HOUGHTON – Trinity Episcopal Church will host the art installation Magdalena, an exhibition supporting grief, comfort, care, and hope by artist Lisa Gordillo, April 18-May 21. The work of art is inspired by sacred texts, ancient views of the cosmos, and the idea that sitting with our losses and our joys is a spiritual act. The exhibit is free.

Both the church and the artist hope that the work of art will be a space of comfort for community members who visit it. In this work of art, the artist asks the question: How do we hold grief and hope together in our lives, honoring and making space for both?

Gordillo, a local sculptor whose work has been exhibited in Guatemala, Scotland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic, often says “storytelling” when she is asked what media she prefers to use. She is the founder of several international projects, including Brazada with her husband, Hugo, retelling the stories of Guatemala’s civil war through art and poetry. Magdalena will be the artist’s first exhibit since Hugo’s death in 2023. She says, “I noticed that there are so many holes in how our culture supports grief and grieving. I wanted to make a work of art that was about witnessing what is hard, alongside what is beautiful – about being present for ourselves and for other people.”

Rev. Sarah Diener-Schlitt, the priest-in-charge at Trinity, says “The church’s celebration of Holy Week and Easter holds the memory of a particular week that altered so much for those who follow Christ today: it was a flurry of confusion, hurt, heartache, followed by overwhelming, and also confounding, joy. We live out moments of heartache and joy alongside one another almost every moment of our lives. This installation invites us to slow down and be in them, rather than rush them. This is what it means to dwell in our humanity together. ”

Magdalena includes sensory pieces: a floating curtain, spices, windchimes. Each piece was selected by the artist for its connection with a sacred myth or text. As part of the installation, Gordillo has woven in small pieces of fabric that were given to her by community members in memory of a loved one or a special time in their lives.

On April 18 (Good Friday), visitors are welcome in the church sanctuary from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. A Good Friday service will be held at noon by Diener-Schlitt. The installation will change position between Friday and Sunday and can be viewed again on Easter Sunday (10 a.m.) and Wednesdays from noon – 5 p.m. through May 21.