News 3/12/2007

Art Exhibition Opens at General Seminary Library

New York City--The St. Mark's Library of The General Theological Seminary in Chelsea will present a solo exhibit of mixed media

works by Caroline Coolidge Brown, entitled "Words and Birds." The exhibition will open on April 27 and continue through May 24,

2007. An opening reception will be held on April 27 from 5-7 pm.

Pieces featured in the exhibition incorporate elements from discarded library books, hymnals and prayer books, making the

Seminary's library an especially appropriate venue for the show. "My collage paintings explore the use of text, story and symbol. I

sift through my collection of old, crumbling, discarded books, library cards and papers to find the right words and images to use in

my artwork," says Ms. Brown. "It is thrilling for me to take something that was in the hands of people who came before me and

reconfigure it, re-imagine it within a piece. In reinterpreting these objects, I hope to create a new narrative, a new story that

becomes my own."

The narrative in this body of work focuses on birds as the symbol of God's Holy Spirit. "In Renaissance paintings, the Holy Spirit is

seen descending from the hand of God, to enter the lives of the characters in the Bible," Ms. Brown observes. "I believe that the

Holy Spirit continues to enter and transform our lives. Birds come in every size, shape and color and are found on every

continent--a perfect metaphor for the way that God's Holy Spirit is present everywhere and in every way."

Caroline Brown has exhibited in solo and group shows in New York and in Memphis, TN. A graduate of Duke University, she has

also studied at the School of Visual Arts (NY), the Memphis College of Art, the Getty Center for Education in the Arts (CA) and the

Royal College of Art (London). She is a member of the Christians in Visual Arts (CIVA) and of The Episcopal Church and Visual

Arts (ECVA).

St. Mark's Library is at 175 Ninth Avenue at 20th Street. Library hours are Monday-Thursday 8 am - 11 pm, Friday 8 am - 8 pm,

Saturday 9 am - 7 pm, and Sunday 2 pm - 10 pm. After May 10, hours will be Monday - Friday 9 am - 5 pm. To view work from the

exhibition please visit www.CarolineCBrown.com.