Arthouse2B has an annual Advent tradition of collaboration with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (CFRs) of hosting events that feature Christian and Catholic artists during their December Catholic Underground event. In the past we’ve held maker’s markets, a short film festival, and a gallery night.

On December 7th, 2024, we presented an Arthouse2B Expo night. After the monthly Holy Hour, a group of local artists displayed paintings, drawings, photos, cards, prints, and stickers, with work available for purchase.

Location: Our Lady of Good Counsel Church 230 E 90th St, New York, NY 10128

Date: Saturday Dec. 7th

On November 22nd, 2024 the Feast of St. Cecilia, Arthouse2B hosted our first Benefit evening: a warm celebration of our first year as a not-for-profit 501(c)3. With the sacrifice of the Holy Mass, dinner, performances by community members, and an inspiring keynote talk from Sr. Tirzah Mariae, SV, we deepened our gratitude and joy for the support of our mission of restoring culture through the heart of the artist.

Photos by Edwin Lucero.

Saint Lucy is a musical hagiography by Karina Majewski, with music by Mary Fedrigo and Tom Lewis, imagined as a punk rock concert performed by a band of Virgin Martyrs.

It was presented on Friday, September 13th, 2024, to a sold out crowd at St. Joseph’s in Greenwich Village. The show was followed by a reception with custom hand-crafted baked goods by Miriam, O Maria Bakery.

Photos by Sean McCullough.

On Thursday, August 22nd, curator Lucy Rahner moderated a panel discussion with artists Audrey Bennet, Sasha Hallock, and Adrienne Lee. There was a small reception after the panel.

On August 3rd, 2024, Arthouse2B celebrated its fourth anniversary! After a Mass for Artists celebrated by Fr. Reginald Hoefler, O.P., there was a reception for the opening of a new gallery exhibition entitled “Playing Around”, featuring works by Adrienne Lee, Sasha Hallock, and Audrey Bennett. There were performances by Rachel Den Hartog, Sr. Maria Frassati, S.V., Sr. Fidelity Grace, S.V., Karina Majewski, and Mary Fedrigo.

On Saturday, July 27th, Arthouse2B presented a new experimental musical performance based on the life and martyrdom of Saint Lucy written and directed by Artistic Associate Karina Majewski. The musical hagiography brought alive the story of the truly radical and iconic saint. Music by Mary Fedrigo and Tom Lewis, featuring Lydia Brinkmann, Mary Fedrigo, Karina Majewski, Moises Rodriguez, Peter Murphy, and Victor Giler.

Arthouse2B was also a vendor at the festival. It was a pleasure to meet with attendees and share with them our mission as well as artwork from three members of the community: Oxana Lim, Sean McCullough, & Mindy Indy.

On July 19th, Arthouse2B hosted an event in downtown Indianapolis during the National Eucharistic Congress. This gathering connected lay Catholic artists, patrons, clergy, and religious from around the country with the common desire of seeking Beauty and being transformed by it.

The event featured a dance performance by co-founder Claire Kretzschmar, music by Sean Erickson, and artwork by Desiree Hinshaw, who also helped organize the event. Attendees heard a fervorino by Fr. Malachi Napier, CFR, in which he exhorted them to look to the Eucharist as a source for their artistic practice.

A highlight from Fr. Malachy’s remarks: “The Eucharistic Heart of Jesus reveals to us the reality, the truth, the love and the beauty that is behind all the experiences of our lives. These experiences often give birth to art and that shifts the eyes of an artist when they realize that this something they are in contact with, this something that has allowed the artist to create is actually a Someone. That shift from something to Someone opens up a new horizon of creativity in which there is a relationship; the artist is encountering the presence of a person, and that person is in fact, Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.”

Thank you to all who attended our event at the National Eucharistic Congress. It was a gift to commune with you and to encourage each other in the pursuit of Beauty and the Beautiful One.

