"Return to Eden" & "Praise" Exhibits

The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art in Loretto is proud to announce the upcoming exhibitions, Return to Eden in the Sullivan Gallery and Praise! in the Margery Wolf Kuhn Gallery.The exhibitions will be open on October 27, 2023 and run until December 23, 2023, after which the museum will be closed for the remainder of 2023 to celebrate the holidays.

Renowned artist Cara Livorio is set to captivate art enthusiasts with her latest exhibition,“Return to Eden," hosted at SAMA Loretto. This groundbreaking series presents a mesmerizing collection of immersive gardens, each intricately interwoven with the fragments of human existence.

Livorio's "Return to Eden”delves into the profound interplay between nature's ceaseless cycles and humanity's enduring imprint. The gardens featured in the series are teeming with remnants of human presence, speaking to the harmonious dance of life and death that characterizes the seasons of growth, decline, and rebirth. Visitors to the exhibition are invited to meander through these ever-changing landscapes, basking in their serenity and sublime allure.

Where others might perceive an attempt to assert dominance over nature, Livorio’s colorful, abstract landscape paintings offer an alternative perspective—a symbiotic coexistence. In her vision, the stones and statues gracefully surrender to their inevitable fate, embracing the cycle from dust to dust.This surrender is not a relinquishment of control, but rather a profound act of respect, faith, and trust—whether in nature itself or in one's higher beliefs.The series captures the essence of finding beauty in pain and brokenness, a testament to healing wounds, clearing away the remnants of the past, and cultivating space for new growth, much like tending to a garden.

“Praise!”will coincide with the opening of the Return to Eden exhibition at SAMA Loretto, together offering a unique perspective into the interplay of nature, religion, and the arts.

As part of the Saint Francis University campus community, SAMA Loretto is pleased to announce the arrival of this faith inspired installation. The exhibition will explore how belief transcends through art, the raw materials of things such as paint, ink, or pencil coming together to create spiritual imagery. Featuring an expansive collection of works, the exhibit is an insightful look into the metaphysical, the power of devotion demonstrated within each piece. SAMA Loretto welcomes visitors as we navigate how artists across time have embarked upon- and been compelled by- the multiple facets of divinity.