AWARD FOR RELIGIOUS ARTS
Inclusive Icons of the Church of St . Francis Xavier New York , NY Patricia Brintle
In 2020 , amid the national reckoning with racism , the Church of St . Francis Xavier ’ s congregation responded with initiatives to learn more about race relations in its community and the Catholic Church , resulting in a reimagining of the church sanctuary .
The church was designed by the Irish-born architect Patrick Keely and built in the early 1880s in the Roman Basilica style , with nearly fifty murals by the Germanborn artist William Lamprecht . The building and its interiors reflected the devotional iconography of the time but did not represent the heterogeneity of contemporary Catholicism , so parish volunteers decided to diversify the church ’ s iconography .
The art committee selected the Haitian-born artist Patricia Brintle to depict twelve heroic Catholics : Sister Thea Bowman , St . Rose de Lima , St . Josephine Bakhita , St . Kateri Tekakwitha , Mother Mary Lange , St . Charles Lwanga , St . Lorenzo Ruiz , St . Andrew Kim Tae-gon , Venerable Pierre Toussaint , St . Oscar Romero , St . Anre Dung Lac , and Sister Rani Maria . The original acrylics , painted on birchwood panels and installed in spare gilt frames , have been mounted to the Italian marble pilasters that flank the Stations of the Cross along the church ’ s aisles . These additions to the Church of St . Francis Xavier provide a more inclusive place of worship to all visitors . architects — Alliance Donald Kennedy
JURY COMMENTS : This art installation finds a lasting way to add these pieces in the context of a historical church interior . Each icon has its own presence while supporting the older , larger Stations of the Cross artworks in new ways . A bold insertion .
AWARD FOR UNBUILT WORK
Don Mills Jamatkhana and Ismaili Community Centre Toronto , ON , Canada architects — Alliance
When complete , the Ismaili Centre and Jamatkhana of Don Mills will celebrate more than 50 years since the first immigration of Ismailis to the Greater Toronto Area and mark the location of the first Ismaili prayer hall in Ontario . The design applies modernist idioms to the rich traditions of Islamic architecture and landscape . The design expresses a message of inclusion to the diverse neighborhood . Two principal spaces are bisected by the main entrance , clad in a double façade of pierced metal and vision glass . They reveal and conceal , with a patterned screen inspired by the principles of unity and proportion found in Islamic numerology and geometry .
The massing and orientation draw from the Islamic architectural principle of introversion , whereby a quiet façade gives way to a vibrant social space within . Viewed in plan , the building is carved into quadrants that reflect principles of Persian garden design and express a diverse program , including a prayer hall , gymnasium , library , food drop-off area , administrative offices , and teaching spaces . A roof garden replicates the four-part massing of the building and provides respite from the city , offering a view of the Don Valley ravine . The organization of program and circulation is inspired by the forms used in Islamic calligraphy and its interplay of horizontal and vertical elements .
JURY COMMENTS : This unbuilt work is monumental yet full of light . The geometric patterning throughout the design is in line with the faith tradition ’ s aversion to graven images . The calligraphy integrated with the architecture is a wonderful inspiration .
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