Catholic Families & the Arts: A Long & Living Tradition
How have Catholic families over the centuries nurtured the practice and flourishing of beautiful artwork within their homes and more broadly in their societies? Drawing from her research into the history of Catholicism and her lifelong interest in both the practice and history of the visual arts, McShea will weave together little-known stories from medieval to modern times about faithfully Catholic artists and patrons of the arts, highlighting ways their family members supported their important work in critical ways. She will show how parents, spouses, children, and even members of spiritual families -- such as religious sisters in convents -- contributed directly to artists' projects for local churches, patrons' homes, and other spaces, considering also how their faith inspired such work and how their beautiful creations spiritually and culturally enriched the lives of others.
Dr. Bronwen McShea is based in New York City and is a historian of Catholicism from medieval to modern times. She is the author of three books, including, most recently, Women of the Church: What Every Catholic Should Know (Ignatius Press, 2024). Her writings have also appeared in a variety of scholarly and popular forums, the latter including The Wall Street Journal, America Magazine, First Things, and The Pillar, where she is a columnist. McShea has held teaching and research positions at Columbia University, Princeton University, Loyola University Chicago, and several other institutions. She holds a Ph.D. in Early Modern History from Yale University and both a masters in the History of Christianity and B.A. in Intellectual History from Harvard University. McShea also enjoys painting and drawing and has a lifelong interest in art history independent of her academic career.