There is a brown-shingled church nestled in the Potrero Hill neighborhood of San Francisco with an unexpected interior: a colorful, diverse mural of dancing saints encircles the upper walls of its sanctuary, with Jesus the “Lord of the Dance” leading the saints in step. St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church is the home of “The Dancing Saints” (2009), a commissioned work by iconographer Mark Doox (formerly Mark Dukes) depicting an unusual fellowship of saints specifically chosen by the congregation– including Charles Darwin, Ella Fitzgerald, Abraham Joshua Heschel, and others. The church’s co-founder Richard Fabian writes, “Our idea of sainthood comes from both the Bible and Gregory [of Nyssa]’s books. The Hebrew concept of holiness originally had no moral content, but simply meant having God’s stamp on you; being marked and set apart as God’s own.” By design, this artwork challenges our assumptions about sainthood. But it also challenges the historic conventions of religious iconography, and gives us a new kind of window into the divine.
What is an icon? The word itself comes from the Greek word for an image, εἰκών. The early church was skeptical of visual images depicting holiness. Nevertheless, people began making art as part of devotional practice, and theologians were left with the task of reconciling these images with a tradition that also claimed “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth below or in the waters below” (Exodus 20:4). Christians found their justification for these images in the personhood of Jesus. If Jesus became incarnate in human flesh, then surely it is possible for other physical things to contain within them some kind of holiness. According to this tradition, an icon is not merely art. It is a visual object that is somehow more than the sum of its parts.
I love this devotional tradition, as someone who has both prayed with and written icons (yes, written is often the preferred term!). Icons are all about incarnational theology, the conviction that God is present in material things, including art. Every generation and every individual will have something to contribute to the breadth of God’s incarnation, revealing more of who God is, and who God calls us to be.
In this season leading up to All Saint’s Day (November 1), I invite you to dwell in the work of some of these contemporary iconographers. For this list, I focused on living artists who are intentionally making or referencing iconography, though there are several honorable mentions at the end– some of them deceased, some of them associated with religious art more broadly. In different ways, each of these artists is interested in engaging contemporary subjects (such as racial justice, immigration, and the conflict in Gaza) through contemporary media, including bumper stickers, graphic illustration, printmaking, and more.
This list is inevitably incomplete– just as every icon is an incomplete image of the divine. Nevertheless it is a window; a new frequency in a holy prism that can shine more light on the grace of God.
“The Dancing Saints” (2009), by Mark Doox
Janet McKenzie – Janet McKenzie’s depictions of saints are deliberately feminine and multicultural, in a style that resembles art deco with its pastel colors and soft shading. McKenzie’s painting “Jesus of the People” was a watershed piece in the world of religious art, debuting on “The Today Show” in 1999, and honored as the First Place Winner of the National Catholic Reporter’s global competition, “Jesus 2000.” The image solicited death threats from conservative-minded Christians because of its diverse depiction of Jesus, even as it opened the door for future contemporary iconographers.
“The Holy Family” (2007), by Janet McKenzie
Mark Doox – Mark Doox, the artist behind “The Dancing Saints,” has roots in Byzantine iconography, the fine art world, and Black American culture and experience. His book The N-Word of God resides somewhere between graphic novel and illustrated manuscript, and it encapsulates Doox’s Byz Dada (Byzantine Dadaism) style. Is art devotional or confrontational? Doox’ works suggest that art– and religion– can be both.
“Ferguson Mother of God: Our Lady against all Gun Violence” (2015), by Mark Doox
Kelly Latimore – Kelly Latimore still refers to his first original icon, “Christ: Consider the Lilies,” in his website biography, a reminder that iconography (and sainthood) is more about process than perfection. Many of Latimore’s icons depict saints that don’t appear on canonical lists, such as Mary Oliver, James Baldwin, and Fred “Mister” Rogers. He also depicts biblical narrative in contemporary contexts, such as “Christ in the Rubble” (the Holy Family in Gaza) and “Mama” (Madonna and Child, as George Floyd). Latimore explores whether sainthood can expand beyond humans into the broader natural world, in his icons “Christ: The Mother Hen,” and “The Parable of the Mustard Seed.”
“Christ: The Mother Hen” (2022), by Kelly Latimore
The Modern Saints by Gracie (Gracie Morbitzer-Collins) – Gracie Morbitzer-Collins is wary of an iconographic tradition that “can make the saints unrelatable and, by association, make Christianity unrelatable too.” Her response: a series of modern saints painted in rough lines on rough surfaces with texture, cracks, and imperfections. While her subjects are traditional, her depictions are intentionally non-traditional– an approach that makes the saints more accessible, more ethnically accurate, and above all more human.
“Augustine” (2017), by Gracie Morbitzer-Collins
Art of Marza – Marza is an Orthodox artist “for misfits of faith,” whose work references iconography, anime, graffiti and street art– work that can be appreciated on Instagram, bumper stickers, and t-shirts. Her traditional orthodox aesthetic is made accessible through graphical line work, humor, and text. The saints appear alongside written sayings such as: “Jesus would carry Narcan,” “Refusing to harden your heart is a radical act,” and “WTWJF What Table Would Jesus Flip?” These images are both an homage to Eastern Orthodox iconographic tradition, and a theological reflection on the relevance of Christian faith today.
“Christ Administering Narcan” (2024), by Marza
And Her Saints (Dani M. Jiménez) – Central American queer iconographer Dani M. Jiménez uses graphic illustration to bring the saints to life. Through skillful contrasts of light and darkness, Jiménez makes the saints shine; no actual gold foil is required to achieve this effect. Some of her work has very specific historic references– for example, a reimagined version of Diego Velázquez’ “Coronation of the Blessed Mother,” or a queer rendition of Andrei Rublev’s “The Trinity,” commissioned for Jubilee Episcopal Church (church of YCWI member, the Rev. Lizzie McManus-Dail).
“Rainbow Rublev” (2023), by Dani M. Jiménez
Kreg Yingst – Through boldly hewn prints, Yingst depicts saints both ancient and modern through a decidedly populist medium: printmaking. While traditional icons were painted on wood, Yingst uses that material in a very different way in his series of woodblock and linocut print saints, published in the collection Everything Could be a Prayer: 100 Portraits of Saints and Mystics. Yingst’s work reminds us that prayer is the essential function of every icon, both in its making and in its viewing.
“Our Lady of the Borderlands” (2025), by Kreg Yingst
Conclusion
Both ancient and modern traditions of iconography rest on this belief: God is with us. The images that we make are a reminder of God’s presence in all kinds of human experience. God is also present in non-iconographic art (see some of the “Honorable Mentions,” below). Through centuries of discourse, the iconographic tradition is a particularly powerful reminder of God’s presence at the heart of our humanity, challenging us to see more expansively, and to love more deeply.
Honorable Mentions:
Nancy Marek Cote
Laura James
He Qi
Jan Richardson
Angela Yarber (YCWI alum)
