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New Work: Martin Dunn

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Artist Martin Dunn received MOFSA’s major grant award in 2020. Since then, he has generously given of his time to serve on the board of MOFSA and continues painting at his Bradenton, Fl. studio. Like many of us, he’s turned his heart and mind to the topic of the environment in crisis. His new painting “Tower Rock”,  takes us to Mississippi in the Summer of 2022 and examines the fair distribution of water.

Tower Rock

Martin Dunn
Oil on canvas, 24 x 36 inches

Did you know the Mississippi went dry last summer? So did the Rhine and the Yangtzee? This painting was started with the intention of alerting people to an overlooked climate change related natural catastrophe, but it evolved into something else. The two young people have a panoramic view as the disaster unfolds. They are unemotional, detached, watching it play out. They know this car is out of control and the brakes have failed. Yikes. Read more from Marty’s website.

2022 Virtual Exhibit

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Towards the Spiritual

Opened July 26, 2022

The Marianne Oberg Foundation for Spiritual Art (MOFSA) is pleased to announce its first virtual exhibit, featuring the work of our 2022 spiritual art grant recipients Deborah Hamon and Emily McIlroy along with the work of six other artists. These artists were chosen from over 360 applicants throughout the United States for our 2022 Spiritual Art Grant opportunity. Read about the grant winners and invited artists.

MOFSA exists to support artists who create works that inspire peace within individuals and between disparate communities. MOFSA is not bound to any particular religious creed, rather we hope to encourage artists as they pursue their own spiritual path. The artists represented in our exhibit reflect different religions and spiritual perspectives, all supportive of our vision.

The theme of our exhibit is “Towards the Spiritual”. In this time of darkness and multiple challenges, we hope that the work of our artists will support you in your life’s journey and inspire hope.

“Another Sun Will Rise”
Deborah Hamon

Our virtual exhibit uses the ArtPlacer platform and provides a 3-D viewing experience. We hope you will enjoy it!

Begin your visit

MOFSA’s 2022 Spiritual Art Grants

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This year MOFSA is pleased to announce that we have selected two recipients for our $10,000 spiritual art grant! The two winners are Deborah Hamon and Emily McIlroy. In addition, we are awarding a special grant of $2500 to Karen Benioff Friedman.

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Presenting MOFSA Artists

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We are pleased to show you a video presentation of five artists who have received awards from MOFSA:

  • Mia Bosna
  • Joanna Gould
  • Jennifer Printz
  • Emily Clare
  • Zangmo Alexander

The video editing was done by Katie Ree. Thank you, Katie!

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Presenting Marty Dunn

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MOFSA’s second spiritual art grant was awarded to Martin Dunn of Sarasota, Florida. Marty learned art from his father, who had been taught by his mother. Marty’s journey has taken him to nursing homes, operating rooms, county jails, homeless camps, Hispaniola, Africa, churches, temples, mosques, and synagogues. It has led him in a spiritual direction and to create painting that capture deep human experiences and offer hope.

 

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MOFSA News – June, 2020

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In February we awarded our 2020 Spiritual Art Grant to Martin Dunn of Sarasota, Florida and invited four other artists to our upcoming exhibit, “Towards the Spiritual”. Since them the COVID-19 pandemic has had major impact on the world, and like other organizations, MOFSA is having to adapt.

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MOFSA Grant to Emily Clare

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The Marianne Oberg Foundation for Spiritual Art has awarded a grant in the amount of $1000 to Emily Clare of Winston-Salem, NC. Clare’s artwork is based on the careful collection and preservation of delicate plant materials. She collects and dries specimens from her travels both far and near, including donations from a wide network of friends who know her from her daily neighborhood nature walks. The grant will fund purchase of a printing press to use with linoleum prints and mono prints,  a gelliplate, paper, and ink. The artwork will be disseminated through the Internet, at a time when art galleries and museums are closed.

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MOFSA Awards 2020 Spiritual Art Grant

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MOFSA is pleased to announce that the recipient of our second Spiritual Art Grant in the amount of $10,000 is Martin Dunn (www.martydunnartist.com) of Sarasota, Florida. Martin learned art from his father, who had been taught by his mother. His father was an artist, who worked as a commercial illustrator in the days before clip art. He was also a war hero, who suffered from PTSD for the rest of his life. His few oil paintings are dark, monochromatic renderings of fighter planes in tight formation. He was trying to say something that the society of that era wouldn’t let him put into words. Wise people say that the greatest tragedy of trauma is the loss of vulnerability. Martin’s father could never let his guard down.

Martin’s own journey has taken him to nursing homes, operating rooms, county jails, homeless camps, Hispaniola, Africa, churches, temples, mosques, and synagogues. It has led him in a spiritual direction and to create painting that are not dark but offer hope. In his own words,

I am also a mystic, which I use interchangeably with the word spiritual, as well as non-dual. As a mystic I am attempting to fully experience the ordinary while peeking through to glimpse the infinite. I also would describe myself as a Christian, since I see Jesus as the truest and most profound manifestation of the infinite. And I want so badly for everything I paint to reflect those glimpses.

We are happy that our second spiritual art grant goes to an artist whose  life and work embody so beautifully what we see as the core mission of MOFSA, for art to help heal the world. Martin paints representational art, and his chosen medium is oil. His work will be on display at MOFSA’s second exhibit, which has the theme “Towards the Spiritual.” The exhibit will be held in 2021, with details to be announced.