On Thursday evening, April 20th, St. Martin’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Annapolis gave 135 community members a sneak peek at the upcoming ICONS in Transformation art exhibit and the chance to meet the artist personally.
The reception invited individuals to gaze upon 193 contemporary three-dimensional paintings of expressionist Ludmila Pawlowska and explore the artwork’s themes of light, love, spirituality and time, ornately placed throughout the sanctuary, hallways, fellowship hall, and outdoor lawn. Guests enjoyed refreshments and hors d’oeuvres after gathering for a time of brief remarks, including St. Martin’s Pastor Dave Oravec, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Delaware-Maryland Synod’s Bishop William Gohl, ICONS Committee Chair Heather Tuckfield, Annapolis City Chief of Staff Cate Pettit, and ICONS Artist Ludmila Pawlowska.
Pettit presented Pastor Dave with a certificate of honor on behalf of the City of Annapolis, recognizing St. Martin’s hard work in making this exhibit possible for the community to enjoy free of charge, while ensuring support to Ukrainian refugees.
“I put my hand up straight away to be Mayor Buckley’s representative tonight, for two reasons. Firstly, our Mayor has a real dedication and passion for art, and the place art plays in lifting us up as a community and bringing us together,” Pettit said. “Secondly, my husband’s family were also Ukrainian refugees at the end of the second World War. So when I learned that all of the artist’s proceeds would go in support of Ukrainian refugees, it was a very touching and important cause that spoke to me.”
Bishop Gohl also commended St. Martin’s dedication to the arts by noting, “… although this is the first gigantic visual arts installation, from music to the arts, this is part of the gift of the spirit that rests in this place and in these people.”
As St. Martin’s is on the cusp of its 150th Anniversary, Pastor Dave hopes that this transformative experience creates opportunities for dialogue and healing. And healing is precisely what the artist was doing with every stroke of her paintbrush, creating this transformative exhibit.
When Pawlowska’s mother suddenly died of a stroke, it forever changed her. This was the beginning of Pawlowska’s own journey with grief and ICONS in Transformation.
“Twenty-six years ago, I was able to go through sorrow with the help of my art. Icons became a source of inspiration for me,” Pawlowska said.
ICONS in Transformation toured throughout Europe for 15 years and over the last decade has displayed in the United States. This is the first time ICONS is appearing in Maryland. This contemporary art exhibit is free and open to the public from April 23-June 11, every Sunday (noon to 2 p.m.), Wednesday (4-6 p.m.) and Saturday (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) at St. Martin’s Lutheran Church. For more information, visit www.stmartinsannapolis.org/icons
To dive deeper into the exhibit and St. Martins, we spoke with Pastor Orvec. Have a listen!
