Church. Museum. Art & Spirit.

Driving through our City of Angels, I'm often tempted to stop and check out impressive-looking churches. Upon entrance, some of them turn out to be rather disappointing. Others surprise with their architecture and stained glass windows, and occasionally with their artwork. For years, I've been visiting First Congregational Church of Los Angeles near MacArthur Park. It's difficult not to be impressed with its Gothic Revival architecture, but what I particularly like is its 20,000-pipe organ, the largest organ of any church in the nation. There are regular concerts there that are attended by a number of people, including many non-believers like myself.

But today, I want to talk about an art exhibition, Art & Spirit, recently installed inside of the Church's Shatto Chapel. The exhibition includes a surprising range of artworks, from etchings by Rembrandt and Dürer, to contemporary works by Ed Ruscha, Sister Corita Kent, and John Nava.

One moment you are looking at Gwynn Murrill's ceramic sculpture of a serpent with its reference to evil, and the next you are staring at Lin Evola's small metal sculpture of a winged Angel, a sculpture cast from melted down confiscated guns. If that doesn't stop you in your tracks, nothing will. And, side by side with works of these well-established artists are artworks by students of Art Division, an organization dedicated to training and supporting underserved youth who are committed to studying the visual arts.