Barbara Leavitt finds health and wellness in her faith and her art — both as a creator and in appreciating the art of others.

“My life is testimony that faith and art combined have the power to heal you from physical and mental pain at all ages,” she said, noting her creation of art began as a young child.

Leavitt is a founding member of her Milwaukee parish’s special ministry that supports artists and treats its parishioners to an annual gallery show.

For more than a decade, the Our Lady of Lourdes Art Guild has gathered dozens of parishioners from across the archdiocese into a small community of like-minded artists, meeting twice a month to teach each other new skills and enjoy each other’s company. Many of the 20 regular attendees are retired, caring for infirmed family members and looking for opportunities to get out of the house during the day.

The guild, which has a large gallery on display in parish hallways through May 1, plays an important role in their lives, fostering heathy pursuits such as passion, kindness and community.

“As for me, the soft pastel art I have been creating since 2000, whether they have been of baby animals, landscapes or flowers, are meant to be a safe haven that draws the viewer in and fills the soul with the peace and love of God forever intertwined,” said Leavitt, who will have several pieces in the gallery.

Another guild artist, Arlene Davis, said artists often are taught that kindness is the way to get people to create, but that they can only go as far as their confidence lets them.

“We are born creators, born to create just as Christ was. God made the earth, and we’ve been made to share our expression and creativity. When you’re actually producing art and it’s your heart coming out, that’s what expression in art is and it makes people talk. They feel good and they have something to show. And if you sell something, that’s even better.” Davis said.

It’s very healthy for people to be able to express something in a universal language that can be understood by all people across the globe, said guild founder Mary Ann Logic, who is a retired art teacher.

“As St. Irenaeus said, ‘The glory of God is the human being fully alive!’ As an art educator, who strongly believes in ‘art for all, and all for art’ — the Our Lady of Lourdes Art Guild motto — this feeling of ‘fully alive’ is a great contributor to health and wellness that can be enjoyed for life,” she said.

The Art Guild has a massive influence on both the cultural, liturgical and charitable life of Our Lady of Lourdes. The sanctuary hosts a wood carving symbolizing the Eucharist above the altar that was produced by Tom Schroeder, who taught himself wood carving during the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, the Art Guild is heavily involved in the church’s social activism, having assisted with art classes in urban and prison settings and cancer relief retreats.

Art viewers can find many health and wellness benefits, too.

“As we interpret each artwork, it momentarily gives us permission to forget about all the problems of the outside world while we ‘let go’ and immerse our whole being into another person’s world,” Leavitt said. “Appreciation and participating in art projects fuel our imaginations to discover the hidden meaning in each artist’s vision.”

Our Lady of Lourdes Annual Hallway Art Gallery

  • Who: Parish Art Guild.
  • When: Through May 1, before and after Masses, and during office hours. See details at org.
  • Where: Our Lady of Lourdes, 3722 S. 58th St., Milwaukee.
  • Details: Dozens of varied works of pencil drawings, wood carvings, scratchboard engravings, acrylic paintings and quilts. A large collaborative mosaic is also on display.
  • Can art be purchased? Many works are for sale, with prices marked, or will be raffled off.

 

Artist Tom Schroeder, who taught himself wood carving, created “Noah’s Dove,” one of the many artworks on display until May 1 at Our Lady of Lourdes, Milwaukee. (Photo by Tyler Hummel)

Barbara Leavitt, a founding member of her parish’s Art Guild, created “Puttin’ On The Ritz,” which will be on display with many other pieces of art at the annual Our Lady of Lourdes Hallway Art Gallery. (Submitted photo)

Jim Gill, a member of the Our Lady of Lourdes Art Guild, created “The Holy Family.” (Submitted photo)