'Pursuing the Spirit' Highlights First Museum to Focus on Religious, Spiritual Dimensions in Contemporary Art

'Pursuing the Spirit' Highlights First Museum to Focus on Religious, Spiritual Dimensions in Contemporary Art

ST. LOUIS - David Brinker, who served as the second and final director of the Saint Louis University's Museum of Contemporary Religious Art (MOCRA), has published a comprehensive retrospective of the museum's 33-year history.

Pursuing the Spirit: The Museum of Contemporary Religious Art offers an extensive and generously illustrated treatment of the first museum to focus on the religious and spiritual dimensions in contemporary art.

Founded in 1993 by Terrence Dempsey, S.J., MOCRA was the first museum dedicated to exploring the religious and spiritual dimensions of contemporary art. From its very first exhibition, MOCRA established a reputation for presenting compelling work from both established and emerging artists who represent a diverse range of viewpoints, expressions and media.

Over its 33 years, MOCRA displayed and collected the works of some 300 artists, including Seyed Alavi, Romare Bearden, Lore Bert, Dawoud Bey, Frederick J. Brown, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Michael David, Damon Davis, Eleanor Dickinson, Erika Diettes, Lesley Dill, Juan González, Luis González-Palma, Patrick Graham, Tobi Kahn, Adrian Kellard, Thomas Lanigan Schmidt, Athena LaTocha, Mary Mattingly, Jim Morphesis, Dan Ramirez, James Rosen, Susan Schwalb, Shahzia Sikander, Thomas Skomski, Michael Tracy and Andy Warhol.

Through exhibitions, collections and educational programs, MOCRA highlighted and explored the ways contemporary visual artists engage with the religious and spiritual dimensions. With its expansive and inclusive approach, MOCRA served the SLU community and the broader public by facilitating personal discovery, experience and inspiration while contributing to a culture of interfaith encounters and dialogue.

MOCRA closed in May 2026.

The 154-page, richly illustrated book includes:

• A preface by Pamela Ambrose, founding Director of the Loyola University Museum of Art in Chicago, that offers a personal perspective on the origins of MOCRA.
• "Returning Spirit to Art," an essay by art historian and critic Eleanor Heartney that contextualizes MOCRA within the complex relationship between religion and contemporary art from the 1980s to the present.
• "MOCRA: A Portrait," an essay by MOCRA's second Director, David Brinker, that begins with an exploration of the museum's origins in the scholarship of founding Director Terrence Dempsey, S.J., then traces the establishment of MOCRA at Saint Louis University during a vibrant period of transformation at SLU and in Midtown St. Louis in the early 1990s. A thematic review of MOCRA's 33-year history of exhibitions and programs follows. The essay concludes with valedictory thoughts about MOCRA's significance and ongoing impact.
• Annotated chronologies of MOCRA's exhibitions and programs.
• A list of artists whose work was exhibited and/or collected by the museum.

Brinker now serves as the Education and Outreach Director for Saint Louis University's Museums and Galleries.

MOCRA Book Release Event

• When: 1-4 p.m. Sept. 27
• Where: Saint Louis University Museum of Art, 3663 Lindell Boulevard, St. Louis, Missouri 63103.
• Free parking will be available in the nearby Canisius Lot on Lindell Blvd. at the corner of Spring Ave., and on surrounding streets.

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