Arts in the Sunset exhibit offers closer view of Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel

Arts in the Sunset will host its inaugural exhibit, "Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition," at the newly renovated Sunset Center from June 9 to July 23.

The exhibit, which has been shown worldwide to global audiences, will be an opportunity for people to get a glimpse of the art that is housed in the Sistine Chapel and reproduced for mass audiences that can be seen at their own leisure to study the legendary works of art. This recreation of 34 fresco paintings uses a unique technique to emulate the look and feel of the original paintings. Each image from the exhibition will have information about the picture, with audio guides available at cost.

Mark White, the executive vice president at Amarillo College and a Deacon at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, spoke about the importance of the exhibition to the city.

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“I think this speaks volumes about the kind people that live in Amarillo with the city's religious roots,” White said. “The idea that the major work of art in all of the civilization depicts scenes from the Bible tell us something about our humanity. I am quite proud that there is so much interest in the city to see these works.”

White sees this as a chance for young and old alike to be inspired by the works from the books of Genesis to open up some deeper thoughts about life. He also sees the Amarillo community and its fondness for art, coupled with the religious nature of the city, making the "Sistine Chapel" a perfect type of exhibition to generate interest in the city.

Rachel Flores, executive director of the Amarillo Art Institute, spoke about the significance of the Sunset Center's first exhibition in the renovated facility.

“The process of bringing the exhibition here sort of fell into our lap; we were fortunate that one of the citizens of Amarillo had seen the exhibition elsewhere and wanted to bring it to Amarillo,” Flores said. "A lot of the renovations that we did to the building were so that we could do large exhibitions and attract more historically significant pieces. This allows us to be more put on the map for other entities, and to see what we can do to be more attractive to these exhibitions."

She said this led to that person talking to the Amarillo Convention and Visitors Bureau about bringing the exhibition to Amarillo, and the floor space and the ceiling needed to accommodate it that is available at the new center made it a natural fit. With the group doing the exhibition and having many other tours including the Titanic and the Louvre, Flores hopes that this will be the first of many exhibits of its type to be hosted by the new complex.

Flores said that these exhibitions will allow visitors to get much closer to these reproductions than they could ever get to the original art pieces, many of which are on very high ceilings. With this, visitors can take much more time to view the art from a much greater perspective than would be possible, to get a full appreciation of the original works.

“Those who come to the 'Sistine in the Sunset' will be viewing one of mankind’s greatest artistic achievements from an up close, life-sized, never before seen perspective,” Flores added in a news release.

Carol Lovelady, a volunteer of the Amarillo Art Institute, spoke about the upcoming exhibition.

“This is similar to many other touring exhibits of art such as Van Gogh that gives people a chance to look as long as they like, which is something that could never be had at the chapel in Rome,” Lovelady said. “I think this will be a very personal experience; I think everybody that sees it will take something different away from it.”

She said that no matter one’s faith, she feels that the works, with their importance and artistry, will profoundly affect the viewer. Lovelady said that the Amarillo community has such a hunger and passion for art that this will appeal greatly to so many groups in the area, with a once-in-a-lifetime experience that great travels and costs could only surpass.

“This is a superb exhibit for the reopening of the facility that has been the art hub of our city for the last 20-plus years; that’s why we decided to call it 'Sistine in the Sunset,'” Flores said. “For the Sistine Chapel exhibit to come to Amarillo is a wonderful gift to our region.”

Proceeds from the exhibit will benefit the Downtown Women’s Center, Catholic Charities of the Texas Panhandle, the Amarillo Art Institute and the Amarillo Cultural District of the Texas Commission of the Arts.

Tickets went on sale Tuesday, ranging in price from $19 to $26.50. The exhibit will be open in the summer, Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and on Sundays from 1 until 5:30 p.m. The viewing time is expected to be about 60 to 90 minutes.

Arts in the Sunset is located at 3701 Plains Blvd.

For more information, go to https://www.artsinthesunset.org/ and https://chapelsistine.com/the-exhibition/ .

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Arts in the Sunset to display Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel exhibit