Lauren Schiller "Meditation: Pilgrimage" 2019, oil on panel.

(SOUTH ORANGE, NJ) -- The Walsh Gallery at Seton Hall University presents Matter + Spirit, a traveling exhibition featuring 25 artists from China and North America -- including Lauren Schiller, Professor of Fine Arts at Seton Hall University’s College of Communication and the Arts.

The exhibition is the result of a gathering of North American art professors with their Chinese counterparts in the summer of 2018. The participating artists considered issues of art, contemporary society, spirituality and their role as culture makers, critics and interpreters. The result is a thought-provoking array of multi-media works that reflect the perennial tensions between the material and spiritual in human life and society. The exhibition is on view Monday, January 23 through May 2023 with an opening reception on Wednesday, January 25th from 4:00pm to 7:00pm.

Matter + Spirit is co-sponsored by the College of Communication and the Arts, The University Core and Asian Studies, showing the interdisciplinary resonance of the issues addressed in the show. Notes Gallery Director Jeanne Brasile, “this exhibition aligns with Seton Hall University’s core values, providing an opportunity to reflect on spiritual and personal development, while providing an access point for global perspectives on important issues.” 

Visitors will be engaged by a collection of contemporary artworks in a variety of media that engage the senses while presenting a diversity of issues and perspectives. Participating artists include;  Yefu Bai, Ying Cao, Yuanming Cao,  Shin-hee Chin, Wantain Cui, DaoZi, Wei Ding, Scott Fisk,   Brenton Good, Xin Guo, Chunye He, Liang Jiang, Sui Kwon, Leah Samuelson, Lauren Schiller, Justin Sorensen, Kenneth Steinback, Laura Stevenson, Meagan Stirling, Ziyun Tong, JoAnn VanReeuwyk, Yongliang Wang, Yong You,   Erjun Zhao, and Jiuyang Zhu. Programs will be presented throughout the show’s run to highlight particular issues and explore them in more depth.

Matter + Spirit is organized by The Nagel Institute, an agency of Calvin University that promotes deeper understanding of world Christianity.

Seton Hall University’s beautiful main campus is located in suburban South Orange, New Jersey, and is only 14 miles from New York City — offering students a wealth of employment, internship, cultural and entertainment opportunities. Seton Hall’s nationally recognized School of Law is prominently located in downtown Newark. The University’s Interprofessional Health Sciences (IHS) campus in Clifton and Nutley, N.J. houses Seton Hall's College of Nursing and School of Health and Medical Sciences as well as the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University. The Walsh Gallery, located on the first floor of the Walsh Library is open 9am to 5pm, Monday—Friday. Groups of 8 or more must register in advance. Admission to the gallery and its programs is free and open to the public.

One of the country’s leading Catholic universities, Seton Hall has been showing the world what great minds can do since 1856. Home to nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students and offering more than 80 rigorous majors, Seton Hall’s academic excellence has been singled out for distinction by The Princeton Review, US News & World Report and Bloomberg Businessweek.  Seton Hall, which embraces students of all religions, prepares its graduates to be exemplary servant leaders and caring global citizens. Its attractive main campus is located in suburban South Orange, New Jersey, and is only 14 miles by train, bus or car to New York City, offering a wealth of employment, internship, cultural and entertainment opportunities. A new independent economic analysis of the University found that Seton Hall provides a significant impact on New Jersey's economy, totaling over $1.6 billion annually and creating and sustaining nearly 10,000 jobs. The university’s nationally recognized School of Law is prominently located in downtown Newark. The University’s Interprofessional Health Sciences (IHS) campus in Clifton and Nutley, N.J. opened in the summer of 2018. The IHS campus houses Seton Hall’s College of Nursing, its School of Health and Medical Sciences as well as Hackensack Meridian Health’s Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.