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The Many Faces of the Madonna: 25 Years of Exhibits in the Marian Library

University of Dayton. Marian Library

Selected from the over 120 exhibits that have been displayed in the Marian Library Gallery, the Marian art in this retrospective points to Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ, as a highly visible figure of Christianity worldwide.

Exhibit dates: Feb. 11–Nov. 1, 2019

Curator: Father Johann G. Roten, S.M.

Graphic designer: Ann Zlotnik
Henry Setter: An Artist's Meditation on Song of Songs

University of Dayton. Marian Library and Johann G. Roten

Exhibit guide written by Father Johann Roten, S.M., about the works of Henry Setter.
Litany of Loreto in Images

University of Dayton. Marian Library

The Litany of Loreto, so called because of its use in the sanctuary of Loreto (Italy) since at least as far back as 1531, was officially approved in 1587 by Pope Sixtus V. Its origin is believed to be a medieval rhymed litany influenced by Eastern Marian devotion, in particular by the famous Hymnos Akathistos. Contrasting with the older Litany of All Saints, the components of the Loreto Litany are purely ad- or invocational prayers. It is the only approved Marian litany. As can be observed, for example, in the so-called Officia Mariana, many more Marian litanies were and are in use but designated for private devotion.

The Marian Library has rare books of the 18th century with engravings by the renowned Augsburg artist Joseph Sebastian Klauber (ca. 1700-1768). It is from these books that the engravings in this exhibit were taken. The highly symbolic and illustrative reproductions are typical of the Baroque period. Their message is of great spiritual richness. Mary’s profile is that of the exalted Mother, Virgin and Queen, as suits the period. We have limited ourselves to the illustrations of the Marian titles. The reader needs to keep in mind that the titles introduced in the 19th and 20th centuries, obviously, are not included in Klauber’s illustrations.

Exhibit dates: Jan. 24–March 10, 2017

Curator: Father Johann G. Roten, S.M.

Graphic designer: Ann Zlotnik
Symbols of Grace: Emblems of the Immaculate Conception

University of Dayton. Marian Library

In an article in The Dictionary of Art, Jochem Becker explains: “The emblem book was an artistic genre that flourished in Europe particularly in the 16th and 17th centuries, though it continued beyond this. An emblem requires intellectual effort and results in the communication of a moral lesson.”

Twenty-seven of the emblems selected for this exhibit are from a book by the Benedictine Joseph Zoller (d. 1750), a monk of the monastery of Sts. Udalricus and Afra, near Augsburg, Germany. This work, entitled Conceptus Chronographicus de Concepta Sacra Deipara, was published at Augsburg in 1712. It consists of 100 copperplate engravings all centered on the Immaculate Conception. Each of the emblems is interpreted in seven steps: Sacred Scripture, authority (quotations from ecclesiastical writers), ratio (reasonableness of the belief), an example from history, the symbol (the emblematic picture itself), an example from antiquity, and finally, an anagram. They are rendered here in a simplified presentation.

Exhibit dates: Sept. 25–Nov. 10, 2017

Curator: Father Johann G. Roten, S.M.

Graphic designer: Ann Zlotnik
Epinal: Popular Art for Mind and Heart

University of Dayton. Marian Library

This exhibit shows large-sized prints with mainly Marian themes. As part of a collection of popular religious images printed around 1850 in France, these pictures are known as Images of Epinal. The Marian themes represented here show many facets, some relating to special Marian titles, and others showing apparitions or sanctuaries of France. A few prints are popular reproductions of famous Marian paintings, while others depict famous miraculous images of Mary or scenes of her life. It seems appropriate to consider these nineteenth century prints as bible for the poor of modern times. The prints of this exhibit are part of the Marian Library holdings. They are both rare and antique and constitute a precious heritage.

Exhibit dates: Feb. 8-March 31, 2016

Curator: Father Johann G. Roten, S.M.

Graphic designer: Ann Zlotnik
Jan Oliver-Schultz: Rediscovering Mary

University of Dayton. Marian Library

Here is Jan Oliver-Schultz’s journey in her own words, a journey which led to the painted festival in praise of Our Lady donated by the artist to the Marian Library in 2009. This treasured gift has been admired by many visitors to the University of Dayton campus. These paintings convey a joyful message: a new look at Mary, and a new look at life in her presence.

Exhibit dates: April 11–May 31, 2016

Curator: Father Johann G. Roten, S.M.

Graphic designer: Ann Zlotnik
Russian Christian Orthodox Icons of the Mother of God

George Contis M.D.

Guide is the collector's supplement to the exhibit Revelation Cast in Bronze: Icons from the George Contis Collection.

