Love of God - Group Exhibition: A Retrospective Virtual Gallery
Authors: Jeffrey Cobbold  
Published: December 2022

Love of God - Group Exhibition
Curated by Jeffrey Cobbold
September 14 - October 19, 2019
Artworks Trenton, Trenton, New Jersey (U.S.A)

2019 Curatorial Statement:

“…I will find you. I will always find you……A loving heart is the truest wisdom……To believe and be satisfied with just the way things are……No one has ever seen God……Jesus……Love is a circle……And what comes around goes around…”

The words above come from Love of God (L.O.G) Audio Quotation Database, a DIY online database and digital humanities project I started in 2015 when I was working as an intern within the Love of God Retreat Program in Lawrenceville, NJ. In order to create the database I asked the program’s high school student participants to find quotes about love and God that would help them reflect on the meaning of these words within their retreat program. These quotes are now the heart and inspiration for Love of God – Group Exhibition, which presents works from a selection of artists exploring issues of love and God revealed through artistic practice.

The artists featured in this volume are:

Jessica Browne-White (sculpture)
Jeffrey Cobbold (sound, video, text)
Devonte Roach (film)
Marina de Bernado Sanchis (drawing)

Together they create multiple entry points for one to consider the character of love, God and the intersections of both in our ever changing world.

Love of God – Group Exhibition takes on the spirit of the Love of God Retreat Program in Lawrenceville, NJ with its necessity for inclusive understandings about love and God. While Jesus was a central topic of discussion within the retreat program, there was no mandated opinion one was expected to have about him. Rather, the unifying aspect of this program was an affinity for music and the arts within the expression of community. Their community was intersectional, dealing with the differences of varied socio-economic statuses, sexual identities and divergent relationships with the organized Christian church amongst so many other forms of diversity.

The retreat program no longer exists as it did in 2015 due the disbursement of its high school participants and changes in adult leadership. The online database is now a relic of the digital humanities project that occurred at that time. Yet, this exhibition is an initial step toward sharing a glimpse of the spirit of this retreat program with others. I sincerely hope that the spirit of this exhibition will connect with you as you search for love and God in your personal life and within the communities you serve everyday.

Love of God Community Conversation (Luke 1:5-45)
October 12, 2019
Artworks Trenton, Trenton, New Jersey (U.S.A)

Featured presentation:
"Love, God, and Community" by Simone Oliver

2019 Community Conversation Statement:

This community conversation seeks to provide a space for theological and artistic reflection within the Love of God – Group Exhibition. A team of presenters will offer their individual reflections on love, God and community through engagement with Luke 1:5-45. Presenters will also consider the works of contemporary art and case study materials within the Love of God – Group Exhibition to aide their presentations. A time for discussion will be had between presenters and the audience for better articulation and understanding of divergent pathways toward love, God and community that can be useful for work in Christian ministry and contemporary art & culture.