New painting in Smith Hall depicts world’s five major religions

On April 1, Terri Priest, Worcester-based artist and retired Holy Cross professor, unveiled her latest work, titled “Paths to Divine Light Through Vermeer’s Lens”—commissioned exclusively for the College. The artwork was installed in the cupola of Smith Hall, a domed area near the entrance.

Priest was approached by the College four years ago to create a painting depicting the five major religions of the world for the campus building, which houses the College’s Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture.

Priest spent a year conducting research, visiting museums, and sketching, before deciding on a final painting, which is made up of nine panels representing the world’s five most prominent religions—Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Islam. The four other panels represent “Vermeer’s Lens” arranged in the shape of the cross. The artwork is 9 feet, 8 inches in length and width.

“The overall format of the nine panels emphasizes the circle and the square,” says Priest. “In various cultures these forms have symbolic meaning, the circle representing heaven and the square representing the earth.”

Priest earned her bachelor of fine arts and master of fine arts degrees at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her works are included in several museum collections in Massachusetts, including the Worcester Art Museum, the DeCordova Museum, and the Springfield Museum of Fine Arts—as well as exhibited extensively in national shows. She became a member of the visual arts faculty at Holy Cross in 1978. During her years at the College, Priest taught perspective, introductory and intermediate courses in painting and design, served on various faculty committees and held the post of department chair for several years.