The Ministry of Awe is known for being inventive, but now, it’s getting extra festive for Philly families.
Housed inside a transformed 19th-century bank, the space opened this past spring with creations from muralist Meg Saligman (MoA's founder) and over 100 artists, makers, spirits and shadows. The result is a six-story work of art that will “break into your brain and seize your senses.”
It’s a prime project for Saligman, whose career holds three decades worth of public art installations around the world. But Philadelphians specifically will recognize ‘Passing Through’ (2004), her work seen by 100,000 motorists each day on Interstate 76, ‘Common Threads’ made for Mural Arts Philadelphia at Broad and Spring Garden streets, and many other showcases peppered around the city.
The creative has taken all of that inspiration and more for the recently opened space, and plans for the venue’s first holiday season are looking to be as large as Saligman’s murals.
Later this month (Nov. 20), the space will debut 'Miracle on 3rd', an experience that will transform the Ministry into an even more engrossing space with light, projection, sound, art and imagination. As the creators note, at the heart of 'Miracle on 3rd' is a simple idea: Miracles aren’t supernatural… they happen when people come together.
“At Miracle on 3rd, you do not only watch the holiday spectacle — you enter it, see yourself in it, contribute to it, and discover something miraculous with others,” says Saligman.
Essentially, across MoA’s three-story atrium, an immersive light-and-sound show will kick off every half hour. And as a release notes, instead of a traditional holiday display, the venue will be transformed using recycled, repurposed, donated and collected materials — including broken holiday decorations, glowing lights, ornaments, paper and repurposed gift boxes.
The immersive element that makes the Ministry unique comes via projection technology for this series. So, visitors will see their own faces become part of a giant puppet, contribute voices to songs and take part in interactions that become part of what unfolds.
“Across cultures and centuries, the darkest days of the year have inspired humanity to make light,” Saligman finishes. “At the winter solstice, the sun begins its return. Sacred oil meant for one night miraculously burns for eight. A beautiful baby is born beneath a star, carrying hope into a troubled world.
"We light candles, gather around fires, exchange gifts, tell stories, and sing together — insisting, against all evidence, that brightness will return. That insistence is the miracle.”
To learn more about Miracle on 3rd at the Ministry of Awe (27 N. 3rd St.) and to purchase tickets, visit moaphilly.org
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