Biblical Movie Poster Collection
Religion, Cinema, and Material Culture
Over the course of several decades, Fr. Michael Morris, OP (+2016), an art historian who taught at DSPT, curated this spectacular collecting first edition movie posters and ephemera. The collection has been shown at the Museum of Contemporary Religious Art (MOCRA) in St. Louis, the University of San Francisco (Thacher Gallery), The Museum of Biblical Art (MOBIA) in Manhattan, and The Jewish Museum in Melbourne Australia.
Purpose: Aligned with the overall mission of Blackfriars Gallery at DSPT, the purpose of maintaining a collection of first-edition posters related to Biblical movie themes is three-fold: 1) restoration and preservation of these important historical art pieces; 2) education; and 3) fostering conversation and study on the role that art, religion, and cinema play in contemporary culture.
See the 2007 interview of Fr. Michael Morris with Jim Kirchherr of “Living St. Louis,” at the Museum of Contemporary Religious Art for the exhibition “The Celluloid Bible.”
FEATURING the NEW PODCAST
Hollywood Biblical Epics: The Podcast is an exciting offering from Blackfriars Gallery comprised of three parts, divided into five episodes. The series offers a deep-dive focus on the history of biblical and religious films in Hollywood. Narrated by Richard Lindsay and Ryan Parker, it also features three experts on biblical films: David Blanke, Matthew Page, and Adele Reinhartz.
The first episode is now available.
Be sure to check back in April for more.
Present Objectives
The collection includes 85 professionally framed first-edition posters, more than 100 unframed posters, and first-edition lobby cards, movie stills, and other ephemera.
We have completed the first phase of our efforts to make this valuable collection more accessible for teaching and research to the GTU community and the general public. You can view the full collection of framed posters in the online art catalog.
In the next phase, we will prepare catalog summary materials and guidelines for parish and eductational institutions, galleries, and museums that are interested in hosting part or all of the collection, such as the current exhibition at Brandstater Gallery at La Sierra University (Riverside, CA). For information about hosting an exhibition contact Fr. Chris Renz, OP.
Blackfriars Gallery sponsors an exhibition each semester. Gallery hours during the academic year are Mon-Fri, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
If you are interested in helping us with the maintenance, upkeep, and public engagement of this spectacular collection, please make a donation to Blackfriars Gallery.
