All Art Can Be—an evening with Dony Mac Manus

Dony Mac Manus is Irish, which means he had me at his accented hello. He is also a sculptor, and by the first time I saw one of his sculptures of St. Joseph I was hanging on his every word. He was invited here to Villa Morghen to speak to our study abroad group by our lovely program director, Jennifer, and I’m so glad he came. A charismatic and charming man, I loved listening to him share his ideas about art and theology, especially because they are ideas that are so deeply needed by my generation.

St. Joseph in Florida by Dony Mac Manus

A celibate member of Opus Dei, he has devoted his life to the creation and celebration of sacred art. He is currently working on starting a school of sacred art here in Florence, which would be the first of its kind in the world. I say ‘first’ because I hope it becomes one of many.

One of my favorite things he said was that “The new evangelization needs a new art,” referring, of course, to the call of our dear Pope John Paul II. That was so encouraging for me to hear because as an artist and writer myself I often doubt that my work really does serve and purpose and have a place in the world. Every time needs its own art as it needs its own heroes, stories, and challenges. That can be hard to remember, but people like Dony Mac Manus make sure the world—and the students who are building it—don’t forget it.

And one of the things that he kept coming back to was the fact that there is hope. Goodness knows we don’t hear that enough. There is hope. God is still very much alive and at work in the world, regardless of what we think sometimes. Dony shared a story about a fellow sculptor who is only 25 who converted to Catholicism through his study of the body and art. That sculptor is also enormously talented and currently doing a full cathedral in the United States. When he joined the church he brought his wife, and, a year later, his daughter and father. This is the power of Christ, especially when he and his message is revealed through the beauty of art.

My favorite piece that he showed us was actually just an initial model for a piece he’d like to do someday based on Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. Although words cannot do his design justice, it features a man and woman back to back on their knees with their arms spiraling together above their heads holding a child. In the finished sculpture he would like to have the child be a perfect and beautiful depiction of the human form that gradually decays down to the bottom of the statue, which is decaying flesh and bones. This image of decay is meant to show that the further away sexuality gets from it’s intended purpose, the more ugly and distorted it becomes. If you have some extra cash hanging around and would like to commission an AMAZING sculpture, please, do yourself a favor and get in touch with Dony here. The world needs this kind of art.

PLEASE check out his website to see more of his work. Also, if you are interested in either the art school or sacred art in general, get in touch with Dony here.

Peace.