The Rothko Chapel and the Transformative Power of Art, A Series

"Acts of Faith"
The Reverend Susan J. Barnes

This series will celebrate the artistic and spiritual import of the Rothko Chapel, bringing three speakers with close ties to Mark Rothko and the Chapel.

The Reverend Susan J. Barnes will address the overarching issue of faith and spirituality in the lives and enterprises of the Menils—of which the Rothko Chapel was the first outward and visible sign: the first Act of Faith.  A native Houstonian, Barnes was present at the installation of the Rothko paintings in the Chapel and was a keen observer of its early years in the life of Houston.  An art historian and member of the Episcopal clergy, she is the author of The Rothko Chapel: an Act of Faith, published in 1996.  She is currently senior associate rector of St. Matthews Episcopal Church in Austin, Texas.