Charlie Brouwer’s Benediction is moving across the community as it’s hosted by nine different houses of worship, sparking conversation of the civic and sacred and exploring the connections between houses of worship and the community that surrounds them. Each of the sculpture’s residencies will last 40 days.
Current and Upcoming Sites
Now through November 12 – Christ Lutheran Church
2011 Brandon Avenue, SW, Roanoke 24015
Past Sites
November 23 to January 1. – Martin Luther King Bridge – Watch the story on WDBJ-7.
January 1 to February 10 – St. John’s Episcopal
February 10 to March 22. – Central Church of the Brethren
March 22 to May 1 – Bethel AME Church
May 10 to June 15 – Roanoke Quaker Meeting
June 15 to July 22 – Trinity Lutheran
July 22 to Aug. 31 – Kingdom Life Ministries, International
August 31 – October 10: Temple Emanuel – 1163 Persinger Road, SW
Note that The Benediction Project is also part of All Over the Place – 31 sculptures by Charlie Brouwer on exhibit at 26 sites across the NRV region through Nov. 2023. Here is a list of the other sites:
The Alexander Black House Museum
Alum Ridge School
Bent Mountain Community Center
Blacksburg Presbyterian Church
Blacksburg United Methodist Church
Christiansburg Library
Deer Park Farm
Eleanor D. Wilson Museum
Floyd Center for the Arts
Jackson Park Pulaski
Jesse Peterman Memorial Library
Fancy Gap Cabin & Campground
Glencoe Mansion Museum
Miller off Main St. Gallery
Montgomery Museum of Art and History
Old Church Gallery
Radford University’s McConnell Library
Out There Studio and Sculpture Trail
Red Rooster Coffee
Radford University’s Selu Conservancy
The Raymond F. Ratcliffe Memorial Museum of Transportation
Virginia Tech
Wilderness Road Regional Museum
Virginia Western Community College
- Learn more about artist Charlie Brouwer.
- Get the flyer to share information on the project.
- Follow the sculpture on Facebook.
- Contact Charlie below about hosting the sculpture at your house of worship.
MORE BACKGROUND
When artist Charlie Brouwer began realizing that parts of the world of public art and many of the world’s religious traditions all have interests in being of help to the greater community, he wondered if there were ways art and religion could work together. The Benediction Project is a result of his “wonderings”.
The project has had successful runs first in the New River Valley (2018-21) and then in WinstonSalem, NC (2021-22). Now the Roanoke Arts Commission has selected the Benediction Project for one of its Art Matters grants to take place in 2023.
This is how it works: Charlie’s sculpture titled Benediction will be offered to Roanoke places of worship who want to say “Bless You” to the community. Charlie will work with the faith group to select a site on their property for the sculpture to be installed, in public view, and facing out towards the community. After 40 days the sculpture will be moved to another place of worship.
Participation in the project will be free and the goal is to have each of the nine installations be on the grounds of a different faith tradition or denomination, and for the project to appear in each of the city’s quadrants and in the county.
The project is an opportunity for the entire Roanoke community, and all of its faith groups, to focus attention on “community care”. In addition to saying “Bless You” to the Roanoke community the 40 days of hosting the sculpture can also be a special time for the hosting place of worship to reflect and ask important questions: “What are we doing…what could we be doing in and for our community?”
This project is about art being a bridge and strengthening community connections, so when it is introduced on November 23, the Benediction sculpture will spend 40 days at the Martin Luther King Bridge – 20 days on the downtown side and 20 on the Gainsboro side. Beginning on January 1, 2023, Central Church of the Brethren will be the first place of worship to host the sculpture for 40 days.