Exhibitions
HOMILETICAL ARTIFACTS
The Browsing Room Gallery (Downtown Presbyterian Church) / 154 Rep. John Lewis Way N. September 7 - October 25th
Dana Jo Cooley
About the Exhibit: Through art, spaces can remain open, as a place to speak the unspeakable. When we feel we are alive and not alone, we feel the true essence of G-d. By exploring the paradox of beauty and despair, I will attempt to light the dark and accentuate the fabric of human experience through this theological artistic presentation of homiletical artifacts.
—Dana Jo Cooley
Homiletical Artifacts is a two-part theological exhibition by artist Dana Jo Cooley. Part one opens on September 7 from 5-8 pm with a static gallery presentation of two-dimensional works and objects entitled Art is a Miracle in the Browsing Room Gallery at the Downtown Presbyterian Church, Nashville, Tennessee. Part one of the exhibition is drawn from a 1:12 miniature thesis exhibition currently displayed at the Vanderbilt Divinity Library in locker #3.
Part one of Homiletical Artifacts will share the space on September 7 with a talk by Tim Dillinger:
Nashville Gospel and Sacred Music Coalition and Downtown Presbyterian Church present a talk by gospel music historian Tim Dillinger (God's Music Is My Life | Tim Dillinger | Substack) in conjunction with the Downtown Art Crawl on Saturday, September 7. Mr. Dillinger will speak on the unsung voices of Gospel music, with special attention to the quartet tradition, which includes groups like the Coalition’s 2024 honorees the Fairfield Four and the 21st Century Singers.
Part two of Homiletical Artifacts will break into fourth-dimensional spaces and feature the artist’s dynamic hypermedia works. On October 5 from 5-8 pm, the exhibition will extend beyond the gallery walls, activating other areas and features of the historical church through performance, music, installation, and atmosphere. The experiential part will feature a musical ritual performance of Lydia with artists Ziona Riley, Austin Hoke, and others.
About the artist: Born in Whitwell, Tennessee, a third-generation coal miner’s daughter, Dana Jo Cooley is a contemporary artist and theologian. She is a presidential scholarship recipient and a graduate of the Savannah College of Art & Design. Dana Jo holds a Master of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt University with a certification in Religion in the Arts and Contemporary Culture where she received a Creative Merit Scholarship. She is currently an Artist in Residence at the Downtown Presbyterian Church Artist Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Dana Jo’s work spans a variety of media and formats, including miniatures, sculpture, installation, performance, music, web3, and public art. She works from a sculptural, place-conscious, multimedia perspective rooted deeply in her Appalachian upbringing. Dana Jo Cooley also recently received a Grant Award for a Project with Virginia Tech and Appalachian Voices called Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia. The press release is attached as a PDF.
About the Gallery: The Browsing Room is a non-commercial gallery created in the space of the historic DPC’s old congregational library. The gallery serves as an extension of DPC’s long standing studio community known as the Artists in Residence (AIR) who have studio spaces above DPC’s chapel. The Browsing Room connects an art-seeking community with their AIR, as well as with other local and regional artists, by featuring a rotation of quarterly exhibitions. The gallery is currently open by appointment only.
