GRACED WITH LIGHT


Last February I was fortunate enough to see the “Graced With Light” art installation at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco’s Nob Hill neighborhood, before it was taken down. I had recently purchased a DSLR camera and was looking for a subject/place to practice using all of the buttons and settings that I didn’t have a clue about. I also had just started taking photography classes and was learning about “ISO/Shutter Speed/Aperture” and this thing they called “White Balance”…it was all Greek to me.

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“Graced With Light” was a music-inspired installation that featured nearly 20 miles (1,100 strands in total) of multicolored ribbons which cascaded from the church’s vaulted ceiling arches. It was designed by Anne Patterson, a New York installation artist and director, and was the cathedral’s 2013 artist in residence.

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The exhibit was definitely breathtaking to see in person. Believe me, these pictures do not do it justice. I also discovered other treasures about the church that day. Grace Cathedral’s main doors are a replica of Lorenzo Ghiberti’s “Gates of Paradise.” There is also a Keith Haring altarpiece, two labyrinths (one inside and the other outside of the church) and a statue of St. Francis of Assisi by the late San Franciscan sculptor Beniamino Bufano.

It was a day well spent in the city I call home. Sometimes I can’t believe how lucky I am to live here.

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