Art & Ideas

Divine Pathways

Divine Pathways is a stunning, site-specific textile installation created by artist Anne Patterson for the vaulted Nave of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

Divine Pathways was created in concert with communities and organizations from across the Morningside Heights neighborhood, New York City, and the Episcopal Diocese of New York. Community members were invited to write their hopes, dreams, and prayers onto the ribbons that make up the piece. Individual prayers are anonymous and beyond the viewer’s sight, but their collective presence creates an experience that is both intimate and immense.

Join us for an experience that celebrates the collaborative process and community itself.

Anne Patterson is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Brooklyn. Her body of work consists of paintings, sculptures and large-scale multimedia installations that combine sculpture, architecture, lighting, video, music and scent. Drawing from her background in theater set design she uses these modalities to create an artistic practice, hovering somewhere between the visual, experiential, and immersive.

Patterson’s large-scale installations have filled cathedrals, office buildings, and galleries across the country with miles of fabric, aluminum, copper and brass. She created Graced With Light, an installation inspired by music, as the 2013 Artist-in-Residence at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. Art for Earth, commissioned by the fashion house Ermenegildo Zegna in 2020, was made of thousands of lengths of fabric repurposed from Zegna fabrics. Her most recent installation, Ascendant Light, opened in the winter of 2022 in Capital One Center in VA.

Anne has exhibited widely including solo exhibitions at The Ringling Museum and Alfstad & Contemporary. Her work has been shown at The Trapholt Museum, Denmark; Cristina Grajales, New York; Scope Art Fair, Miami; Aqua Art Fair, Miami; Building Bridges Art Exchange, Los Angeles; Valerie Dillon Gallery, New York; Denise Bibro, New York; Cade Tompkins Projects, Providence, RI; Jessica Hagen Gallery, Newport, RI, and One Twelve Gallery, Atlanta.

Artist Talk with Anne Patterson
In conversation with The Very Reverend Patrick Malloy

Wednesday, January 10, 2024
6pm-8pm

Join us for a conversation between Anne Patterson, creator of Divine Pathways currently on view at the Cathedral, and The Very Reverend Patrick Malloy, Dean of the Cathedral. The discussion will be on a variety of topics but will include art through the lens of spirituality and the creative process behind Divine Pathways.

Philippe Petit: The Ribbon Walk

February 1, 2024,
6pm

In The Ribbon Walk, Philippe Petit (of World Trade Center fame) will walk a high wire through the ribbons of Anne Patterson's Divine Pathways in a one-night only special event at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The evening will also include live music.

Extra-Hours Photography

Join us outside of the Cathedral's open hours for exclusive photography access to this architectural marvel and special Divine Pathways art installation.

All experience levels are welcome!

Mindfulness Mondays

Join us for 60 minutes of gentle yoga and mindfulness meditation led by instructors from Harlem Yoga Studio. The Cathedral's current art installation, Divine Pathways by artist Anne Patterson, provides a meditative focal point surrounded by the Cathedral's impressive architecture.

The class is accessible and welcoming to beginners, with options for more advanced shapes and physical challenges. Please bring your own yoga mat (or alternative ground covering) and water bottle.

Triforium Climbs

Get an exclusive view of Anne Patterson's Divine Pathways art piece from the triforium, a within-the-walls walkway located five stories above the Cathedral's ground floor. Climb a stone spiral staircase to access this special viewpoint.

Purchase includes self-guided admission to the Cathedral. You are welcome to self-guide through the Cathedral before or after you make your Triforium climb.

Divine Pathways is on view October 12, 2023 through June 2024. Be sure to follow the Cathedral on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok for info on all of the upcoming programs and events held under this immersive installation!

Divine Pathways is made possible through generous funding from the Marin Community Foundation; Panta Rhea Foundation; Roy A. Hunt Foundation; Susan Rudin; The Chicago Community Foundation; The Helen Clay Frick Foundation; The Henry Luce Foundation, Inc.; Tides Foundation; Agnes Gund; and We Oppose Violence Everywhere Now.