Join us for the closing reception of Making My Religion, an exhibition by Julie Püttgen featuring her evocative photographic series and handmade regalia. Celebrate the culmination of this unique exploration of faith, art, and identity with a dress-up extravaganza and the launch of Julie's pandemic book project, The World Is a Strange Choice Right Now.

Artist Statement

"Something in me has always gravitated towards the church, the shrine, the temple in any landscape, and the wild holy places of this world. At the same time, I’ve always made drawings, paintings, objects, and regalia. I used to name these core impulses separately: one was called religion and the other one was called art. Now I recognize both as two shores of the same ocean. Now I know that when I am really present in the studio and in the world, I am making my religion, with its embodied practices, assorted vestments, and surprising liturgical objects.

The works in this exhibition include photographs from my Marian Apparitions series, taken while I walked French sections of the Chemins de St-Jacques/Camino de Santiago. I’m also sharing photographs from my Queering the Black Coat series, an extended deep dive into my complex relationship with priesthood and institutional religion. Alongside the photographs, I’ll share the garments I modified to catalyze these works: a heavy, starry blue linen cape and a thrift-store priest’s cassock."

All photographs are available as signed prints in an unlimited edition, priced at $100 each. Julie is donating 25% of sales to the Lebanon Public Library, 25% to the Upper Valley Humane Society, and 50% to support her ongoing pilgrimage walks.

To Order Prints: Visit everyday-regalia.com/contact.

For more information about Julie Püttgen's work as a Dharma artist and expressive arts therapist, visit 108namesofnow.com and everyday-regalia.com.