Artist: Pamela Beach
Title: The Preparation of the Last Supper
Medium: Gouache and collage on muslin panel
Price: $7,000
Dimensions: 24 x 48 inches
Artist Bio: Pamela is a mother of six, painter, and community based art educator. She is currently working on an MFA at the University of Utah. She would probably make you cookies if you ask.
Artist Statement:
Despite much evidence in the scriptures that point to Jesus’ love and respect for women, we have been grappling with the important question, “How do we clear out these weeds of misunderstanding which have hidden our value to humankind, and hidden our importance to the Savior?”
Drawing from historical depictions, like those in the Last Supper, I reinterpret women's contributions. In the act of creating a meal, I recognize not an obligation but a choice, a testament to the powerful bonds of community and care that that women have created consistently throughout time. Christ embedded symbolism in everything he did. It is possible that like any other child, important meals were made by His mother. It is not hard to imagine that symbolism of the Last Supper, began with who prepared it.
My work does not seek to debate the historical accuracy of women's roles in religious narrative painting. It honors the sacred act of caregiving. We know both the preparation and sharing of a meal are social and sacred acts. Scriptures offered many narratives about women who worked and walked with Christ. They preached his word. They prepared and shared meals. They came to him to be healed. As their narrative wove both in and out of visibility, we honor the legacy of Christ, who, in His respect and love for women, modeled a different, more inclusive way of valuing their contributions to society and religion.
