Artist Talk for Armour of God: The Art of Steve Prince

Come hear from Steve Prince, the artist featured in the current Olson Gallery exhibit Armour of God. After the Artist Talk, please join us for a reception in the Olson Gallery and engage with the interactive exhibit.

Event schedule

1:20 p.m. | Artist Talk (Bethel Library)

3-5 p.m. | Reception (Olson Gallery)

About the artist

Steve A. Prince is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, and currently resides in Williamsburg, Virginia. He is the Director of Engagement and Distinguished Artist in Residence at the Muscarelle Museum at William and Mary University. Prince received his B.F.A. from Xavier University of Louisiana and his M.F.A. in Printmaking and Sculpture from Michigan State University. Prince is a mixed media artist, master printmaker, lecturer, educator, and art evangelist. He has taught middle school, high school, community college, 4-year public and 4-year private, and has conducted workshops internationally in various media.

About the exhibit

Armour of God is an exhibition of linoleum prints derived from the scripture in Ephesians 6:11, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” The body of work reimagines the quote and utilizes it as an “AOG” symbol that emerges in the tapestry of the images as a signifier of an omnipotent, omnipresent power that intervenes in schemes designed to destroy the lives of righteous people. The collective stories are historical evidence of that sacred protection and the endeavors of people who went through extraordinary circumstances to create space for the oppressed and disenfranchised. The exhibition is a reminder for us to collectively work for justice, peace, and equality, and know by faith we will be protected by the Armour of God.

Within the exhibition, we will collectively create a 30-foot drawing based on the theme, Urban Garden, utilizing charcoal in an additive and subtractive manner—all are welcome to join in creating this drawing as a community. The big questions we will ponder are: What is planted in America’s garden that perhaps needs to be interrogated, examined, or removed, and conversely, what should we plant in its place? What should or could we be nurturing?

Urban Garden is a project that will ask community members to draw on one side of the compositional space metaphorical imagery of the problems that they recognize as endemic to the United States and the Bethel community that need to be uprooted; on the opposing side of the compositional space, participants will be encouraged to create images of what they would like to plant and grow once these problems have been addressed. By the end of the exercise, we will have created a metaphorical Urban Garden that creatively addresses the issues embedded in the soil of America, for better or for worse.