In a school founded in a predominantly Catholic tradition, it is often hard to engage in the exploration of other faiths and beliefs.

Curated by Peridot Smith, “Divine Intersection: Religious Crossroads” currently on exhibit at the Brother Kenneth Chapman Gallery makes the search for interfaith dialogue accessible to all students. The gallery is filled with works of art from varied representations of religion in which viewers are immersed in the experiences of the art and artists.

Most of the artwork on display is personal and is a direct reflection of a deeper realm of emotion that the artist has experienced.

Professor Sheila Kriemelman of the Fine & Performing Arts Department has two pieces on display in the exhibit. “Crucifixion,” a watercolor on paper, explores the humanity of Christ with the image of just his hand colored with blood. However, this piece goes deeper.

“The hand belongs to my son. Some might find it disquieting that I used my son to model for the hand of Christ,” Kriemelman said. “This can be viewed another way: by placing my child, in that agony, I connect with the present and the future.”

Like Kriemelman, all of the artists on display appear to make religion personal to them so that viewers are exposed to that raw emotion and feel it also. A mixed media piece by Paul DEO, “Bob Marley,” exhibits an entirely different type of spirituality. With bright colors and eye-catching text imprinted on and around Marley’s body, it still provokes intense emotion. With the piece, DEO hopes to inspire others like he has been inspired by Marley’s messages against war, injustice and inequality.

Overall, student viewers of the exhibit were surprised by what was being featured at the gallery.

“I was shocked first by the quality of the art exhibited,” junior Kaylynn Murchison said. “Then I also was shocked by how many different religions with so much modern and historical context were displayed.”

Some students were asked to go to the gallery for their classes and others are routine gallery goers. A number of students also stopped at the exhibit by accident.

Junior Bryant Mazariegos had never entered the gallery before until his friend pulled him in haphazardly one day. Staring at “Melencolia,” an oil on linen piece by Francesca Noto, he was held captive in awe of the artwork, a feeling new to him.

“I am not an artist, but I love this,” Mazariegos said. “This piece is so colorful. I can’t pull away.”

Senior Stephanie Valette, a gallery sitter, was the friend who showed Mazariegos the piece.

“I wish more students would come by and appreciate the artwork,” Valette said. “I don’t think most students know how wonderful it is in here.”

One of the more radical pieces on display is “Mother Land Mary” by Sean Paul Gallegos, which is made completely of Nike sneakers, packaging Styrofoam and wallpaper. Such depictions of religion challenge the preconceived notions of the viewers.

Smith, the curator of the exhibit, said, “To cover something as vast and vague as religion and spirituality, many voices must be heard in order to gain a balanced dense of understanding.”

Many voices are definitely being heard and will be heard at the gallery until Oct. 17, so pass by and listen.