Art

Art at First Church Boston

Life Cycle by Thomas Dahill

A permanent collection of paintings, sculptures, stained glass and calligraphy is on display throughout the church and in the chapter house. Portraits of ministers are on the walls of Park House from the entryway to the walls of rooms on two floors. They date from the twenty-first century to a copy of one from the seventeenth century. Most are done in oil on canvas. Exhibited with the faces of the past are some historic views of the buildings of the First and Second Churches in Boston and views of Boston. There is one view of Harvard College. These are all in a variety of media.

In the main church are calligraphic monuments which replaced the stone carvings in the fire of 1968 and have been supplemented by monuments dedicated to individuals of great merit. These occupy the rear of the Sanctuary and the walls of the Hale Chapel. In the linear indentations of the walls of the Sanctuary are copper strips of calligraphic names of all the members of the congregation. The calligrapher is Margaret Shepherd. In the lower Narthex at the entryway is a stained glass window from the Second Church: a nineteenth century account of a seventeenth century historical event. In the upper Narthex is a marble Bust of R.W.Emerson. by Sidney Morse and above on the wall is a mural called Life Cycle by Thomas Dahill. This latter and a leather collage of the flaming chalice by Dianne Thornhill Miller in the entryway to the Sanctuary are dedicated to Rhys and Eleanor Williams for forty years of devotion to the congregation. In the Hale Chapel is a stained glass window by Gyorgy Kepes. In a niche is a sculpture by Michio Ihara.

The church building was designed and constructed by Paul Rudolph and dedicated in 1972. At the entrance facing the street is a statue of the founder, John Winthrop, by Richard Greenough.

Art in the Narthex

The First Church in Boston has hosted exhibitions of members of the congregation and talented artists from outside the congregation in a program meant to present a variety of creative approaches to painting and whatever else can fit on a flat wall. The limited area in the Narthex of the church has seen some extraordinary displays of creativity, from careful rendering of flowers, to abstract symbolic representation of outer space forms, portraits and landscapes, still lifes, History and Fantasy, in traditional and mixed media. Photography has been used as a capture medium of reality as well as a creative technology to explore graphic possibilities. On occasion, additional space in the Auditorium has been used to extend the usual area of gallery space and to show large works. Limitations are that this is a meetinghouse and the prime use is for religious gatherings. Exposure of exhibited works is enhanced by the constant use of the facilities for concerts and celebrations. Exhibitors also have the capability of arranging receptions for special groups of supporters. For more information about Art in the Narthex please email the church office at