A while back I saw a program on APT discussing a massive undertaking by renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson to redesign the St. John’s Bible into the first handwritten, illuminated bible commisioned since the invention of the printing press. Jackson approached the Benedictine monks of Saint John’s University and Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota, who advised him on the interpretations of the text to which Jackson himself would illustrate. A small team of professional calligraphers under Jackson would aid in transcriptions. The completed volume was commisioned by Mary and Eugene Frey as a gift to Archbishop Harry Flynn to celebrate his 11 years of pastoral service to the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. The presentation took place back on April 24, 2008.
The APT program did much justice to the project as it followed Jackson in counsel with the monks and even allowing us to view the artist in action. Watching the steady hands of the calligraphers flow through some beautiful lettering was every bit awe inspiring. Sadly, examples are hard to come by on the net, but there are a few exhibitions still going on. One in particular sits temporarily in Mobile! Had I known beforehand, I would have made a li’l pilgrimage to check it out while I was down there a coupl’a weeks ago. Anyway, watch your local APT listings for the next airing of this comprehensive program to see some true art being made.
Whatcha Think?