Arts and Entertainment

Paul Morin Galley explores faith, art and modern-day gods in exhibition this weekend

September 17, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By Constance Scrafield

Paul Morin is opening his gallery in Alton on Sept. 19, from 7 to 10 p.m. for a night of “art, music and movement.”

In honour of the coming Equinox, the evening offers an exhibition theme which poses some deep philosophical and spiritual questions.

Morin wrote in an email, “In this divided world, are we losing the practices of faith, and forgetting the value of the universal moral teachings contained in world religions, old and new, traditional and contemporary?”

He continues to ask if, within this age of lost gods, how can we resurrect the fundamental teachings that benefit society in a way that inspires new paradigms echoing old teachings? Can they have the chance of restoring faith, hope, and belief?

And he offers the test: if the old gods are returning to our lives in new ways, how will that appear in this digital age: who and what are our modern gods?

Poignantly, “What is being revered, and what has become obsolete?”

An artist himself, Morin notes that for many artists, creativity stems from observing the natural world, and he speculates that some interpret their spirituality and worldview through their work. All to invite consideration and reflective comments at such a time of the year.

This evening in praise of the Equinox will bring music and acoustic sounds to be remembered. Both Morin and Joe Steduto have created and made their own Godboxes. At first, the boxes look like a tidy collection of odds and ends, wire in a spiral, an antique-looking crank in a setting.

Several other bits are included for the curious to learn, and each has its own voice for the inventors to pluck. To one side is a violin which Morin plays very simply, barely a note here and then, more of a comment to embellish the concert.

The sounds from the collection of unexpected things are unexpectedly sweet, interesting, and even calming, but not musical. It does not expect to be musical.

At other times, strange discord can emerge in opposing ideas and combinations when two Godboxes speak.

In a conversation with Janine Smith, Morin’s partner, who knows and encouraged Morin to invite the other performers, began to explain the traditional Indian dance, the Kathak dance that Preya Balgobin will perform.

“With bells,” Smith said. “Preya is an expert on Indian dancing.”

During the preparations, Morin bought his statue of Ganesha to the front of the gallery from where it had been further in the back. When she learned about the move, Preya was delighted. Her dance is in honour of Ganesha, the famous Hindu elephant-head god of wisdom, new beginnings and the remover of obstacles.

Hayley MacLean, playing her cello and loving both the classical and classical jazz world will be part of the entertainment, performing what she knows in the best of both classical and jazz music.

What is wonderful about this special evening is how eclectic it is.

“All the paintings are so different, such a variety and the music is so different one from the others,” Smith said.

And at the end of the evening, the last question can finally be asked: “Where does divinity reside in our physical sphere?”

The Paul Morin Gallery is located at 19741 Main Street, Alton.

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