"Meinrad Craighead: Praying with Images," a new hour-long documentary on the visionary Catholic artist, will be screened at the Nasher Museum of Art, in Durham, N. C. on May 21 at 7 pm, and at the KiMo Theater in Albuquerque, N. M. on June 28 at 2 p.m.
The screenings are free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted and appreciated.
The documentary offers an introduction to the lifelong pilgrimage of Meinrad Craighead and her mystical encounters with the feminine divine.
Producer Amy Kellum described the documentary's content: "As she explains the dreams and shamanic journeys that have often been the inspiration for her art, viewers will be introduced to images of the Divine Mother that have appeared around the globe throughout human history.
"Meinrad Craighead is an inveterate storyteller whose tales refer to incidents in her childhood all the way up to her present experiences of daily prayer and reflection in the New Mexican desert. Because Craighead is such a vivid raconteur, she serves as our principle narrator and guide throughout the documentary. The program was developed using traditional documentary methods. Additional footage of lectures, workshops, and visits to her studio were recorded. During the year of documentation, Craighead invited the crew to join her on a pilgrimage to Europe and has offered regular access to her studio for interviews in Albuquerque."
Additional interviews are featured with Rosemary Davies, a scholar of the history of western philosophy; Eugenia Parry, an art historian; Rachael Wooten, a Jungian analyst; and former students of Craighead's. "These voices place the work of Meinrad Craighead in a global, historical, religious, and artistic context." Kellum said, "and help to gauge the effect the artist's work has had on others. Original music, a significant representation of Craighead's artwork, and samples of her extraordinary collection of historic images of the Divine Feminine complete this compelling biography of a national treasure who is fortunately still among us to interpret the wellspring of her art and scholarship."
The documentary was produced by Amy Kellum, in association with the Resource Center of Women and Ministry in the South. For more info and a 10-minute preview, go to www.meinradproject.org. DVDs of the documentary can be ordered on that site and will be available after June 21.