Sponsored by the Human Life Foundation in cooperation with Arthouse2B and the Parish of St. Vincent Ferrer, join us on June 29th for “Breaking Through: The Culture of Life in Arts and Entertainment” — featuring live performances, artwork, presentations, and panel discussions with writers, artists, and those working in fiction, poetry, film, theater, and television. Artistic Associates James and Karina Majewski will present a reading of “Arranged”, an original play by Karina Majewski, followed by a Q & A. The gallery will feature paintings by Bee Chessman. Followed by a reception with music by the Nick Hempton Band.

Tickets available here: $50 full price; $30 special discounted rate for artists and under 30.

On Pentecost Sunday, May 19th, Arthouse2B hosted a picnic potluck in Central Park. After the 12pm Mass at St. Vincent Ferrer on the Upper East Side we walked over to the picnic area south of the baseball fields in the Park to enjoy friendship, fellowship, and food, and to celebrate the Solemnity.

Photos by MJ O'Toole.

YCP NYC partnered with AH2B for an evening of Mass, artwork, and fellowship on Friday, March 22, 2024. We attended the 5:30 PM daily Mass at St. Ignatius Loyola and then went as a group to The Met Museum for self-guided viewing. We met afterward for drinks and fellowship at a local bar.

On Saturday, March 9th, at 5pm, Arthouse2B hosted a Mass for Artists, celebrated by His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan and accompanied by a special schola under the direction of Christa Dalmazio and Mary Fedrigo. After Mass, the Cardinal joined us in the Gabriel Gallery for the opening of an exhibition featuring the photography of Sean McCullough, harp music by Christa Dalmazio, and a performance preview of “The Jeweler’s Shop”, featuring James & Karina Majewski, Dylan Gervais, Anna Wulfekuhle.

On February 3rd, 2024, Arthouse2B partnered with the Fransican Friars of the Renewal to present a night of art, music, and performances after their monthly Catholic Underground Holy Hour at Our Lady of Good Counsel parish in New York City. Artist featured: Salem Farmand, Lorena Reis, Alfonse Borysewicz, Molly Lewis, James Majewski, Anna Wulfekuhle Gervais, Br. François Fontaine, CFR, and Dana Schein.

Arthouse2B took carpools of pilgrims from New York City to Hartford, CT to view “A Ceremony of Carols" - a new ballet choreographed by Claire Kretzschmar, set to music by Benjamin Britten.

On Saturday, December 2nd, 2023, Arthouse2B presented their annual Makers Market in partnership with The Fransiscan Friars of the Renewal. Following the Catholic Underground Holy Hour, people gathered below the church to shop for original clothing, ceramics, holiday cards, prints, bags, blankets, coffee, cookies, and more. Artists and artisans included: Caterine Sanchez, JP Talty, Miriam, o Maria at Mercurial Coffee Co., M.E. Guadalupe Rubi, Merritt Elizabeth Art, and Sean McCullough.

Arthouse2B and Con-solatio collaborated to present “Kindling” - an exhibition of paintings, drawings and calligraphies by master Dao Zi and his disciple, Aman, curated by Fr. Paul Anel and Jiale Hu. The one-day-only gallery exhibition included a moderated talk with the artists, with Chinese and English translations by Jiale Hu.

In the first book of Samuel we read about David’s music bringing peace to King Saul (1 Samuel 16:23). Basilio Perez, a singer-song writer and worship leader based in New Jersey, felt the Lord calling him to create something that would bring peace to our everyday lives by making Jesus our daily bread through prayer. He partnered with other creatives to make artwork that initiates and deepens a relationship with God among its participants. Through this collaborative process, The Psalmist’s Heart, a devotional on the theme of trust, was created.

Arthouse2B partnered with Basilio Perez and Elisa Torres to celebrate the official release of The Psalmist’s Heart. Participants were guided through an immersive experience including live music, reflections, and Visio Divina from this multimedia devotional.

