Monday, January 7th: Spiritual Landscapes of the Gilded Age

Tomorrow’s morning itinerary — to be discussed over breakfast — takes us from one of the largest cathedral spaces in the world to a current show up at the Museum of Biblical Art. Hat-tip to Franklin Vagnone over at Historical House Trust for bringing this to my attention on his Anarchist Guide to Historic House Museums How is this show — full of Louis Comfort Tiffany’s iconic art-nouveau stained glass and decorative arts–relevant to our class? It might provoke us to think about forgetting, and absence (and to further be contemplating about the ways our own age of financial scandal has been termed a second “gilded age”) — as Frank notes,

“Many of these churches are gone or abandoned —  What works for one generation may not be relevant for future generations – In 1880, according to a frequently cited report, 4,000 churches were under construction in the United States. This Gilded Age frenzy of ecclesiastical building created a terrific demand for designers who could make houses of worship that were also theaters of spiritually inspiring beauty.