St. Paul’s Episcopal Church announces the opening of a new art gallery to be named in honor of Louise H. Shipps, noted artist, teacher and iconographer. The gallery, located in the church’s parish hall at 34th & Abercorn will focus on works exploring art and the sacred and will feature pieces from parishioners, the local SCAD community and others interested in pursuing the gallery’s theme.

Louise H. Shipps is a parishioner at St. Paul’s. She has exhibited in numerous one-person and juried art shows, and taught painting to adults and children. She studied Eastern Orthodox Iconography and taught icon workshop retreats in Dallas, Augusta, Savannah and Kanuga Conference Center, NC.

The inaugural exhibit will open on August 29th and feature works by watercolorist Sid Denham. The exhibit will continue through October 3, 2010, at which time the new gallery will be formally dedicated in a ceremony at St. Paul’s honoring Louise Shipps. A reception will follow.

Later that afternoon, Michael J. Chaney, Professor of Film, Television, and Sound Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design will present a lecture entitled The Act of Creation as Contemplative Practice.

The lecture will begin at 4:00 p.m, with a musical presentation beginning at 3:45. The lecture is part of a larger series, and more information can be found on St. Paul's website, www.stpaulsavannah.org.

In October the Shipps Gallery will present an exhibition of the collected works of Harriett Speer. Beginning on October 8, the show will continue through November 11. Ms. Speer holds an undergraduate degree from Hollins University and a masters degree from the University of South Carolina. She currently teaches English as a second language at SCAD and describes herself a selftaught artist who feels that by sitting and looking her hands will create the beauty before her.

All exhibitions, receptions and lectures are free and open to the public. For more information, or to reserve the gallery for exhibitions, contact the church office at (912) 232-0274.