Exhibit dates: Sept. 15–Nov. 13, 2015

Curator: Michele Devitt

Graphic designer: Ann Zlotnik
Exhibition catalogue — Imprints and Impressions: Milestones in Human Progress

Paul H. Benson, Sandra A. Yocum, Mark Masthay, and Donald J. Polzella

Exhibition catalogue for Imprints and Impressions: Milestones in Human Progress — Highlights from the Rose Rare Book Collection. Includes an introduction by Kathleen M. Webb, dean of University Libraries; essays about the impact of the exhibition's books on modern inquiry, the humanities, the sciences, and the social sciences; and photographs of the works in the exhibit.
2014 Art for Citizens and Celebrants: The Sculpture of Robert C. Koepnick

Nichole M. Rustad

This exhibit booklet highlights artwork within the 2014 University of Dayton Libraries gallery exhibit.
Exhibition handlist

Kathleen M. Webb

In preparing for Imprints and Impressions, we ran across many interesting words that have fallen out of the general lexicon. With this booklet, we have brought one back: handlist. Dean Kathleen Webb ran across it in a 1944 booklet from the J. Pierpont Morgan Library in New York City. Though the word no longer appears in most new dictionaries, it’s still in the Oxford English Dictionary:

A list of a particular type or category of things, presented in a readily consultable form; esp. a list of the books or manuscripts in a particular place, on a particular subject, etc.; a catalogue.

It’s a good word … and that’s a terrible thing to waste.
Where Art Meets Religion: A Retrospective (illustrations)

University of Dayton. Marian Library

Born in Dayton in 1934, Edward Ostendorf graduated in 1957 from the University of Dayton with a bachelor’s degree in arts. At UD, he also met his wife, Catherine DeVol. His career as a graphic artist for religious and educational publications spanned 55 years. Ostendorf also pursued a religious calling, serving as a Roman Catholic deacon at parishes in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and as a chaplain at Warren Correctional Institution in Lebanon, Ohio. During his later years, he painted portraits of biblical figures. He also painted a series of biblical scenes with hidden images. Following Ostendorf’s death in 2009, his wife began donating his works to the University. The Marian Library has 179 pieces of his art, a selection of which makes up this exhibit. This gallery guide shows his illustrations.

Exhibit dates: June 18–Sept. 10, 2013

Curator: Father Johann G. Roten, S.M.

Graphic designer: Ann Zlotnik
Where Art Meets Religion: A Retrospective (paintings)

University of Dayton. Marian Library

Born in Dayton in 1934, Edward Ostendorf graduated in 1957 from the University of Dayton with a bachelor’s degree in arts. At UD, he also met his wife, Catherine DeVol. His career as a graphic artist for religious and educational publications spanned 55 years. Ostendorf also pursued a religious calling, serving as a Roman Catholic deacon at parishes in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and as a chaplain at Warren Correctional Institution in Lebanon, Ohio. During his later years, he painted portraits of biblical figures. He also painted a series of biblical scenes with hidden images. Following Ostendorf’s death in 2009, his wife began donating his works to the University. The Marian Library has 179 pieces of his art, a selection of which makes up this exhibit. This gallery guide shows his paintings.

Exhibit dates: June 18–Sept. 10, 2013

Curator: Father Johann G. Roten, S.M.

Graphic designer: Ann Zlotnik
Faces and Flowers of Mary: An Offering of Paintings

University of Dayton. Marian Library

Introduction by Father Johann G. Roten, S.M.: Marilyn Hart is a local artist and neighbor of the University of Dayton. She is a mother of seven, and has 23 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She has always been an artist, she tells us, but started painting only at age 65. Does that make her a late bloomer? By no means. “I have always been artistic, but waited to paint after raising seven children.” It shows. Her inspiration is endlessly new. Familiar with a great variety of techniques, she effortlessly switches from figurative to abstract painting, mixing faces and flowers, reaching out to different cultures, and giving new and original meaning to classical titles and themes about Mary. As a result, the portraits of Mary in this exhibit undergo constant transformation. However, it would be terribly wrong to assume that Mrs. Hart uses her artistic talent to make of Mary a simple object of experiment or of idle play with color and technique. This exhibit with the “thousand faces” of Mary hides a long-standing love affair. In the words of the artist: “I have a life-long love affair with the Blessed Mother.” This may be the reason why her heart is as wide as her artistic inspiration is endlessly new. Indeed, the entire proceeds of this exhibit goes to the endeavors of the Marian Library — thanks to Marilyn’s love for Mary and the Marian Library.

Exhibit dates: Oct. 1–Nov. 9, 2012

Graphic designer: Ann Zlotnik