Special Treatment Illuminations for The Saint John’s Bible The Saint John’s Bible and Contemplative Landscape

Artist, calligrapher and illuminator Diane von Arx will talk about her work for The Saint John’s Bible in the museum’s auditorium. Her lecture, “Special Treatment Illuminations for The Saint John’s Bible,” is free with admission; Sundays are free to NM residents.

Esteemed also as a teacher of art and calligraphy, von Arx quickly sold out a $100-a-head hands-on workshop she’s giving on Saturday, Feb. 25, in conjunction with her lecture.

Von Arx is also notable for having designed the descriptive title script for Illuminating the Word, which can be seen on the entry wall for the exhibit in the museum’s second-floor Herzstein Gallery.

Download a high-resolution image of von Arx's work by clicking on "Go to related images," below.

In her lecture, Von Arx will introduce attendees to the artistic team for The Saint John’s Bible and speak about the challenges of working with an art director who lives across the ocean, along with the fun – and panic – of working on vellum.

A resident of Minneapolis, von Arx  is a letter maker and designer who produces graphic lettering, documents, fine art and corporate branding. (If you’ve eaten a Yoplait Light, you’ve seen her work on its packaging.) She has taught calligraphy and related classes for more than 25 years in the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan.

These events are part of the programming series for Illuminating the Word: The Saint John’s Bible and Contemplative Landscape on exhibit at the History Museum. The Saint John’s Bible is an entirely hand-written and illuminated Bible, commissioned by the monks of Saint John’s Abbey and University in Collegeville, Minn. It was overseen by Donald Jackson from his scriptorium in Wales, but other artists and calligraphers, like von Arx, participated in its completion.