The richly detailed altarpiece, crafted from beadwork, embroidery and photographs, will be on display at the cathedral throughout Eastertide in its final North American installation before its return to South Africa. The cathedral hosted the first U.S. installation of the altarpiece in August and September 2006 following its display at the International AIDS conference in Toronto. It has also been on display at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco and Washington National Cathedral.

The pilgrimage will provide junior high, senior high and college-age youth and students with an opportunity to become acquainted with their new bishop and the ministry of the cathedral, meet South African artists and singers, and learn more about the impact of the AIDS epidemic in South Africa.

The pilgrimage will begin at 10 a.m. as Lee leads the young people in procession to the doors of the cathedral. They will be greeted there by South African women, including Eunice Mangwane, an AIDS counselor in South Africa who was among the presenters when the altarpiece first appeared at St. James Cathedral. Noseti Makhubalo, the project's lead artist, and another art teacher will lead the youth in making their own altarpieces for use in youth processions around the diocese.

Panel discussions on community concerns and the arts
The cathedral will also host a discussion series in April in conjunction with the showing of the Keiskamma Altarpiece. A four-part Community Concerns in the Arts series will explore socially conscious artistic practice in Chicago. The free public programs will bring together panelists from the city’s arts organizations.

The series will use the altarpiece -- on view Wednesdays through Sundays, March 27 to May 11 at the cathedral -- as a starting point for the first presentation, and as a backdrop for the next three discussions. The first panel discussion on April 1, “Introducing and Contextualizing the Keiskamma Altarpiece,” will feature Mangwane and Makhubalo. Both Xhosa women are intimately involved in the work of the Keiskamma Trust.

Other discussions in the series will feature Chicago artists discussing how their work addresses social issues and community concerns (Individual Practice, April 8); the work of community-based art programs (Community Practice, April 22); and how presenters and funders of visual arts address community concerns while promoting and nurturing artists (Presenters and Funders, April 29).

About the Keiskamma Altarpiece
Created in 2005 by the women of the coastal town of Hamburg, in South Africa’s largely rural, poverty-stricken Eastern Cape Province, the Keiskamma Altarpiece is a message of hope for people who are contending with the devastation that AIDS has wrought in their lives in the midst of poverty and other hardships. The Keiskamma Altarpiece is the second monumental artwork made by the women of the coastal town of Hamburg, located in South Africa’s largely rural Eastern Cape Province. The first such piece, the 43 meter (138 ft) “Democracy Tapestry,” inspired by the famed Bayeux Tapestry, presents the history of South Africa’s first ten years of democracy.

The Keiskamma Altarpiece was made using embroidery, beadwork, wire sculpture, and photographs. It depicts the annunciation, crucifixion, and resurrection from the point of view of the people living in Keiskamma. Constructed in a series of hinged panels, three layers deep, the altarpiece’s shape and dimensions (6.5 meters wide when fully open and 4.2 meters high) exactly replicates the multi-panel format of the famed Isenheim Altarpiece, now in Colmar, France. Moreover, the synchronicity between the two is not limited to size and shape. The Keiskamma Altarpiece reflects a kindred spirit the Isenheim, both of them created in the face of a devastating plague wreaking havoc on their communities. Created by Matthias Grünewald in the 15th century, the Isenheim Altarpiece was painted for a German hospice where the patients were dying of ergot poisoning, the result of a simple grain fungus. The mysterious disease generated panic throughout Europe; not unlike the reaction to AIDS in the late 20th century, and continuing today in stricken regions in the developing world.

The altarpiece was conceived through the vision of Dr. Carol Hofmeyr, who opened an AIDS clinic in Hamburg, a fishing village situated where the Keiskamma River flows into the Indian Ocean. Inspired by the Hamburg women’s struggles, she encouraged them to tell their story on altarpiece panels that would provide a compelling witness to the wider world.

Keiskamma Altarpiece Exhibit Hours
(Hours subject to change. Please check the cathedral calendar prior to your visit.)

Wednesdays - 12:30 pm to 6:00 pm (Healing Service at 5:30 pm)
Thursdays - 12:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Fridays - 12:30 pm to 6:00 pm
Saturdays - 12:30 pm to 6:00 pm (except 3/29 and 5/3)
Sundays - 12:30 pm to 4:00 pm
(Closed Mondays and Tuesdays)

The altarpiece can also be seen during regular services in the cathedral, following which there will be guided tours.