beautiful beyond our comprehension. Augustine’s vision shaped the Church. Its buildings became embassies of the New Jerusalem.
On October 21, 2023, Fieldstead and Company celebrated that vision with a new art exhibition. Heading Home: Glimpses of New Jerusalem opened to the public with a film premiere, a spoken-word performance, and an artist panel discussion.
In 2022 the Ahmansons led a group of pilgrims on a tour of churches and sacred spaces that communicate the glory of the New Jerusalem through their art and architecture. Photographer Kieran Dodds, who accompanied the pilgrims last summer, brings the splendor of these New Jerusalem spaces to the Ahmanson Gallery through a multi-sensory exhibition, curated by John Silvis, with Christian Gonzalez Ho.
Friend and filmmaker Jody Hassett Sanchez retraced the two-week journey and its significance for the travelers in her new documentary, Heading Home: A 21st Century Pilgrimage. The film has been accepted into numerous film festivals and has won five awards including "Most Creative Documentary."
To see the film's trailer, click here.
Fellow pilgrim Street Hymns, along with Lo Alaman, Jasmine Sims, and Hanna Watson, responded to imagery of the New Jerusalem through spoken word poetry, a type of performance art characterized by rhyme, repetition, improvisation, and word play.
Following the performance, Jody Hassett Sanchez moderated a discussion between artists Kieran Dodds, Street Hymns, and pilgrims David and Joy Bailey, regarding the impact of the vision of New Jerusalem on their lives and work.
More photos of the exhibition opening below:
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