Artist Talk
The Mount St. Francis Gallery is delighted to invite you to a rare and inspiring event, an Artist Talk by the phenomenal Penny Sisto on Wednesday, November 29th, from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm. In this special gathering, Penny will journey us through her vivid visions manifested into her most recent works.
Penny’s artistry transcends the boundaries of conventional expression. Her artistic perception is as unique as her life story, filled with vivid imagery that dances across her mind like a rhythmic ballet of colors, shapes, and patterns. She sees her thoughts in pictures, transforming them into remarkable fabric art that tells stories of her life, experiences, and emotions.
For this exhibition at Mount St. Francis Gallery, Penny poured her heart onto the canvas of fabric, unmasking her deepest feelings and sentiments without hidden messages or cryptic symbols. Her works from this past year, thus, represent a visual diary that encapsulates the essence of her artistic freedom.
During the talk, Penny will share her vision behind the piece that she believes encapsulates her artistic journey the most – ‘Christ with Hawk and Dragonflies’. This artwork, she believes, represents a blend of gentleness and courage, reflecting her personal journey of navigating life, especially in recent years, with grace and resilience.
Please join us in this unique opportunity to delve deeper into Penny Sisto’s visionary world, gaining insights into her creative process, the inspiration behind her remarkable pieces, and her unfiltered perspectives on life and art. Don’t miss the chance to explore her newest stunning works and experience the potent blend of imagination and craft.
Date: 11/29/2023
Time: 11:00 AM
Place: St. Anthony Hall
Mount Saint Francis Center for Spirituality
101 St. Anthony Dr.
Mount Saint Francis, IN 47146
Free admission but seating is limited.
Vision Quest Exhibit Info
Vision Quest
For as long as I’ve been alive I have always had visions. It’s hard to write that down, because even as I write it I can feel my readers turning away! What I really mean is that my ‘thoughts’ are all in pictures— images and colors, shapes and patterns that move across my mind in a continuous dance. When I was invited back to the Mount St. Francis Gallery, I knew that here I could safely tell my own stories, weave my own inner visions down onto the fabrics.There was little thought put into what I would portray…rather, it was a freedom to simply open the heart and let the fabrics flow. There are no surprises here, no hidden messages— rather it is a virtual diary of how I ‘felt’ during this past year of artistic freedom.If I am asked to choose a piece to sum it up, I would say it’s ‘Christ with Hawk and Dragonflies’. I chose this piece because to me it’s a perfect blend of gentleness and courage. It sums up the way I try to walk through Life as my own body wends its way through its last few years and looks toward the Heavens.
Exhibit Runs: October 25th – November 30th
Exhibit Dates and Hours:
Wednesday, October 25 – Opening Reception – 6:00 pm
Saturday, October 28 – 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Sunday, October 29 – 11:30 am – 2:30 pm
Monday, October 30 – 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Tuesday, October 31 – 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Wednesday, November 8 – 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Monday, November 13 – 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Tuesday, November 14 – 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Saturday, November 18 – Artist Talk – 10:30 – 12:00 pm (Postponed to 11/29a at 11 am)
Sunday, November 19 – 1:00 pm – 4 :00 pm (reception in Hall for Dick Sisto concert in Chapel)
Monday, November 20 – 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Tuesday, November 21 – 11:00 am – 2:00 pm – Artist Talk 11:00 am – 12:30
Wednesday, November 29 – 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Thursday, November 30 – 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Place: St. Anthony Hall
Mount Saint Francis Center for Spirituality
101 St. Anthony Dr.
Mount Saint Francis, IN 47146
Meet The Artist
Penny Sisto
Penny Sisto is an internationally recognized artist who has exhibited throughout the United States and abroad. International presentations of her work include the exhibition of a grouping of Holocaust quilts at the Gatehouse of Auschwitz, and a selection of her slavery series quilts displayed at the Royal Armories Museum in Leeds, England, in 2008. She has won numerous awards and honors for her artwork and has been the subject of two public television programs. An advocate for social justice and peace, she is known for the difficult subjects, such as AIDS, poverty and racism, that she addresses in her works.
Born in the Orkney Islands off the northern tip of Scotland, Sisto began learning how to sew at age three. As an adult, she worked for the British Ministry of Overseas Development, utilizing her skills as a midwife to aid in health clinics for the Maasai, LuBukusu and Kikuyu tribes of East Africa. Her time in Africa inspired her to combine the quilting, embroidery and appliqué techniques she learned from her grandmother with the beading and collage methods of her African friends, resulting in the distinctive style seen in her work today.
Penny Sisto has received many commissions for quilts, including four works at the Abbey of Gethsemane, where a 28×9’ quilt entitled Risen Christ hangs at each Easter season and for funeral services. Some of the other collections containing Sisto’s works include: Sisters of Charity, Sisters of Loretto, Thomas Merton International Studies Center, Spalding University, Kennedy Family and the Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts. Selected grants that Penny Sisto has received include: Kentucky Foundation for Women, Indiana Arts Commission, Master Fellowship and New Directions and Southern Arts. In 1993, she was awarded a Baha’i Peace Award for Arts Promoting World Peace because of her promotion of peace and justice through her work.
English 
Spanish