We are Cielo Ornelas MacFarlane, Laurie MacFarlane and Martha Schermerhorn! We are organizing this second annual show at The Yards (50-52 Public Market Way Rochester, NY 14609) of contemporary ex-votos, altars and shrines as lifelong fans and makers of them!

Ex-voto is the proper Latin term, meaning “from the vow” for the type of Christian devotional art that is offered to a saint or to God as thanks for a miracle, a blessing, and as testimony to others. An ex-voto can be a crutch or cane that is no longer needed, a small sculpture of a body part that was healed, or a commissioned painting of an event miraculously survived. An altar is a space for ritual or worship, such as a place for making offerings or sacrifices, receiving communion, or casting spells.

A shrine is a space that is considered special or sacred because of it’s association with a particular person or event, such as the appearance of the Virgin of Guadalupe to Juan Diego or the first time you saw One Direction live in concert. Shrines often house reliquaries, which contain relics. Relics are objects from an earlier time with historical or sentimental significance. In the Christian tradition, these might be bones, pieces of clothing, or hair from a saint, but reliquaries exist throughout many cultures and religions.

This call is open to any and all interpretations, religious and secular, personal and political, fictional and factual.

Open to artists local to the Rochester/Buffalo area with all mediums welcome (including installations!) and no size restrictions.

Submission fee:
$10 for one entry of 1-3 images or $20 for up to five entries of 1-3 images each.
Please send fee via PayPal to [email protected] (using the Friends and Family option) at the time of submission.
Accepted artists are responsible for delivery and pick up of their work in a timely manner.

Submission Deadline: August 27th
Notification of Acceptance: September 3rd
Artwork must be delivered by October 2nd
Exhibition Dates:  October 7th – 23rd
Opening Reception: First Friday October 7th