DAVENPORT — Each summer the St. Ambrose University Catich Gallery features the work of the gallery’s namesake, the late Father Edward Catich. This year’s exhibit will focus on Fr. Catich’s hobbies — mosaic work, metal-smithing, painting, chess and coin collecting — and how the internationally recognized artist’s interests informed his art, transcending the level of mere leisure pursuits.
“Renaissance Man, E.M. Catich” opens June 8 and runs through July 22. The work is featured in the Catich Gallery, located in the Galvin Fine Arts Center on St. Ambrose’s campus. The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Friday, or by appointment.
An opening reception will be held June 10, from 5-7 p.m.
Fr. Catich — a priest, scholar, artist and teacher — was considered one of the world’s finest calligraphers and an international authority on stone incising, typography and stained glass fabrication. He was known as the foremost authority on the Roman alphabet, its origin, nature and history, and wrote a series of books including, “The Origin of the Serif: Brush Writing and Roman Letters.”
He founded the St. Ambrose Art Department, teaching for 40 years until his death in 1979.
For more information, visit the website www.sau.edu and search for “catich.”
