Sister Gerardine Mueller's Work, Life Celebrated

The Visceglia Gallery at Caldwell College opens its fall season with the exhibit "A Soul's Work: The Celebration of the Life and Works of Sister Gerardine Mueller, O.P." on Sept. 8 and will run through Oct. 4.

A special reception featuring a video of Mueller's life and works will be held on Saturday, Sept. 25 from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. The exhibit will mark the beginning of a year of a campus-wide art celebration that will culminate with Mueller's 90th birthday in September of 2011.

Unique to the exhibition is its emphasis on the relationship of student to teacher. A highlight of the exhibit will be a video of Mueller and her students discussing her life and work along with images of her works in their various locations on and off campus.

Many of those participating in the development and implementation of the exhibition are former students of Mueller who have gathered to honor their teacher who has been and continues to be an inspiration to many.

This exhibition has been made possible by the generosity of the Visceglia/Summit Associates Foundation. The gallery is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Born in Maplewood, Mueller entered the Sisters of Saint Dominic of Caldwell at an early age and earned a bachelor's degree from Caldwell College.

She pursued art studies at Fordham and Columbia, and earned a master's and MFA degrees from the University of Notre Dame. With special interests in sculpture, lettering, and pre-Columbian art history, Mueller has done archaeological studies in Mexico, Ecuador and Peru and has had a teaching career that spans more than 50 years.

Emeritus Professor of Art, artist and a lifelong student of art, Mueller founded the Caldwell College art department in 1963 and later, under her continued leadership, Caldwell College became the first in New Jersey to offer the bachelor of fine arts degree.

Although many of her works can been seen  in churches, colleges, universities, museums and private homes around the world, this special exhibit will feature an  intimate comprehensive display of her art, including stained glass, sculpture, woodcarving, printmaking, calligraphy and illumination.