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'Mega Churches' Artist to Speak at K-State's Beach Museum

MANHATTAN – Former Manhattan resident Joe Johnson will speak about his current exhibition, "Mega Churches," as well as the progression of his work as an artist at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 1, at the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art at Kansas State University.

Johnson's mega church photographs capture interior views and
behind-the-scene looks at these large churches, which seat 2,000 to more than 10,000 worshippers. Mega churches often incorporate elaborate sound systems, video production and contemporary praise songs to attract a broad spectrum of attendees.

Although mega churches are defined by the size of their congregations, Johnson's views are devoid of human presence. "These photos of unpeopled interiors illuminate ways in which these churches' operations incorporate ideas and practices from broader contemporary American culture," said Bill North, senior curator at the Beach Museum of Art.

"The photographs' formal and technical qualities are quite strong," North said. "Johnson is a gifted photographer with a bright future."

Based on these qualities, Johnson was chosen to be the 2008 Friends of the Beach Museum of Art gift-print artist. Every year, the museum selects a work of art available for purchase only by Friends members. This year's selection is "Instruments, St. Louis, Mo., 2006."

"Mega Churches" will be on view at the Beach Museum through June 29. It is sponsored by the Friends of the Beach Museum of Art Business Partners.

For more information, call the Beach Museum of Art at 785-532-7718 or drop by the museum on the southeast corner of the K-State campus at 14th Street and Anderson Avenue. Admission is free, and free visitor parking is available next to the building. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays; and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. The museum is closed Mondays.

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