Exhibits
The following exhibits and banner presentation run
Creation and Illumination: The 400th Anniversary Celebration of the King James Bible
Location: APU’s Hugh and Hazel Darling Library, West Campus
Hours: Monday–Thursday, 9 a.m.–9 p.m., Friday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.*
Early handwritten manuscripts and illuminated Bible leaves dating back as early as 1250 begin to tell the story of the history of the Bible as a book, and its translation from handwritten to printed text, and eventually, from Latin to English. Throughout the exhibit, the history of the written Scriptures unfolds as viewers examine some of the first Bibles printed in English, and begin to understand the historic influence that led up to the KJV and its subsequent impact on the world. The exhibit features Azusa Pacific’s five large folio Black Letter edition of the King James Bible (1611–40), created when Church leaders commissioned a new Bible translation to replace the Bishops’ Bible. Various translation teams, comprised of some 50 scholars, labored for seven years to create this new translation for public liturgical reading. Today, the KJV, used in homes, churches, and beyond, continues to impact a new generation of Christ followers.
Read more about some of the artifacts included in this exhibit.
The Four Holy Gospels, featuring the art of Makoto Fujimura
Location: Duke Art Gallery, Duke Academic Complex, West Campus
Hours: Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–7 p.m.*
A successful artist in Japan and the U.S., recognized by faith-based and secular media, Makoto Fujimura has emerged as a voice of authority on the nature and cultural assessment of beauty by creating it and exploring its forms. Fujimura is a Presidential appointee to the National Council on the Arts and has served as an advocate for the arts in the U.S. and abroad. His first book, River Grace, is an autobiographical look at his early years as an artist in Japan. In the book, Fujimura recalls discovering Nihonga, the ancient style of painting that would become his trademark. Fujimura brings a modern take on the Bible to APU through his art exhibit, The Four Holy Gospels, crafted for the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible. Through this work, Fujimura allows individuals to see Scripture come to life in the form of abstract art.
Raised in a nonreligious home in Boston, Fujimura first encountered the King James Bible while studying Shakespeare in college. Today, he uses contemporary art and the International Arts Movement, the nonprofit organization he founded, to lay philosophical and theological groundwork for facilitating discussions of art, faith, and culture. This marks the only West Coast viewing of this exhibit before it travels to Japan.
Historic Black Churches of Los Angeles: Influence and architecture in four neighborhoods
Location: Duke Art Hall, Duke Academic Complex, West Campus
Hours: Monday–Thursday, 9 a.m.–9 p.m., Friday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.*
Through period photographs and maps, illustrated banners from the California African American Museum (CAAM) celebrate the role of local Black churches as cultural, political, and social centers for their communities in historic Los Angeles. The Black Church prior to and following the end of slavery stood as one of the few institutions wholly financed, operated, and controlled by African Americans. As more African Americans migrated to Los Angeles at the turn of the 20th century, Black churches provided a place of refuge, spiritual nourishment, music, and culture, and served as ideal venues to launch political and social movements. Historic Black Churches of Los Angeles highlights the people, contributions, denominations, and architecture of early Black churches established through 1945 within the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Temple Beaudry, Central Avenue, South Los Angeles, and West Adams-Jefferson Park.
The CAAM, a state agency, and Friends, the foundation, present this exhibit as part of the “CAAM in the Community” traveling exhibits and programs initiative.
*Exhibit hours are subject to change, and will be open additional hours, including some weekends.
