Armour of God: The Art of Steve Prince

Armour of God is an exhibition of linoleum prints derived from the scripture in Ephesians 6:11, “ 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” The body of work reimagines the quote and utilizes it as an "AOG" symbol that emerges in the tapestry of the images as a signifier of an omnipotent, omnipresent power that intervenes in schemes designed to destroy the lives of righteous people. The collective stories are historical evidence of that sacred protection and the endeavors of people who went through extraordinary circumstances to create space for the oppressed and disenfranchised. The exhibition is a reminder for us to collectively work for justice, peace, and equality, and know by faith we will be protected by the Armour of God.

Within the exhibition, we will collectively create a 30’ long drawing based on the theme, Urban Garden, utilizing charcoal in an additive and subtractive manner - all are welcome to join in creating this drawing as a community. The big questions we will ponder are: What is planted in America’s garden that perhaps needs to be interrogated, examined, or removed and conversely what should we plant in its place? What should, or could we be nurturing?

Urban Garden, is a project that will ask community members to draw metaphorical imagery on one side of the compositional space the problems that they recognized as endemic to the United States and the Bethel community that need to be uprooted; on the opposing side of the compositional space, participants will be encouraged to create images of what they would like to plant and grow once the problems had been addressed. By the end of the exercise we will have created a metaphorical Urban Garden that creatively addresses the issues embedded in the soil of America, for better or for worse.

About the Artist
Steve A. Prince is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, and currently resides in Williamsburg, Virginia. He is the Director of Engagement and Distinguished Artist in Residence at the Muscarelle Museum at William and Mary University. Prince received his BFA from Xavier University of Louisiana and his MFA in Printmaking and Sculpture from Michigan State University. Prince is a mixed media artist, master printmaker, lecturer, educator, and art evangelist. He has taught middle school, high school, community college, 4-year public and 4-year private, and has conducted workshops internationally in various media.

He has worked with several church denominations across the nation spreading a message of hope and renewal philosophically rooted in the cathartic nature of the Jazz Funerary tradition of New Orleans. To Prince, art media is like languages to a linguist as he adeptly tithers between two-dimensional and three-dimensional artistic practices while working with virtually every age bracket and multiple ethnicities. Prince has created several public works including an 8’ x 8’ mixed media work titled “Lemonade: A Picture of America” at William and Mary commemorating the first 3 African American resident students in 1967 at the university, a 15’ stainless steel kinetic sculpture titled “Song for John” located in Hampton, Virginia, and a 4’ x 4’ x 10’ bronze and stainless steel sculpture titled “Sankofa Seed.”

Prince is an award-winning artist; the 2010 Teacher of the Year for the City of Hampton, a 2020 recipient of a VMFA (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts) Grant, and the 2020 Grand Prize Visual Art Winner of the Engage Art Competition. Prince has shown his art internationally in various solo, group, and juried exhibitions. He has participated in several residencies including Artist in Residence at Segura Arts Center at Notre Dame University, Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Hyattsville, Maryland, the Atlanta Printmakers Studio, the University of Iowa Printmaking area, Texas A&M—Corpus Christi Printmaking area, and the University of Tennessee Printmaking area to name a few.

About Bethel University Galleries
Bethel has two distinct on campus galleries. Located in the heart of the Art Department, the Johnson Gallery is committed to fostering richness and vitality within the Twin Cities art community through wide-ranging exhibitions by local and national artists as well as student exhibitions. The Olson Gallery exhibits nationally and internationally established artists with the goals of enhancing the university community’s understanding and appreciation of artistic engagement with the world and stimulating public dialogue on issues of art, faith, and culture.

Gallery Hours
Monday - Friday: 9am - 6pm
Saturday and Sunday: 11am - 6pm
Olson Gallery, Lundquist Community Life Center
3900 Bethel Drive, St. Paul, MN 55112

Image: Guard My Heart, Linoleum cut, 18" x 24”