The Art Gallery at Rivier University presents Drop The Last Stone exhibition
The Art Gallery at Rivier University is hosting an exhibition of Drop the Last Stone from January 27 to April 28.
Created by Massachusetts-based artists Paula Rendino and C.M. Judge, the project invites members of the Rivier community and beyond to explore forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation through a uniquely immersive experience.
At the center of the gallery is a 16-by-10-foot open circle made of string-tied stones. Each string symbolizes the release of a grudge or an act of forgiveness offered by participants. The circle invites viewers and participants to stand at its center, reflecting amid the stones. It serves as a space for peaceful contemplation.
Reflections written on vellum paper are displayed on a wall in the main gallery. These reflections, shared through scheduled or requested workshops, in-person interactions, or an online submission, form a growing collection. The vellum papers are layered to create a textured sea of anonymously written thoughts. Translucent and juxtaposed with the circle of stones, the papers evoke a sense of witness.
A large-format print of a solitary stone hangs on the far wall, representing the profound impact of individual intentions and actions. In the adjoining gallery, a meditative video, Wash Away, explores the natural interplay of stones and water, offering a tranquil invitation for deeper reflection.
“There is something uniquely captivating about interactive installations that invite us to not only view works of art, but to also play a distinct role in building the art,” says Sr. Theresa Couture, Gallery Director. “Drop the Last Stone is in constant and accumulative flux as participants engage in a simple ritual intended to be personally meaningful, communally supportive, and artistically dynamic.”
Rendino, who holds a Master of Arts and Theological Studies from Andover Newton Theological School, leads workshops that bridge the heart and art. Judge, with a Master of Science in Advanced Visual Studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is an advocate and practitioner of the Ignatian spiritual exercises and facilitates creativity workshops for people of all ages and abilities.
For more information and exhibition updates, patrons are encouraged to visit The Art Gallery website at www.rivier.edu/artgallery.
THE ART GALLERY AT RIVIER UNIVERSITY
Free and open to the public
Monday through Thursday | 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Friday | 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Groups wishing to attend at other times may do so by request (artgallery@rivier.edu, 603-897-8280)
Memorial Hall on the Rivier University campus
(Access by elevator and six low steps; entry at rear of building)
435 South Main St., Nashua, N.H.