Featuring Works from Sister Isabel Rafferty

SINSINAWA, Wis.—Sinsinawa Mound Center will host the art exhibit Sacred Waters featuring works from Sister Isabel Rafferty, OP, March 13 to April 24. An opening reception will be held Fri., March 20 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. with an artist talk at 5:30 p.m. in the conference center. Sacred Waters is a visual meditation on the quietude and interconnectedness found at the water’s edge. The work was inspired by Sr. Isabel’s kayak voyages of the Spider Lake Chain in Northern Wisconsin and Lake Wingra in Madison, Wis.

“For me, the act of slipping away from the shore is a spiritual transition,” said Sr. Isabel. “As I pull away from the land, the noise of the world recedes, settling my soul and allowing me to experience my place as a small part of a vast, living whole. These 12 oil paintings are an attempt to capture that profound gift of solitude.” In the series, she focuses on interplay of elements—the ever-changing sky, the wind’s conversation with the clouds and waves, the vibrant life growing along the margins. “Using a medium that mirrors the fluidity of my subjects, I seek to translate the reflective surfaces and shifting light of the lakes into a permanent record of a fleeting moment,” said Sr. Isabel. “To be on the water is to witness a world in constant motion. Through these works, I invite the viewer to share in that stillness and reconsider the sacred beauty of our natural landscapes.”
Sister Isabel is a Dominican Sister of Sinsinawa and the current artist in residence at Sinsinawa Mound. With an academic background including a BS, MAAT, and MFA, she has spent her career exploring the intersection of creativity, healing, and education. Her diverse professional journey ranges from elementary education and clinical art therapy to her recent retirement from Edgewood University (Madison) where she taught digital art and design to undergraduate students.    
Sinsinawa Mound, an event center and Motherhouse of the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters in Wisconsin, is about five miles northeast of Dubuque, Ia., and 10 miles northwest of Galena, Ill. The new main entrance is located at the intersection of County Roads Z and ZZ. Visit sinsinawa.org/moundcenter for more offerings.