SMU alumni, faculty display nature in art exhibit June 14-Aug. 1

This stylized Bambara antelope, designed by Ben Hunt, a long-time contributor to a Boy Scout magazine, was carved by retired SMU educator Brother Finbar McMullen. The hunters of the tribe tied these figure to their heads during the ceremonial dance before going out on a hunt. McMullen is one of three artists displaying at the next SMU art show.

SMU alumnus Chris Lunn is displaying various Native American-inspired pieces in “Il Est Dans la Lune” at Saint Mary’s University including this article of clothing.

Black and white photography — including "Flooding Mississippi Spillway" by SMU alumnus Keith Moore is on display in “Il Est Dans la Lune,” the next exhibit at Saint Mary’s University June 14-Aug. 1.


WINONA, Minn. — Art and artifacts by three “off-center” artists will be on display in “Il Est Dans la Lune” — the next exhibit at Saint Mary’s University. “Il est dans la lune” is French for “he is in the moon,” roughly translated as “he has his head in the clouds” or “he is off-center.” This exhibit, which runs June 14 through Aug. 1, is meant to honor the “off-center” spirit and enduring educational influence of Brother Finbar McMullen, a retired SMU educator and a 1946 Saint Mary’s alumnus.

The exhibit will feature an impressive collection of practical and decorative woodwork, various Native American-inspired pieces, and a series of black and white photographs.

The woodwork is by McMullen himself. McMullen, now retired, has been a Christian Brother for 65 years and has inspired many learners in his long career as an educator. A long-time nature enthusiast, McMullen has created hand-carved masterpieces from found and discarded pieces of wood. One of his pieces details the interweaving of the Christian Brothers, with each “thread” serving as a personality of a specific colleague; other pieces in the show include detailed bowls and coffee mugs.

The exhibit foregrounds not only McMullen’s own formidable skills as a woodworker, but it also attests to his influence on the hearts of students, and particularly two Montana artists (both alumni of Saint Mary’s), Chris Lunn ’91, and Keith Moore ’03.

Sharing McMullen’s love for nature and for working with wood is Moore, who will display his large-format photographic work developed and printed by Moore himself and presented in frames handmade from reclaimed wood.

Twenty years ago, when Lunn was a student at Saint Mary’s, McMullen encouraged his desire to learn how to tan hides and carve masks. Lunn now runs Trapline Lodges, a Montana-based business that offers products from a variety of different aspects of the Plains Indian experience and culture. Lunn began tanning and decorating hides and making and selling tipis but he has evolved his craft to include other native items and artifacts —including bows and arrows, articles of clothing, and quill and beadwork.

Joe Tadie ’91, a member of the Department of Philosophy at SMU who has also been inspired by McMullen’s “off-center” persona, is producing the show.

An opening for Il Est Dans la Lune is scheduled for 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, June 14, in the Lillian Davis Hogan Galleries, located in the SMU Toner Student Center. The galleries — free and open to the public — are open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

Special gallery installation for Homecoming 2008!
SMU music faculty member and A. Eric Heukeshoven has created “Time/Machine” in time for the next gallery opening. “Time/Machine” is an interactive multimedia installation created especially for Homecoming 2008.