For one night only at St. Joseph’s Church in Greenwich Village, Arthouse2B reprised Ruah - the immersive art performance featuring artwork by Erin K. McAtee and performances of poetry, music, dance and drama by Fr. Joseph Michael Fino, CFR, Christa Dalmazio, Lucy Rahner, and James and Karina Majewski. A social followed the performance, with homemade beer brewed by Fr. Joseph Michael Fino, CFR.

Felicia Pérez gave an artist talk alternating between English and Spanish for an intimate crowd in the Gabriel Gallery at Annunciation Church. Her talk centered on themes from her solo show "Through Suffering, Joy is Near", hosted in the gallery from August 6 - September 23. A social with light refreshments and wine preceded and followed the discussion.

Felicia is a NYC-based artist with a Masters of Art from Lehman College, who draws inspiration from the natural world to convey deep truths about God's will for humanity.

“These paintings symbolize pain, courage, perseverance, and surrender… When I made the decision to invite God into my suffering and surrender myself to His will, I became more attentive to the small moments of beauty around me.”

- Felicia Pérez, excerpt from gallery show statement

Josef Pieper said of modern civilization that our “ability to see is in decline”. We are blinded by ideologies and technologies that deny or distract from spiritual realities, and these affect the stories we tell, including much of what is presented under the name of "realism". Recognizing the poverty of a realism accounting only for the visible, a number of contemporary Catholic fiction authors have united under the banner of “contemplative realism”. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI, they seek to “ask rather more carefully what ‘the real’ actually is”. 

This event was in collaboration with Wiseblood Books, and included fiction readings and discussion with Katy Carl (Fragile Objects, editor-in-chief of Dappled Things) and Trevor Cribben Merrill (Minor Indignities) in a cozy apartment setting.

The event began with Mass celebrated by our guest priests Fr. Daniel Ray, LC, Fr. Juan Macias, OP, and Fr. Dominik Wegiel alongside beautiful music by Basilio Perez, and continued into the afternoon with the opening of Felicia Perez’s solo show "Through Suffering, Joy is Near", poetry and music performances by Kacper Wegiel, Ana Urquiza and Danny Garcia, a brief artist talk by Felicia, and a relaxed catch up with new and old friends accompanied by home-brewed beer and treats. And we also celebrated 3 years of Arthouse2B!

Erin and Br. Benedict Marie Hernandez, OP, led a group on a pilgrimage to the Met Cloisters museum. The day began with Mass celebrated at the shrine by Fr. Philip, OP, and after time at the museum, Br. Benedict gave a talk on “The Gift of Friendship” in Fort Tryon park nearby.

About the Event

After Sunday Mass at the Church of Saint Vincent Ferrer in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Arthouse2B hosted a potluck picnic in Central Park.

Exhibition curator Maggie Jones moderated a panel discussion with four artists from the sub*stantia gallery show. A social with light refreshments and wine preceded and followed the discussion.

About the Event

Arthouse2B partnered with the Fransican Friars of the Renewal to present a short film festival after “Catholic Underground”, an evening of Adoration, Benediction, confession, art and music held at Our Lady of Good Counsel parish in New York City. On a big screen beneath the church, Arthouse2B presented a lineup of five films to an audience of over 100 guests. James T. Majewski moderated a panel discussion with filmmakers Molly Lewis, Cavern Collective, and Cory St. Ewart. Afterward, attendees had the opportunity to socialize in the large underground gathering hall.

About the Event

Our hallmark event, the Mass for Artists, includes a Mass, social, art gallery exhibition, and brief set of live performances. This event took place on the final day of the Behold the Beautiful One Retreat and included an opening reception for the gallery exhibition, sub*stantia, as well as live performances by Claire Kretzschmar, Jenny Kibrick, Esther Asibuo Ramos, Adrian Mercedes, along with Sean McCullough and Peter Murphy performing an excerpt of a new play by Karina Majewski, directed by James T. Majewski.