Beauty in Nature: Sister Mary of Carmel Lord and Her Art

The Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena of Fall River, Massachusetts ran a number of schools across the Northeast including, Fall River and Acushnet, MA New Haven, CT, and Plattsburgh, NY, as well as catechetical Centers in Chateaugay, Ellenburg, Cohoes and neighboring areas in northern NY, and a convent outside Montreal, Canada called St. Philippe de la Prairie. Early on the Sisters focused on bilingual education, French and English. In their Academy in Fall River, the Sisters hosted an Art Studio for students and adults alike to learn drawing, painting, sculpture, and more. At this studio in Dominican Academy could be found a Sister with a talent for both art and education, Sister Mary of Carmel Lord.

Sister Mary of Carmel was a natural born artist and an excellent educator. She was skilled in drawing, painting, and ceramic making. Her inviting nature and comforting spirit meant she was beloved by her students, personal family, and fellow Sisters. Sister Mary of Carmel had an eye for nature. She saw its inherent beauty and was able to translate it into her art.

This exhibit will discuss the artistic side of the Dominican Sisters of Fall River through the life of Sister Mary of Carmel Lord. It will showcase her natural talents as an artist and educator, the tight-knit community she kept close, and how her art captured the beauty of the natural world. At the end there will be a showcase of most of Sister Mary of Carmel's art currently housed inside the Dominican Sisters of Hope archives in Ossining, New York.