After months of preparation and calls for submissions, “Seeds of Transformation: Envisioning Hope for the Environment with Ignatian Imagination” is now on display at Fordham Lincoln Center outside of the Ram Café in Lowenstein. 

Campus Ministry organized the art exhibit, which includes visual pieces like paintings, photography and poetry, to commemorate the 500th anniversary of St. Ignatius of Loyola’s spiritual conversion. 

On Tuesday, April 5, Campus Ministry hosted a showcase for the exhibit in the South Lounge, where members of the Fordham community came together to watch video diaries, listen to poems, view dances and enjoy a live performance from the F-Sharps, Fordham’s a cappella group at Lincoln Center. 

“All of you young people here fill my heart with hope.” Carol Gibney, associate director of Campus Ministry for Spiritual and Pastoral Ministries

Carol Gibney, associate director of Campus Ministry for Spiritual and Pastoral Ministries, started the night with a few opening remarks, emphasizing the optimism that the attendees and submissions gave her for the world’s future. 

“All of you young people here fill my heart with hope,” Gibney said.

Following Gibney, Paige Finley, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’25 and a member of the Fordham/Ailey BFA program, read a poem originally written by Pope Francis called “A Prayer for our Earth.”

The emcee of the night, Maria Akosta Gkalinto, FCLC ’23, delivered similar remarks to Gibney. 

“Fear paralyzes us, but I invite you into the hope in the movement of these art pieces,” she said. 

Students submitted videos featuring their dance routines or appreciation of nature in their hometowns. 

Angela Rotondi, FCLC ’25, submitted a large canvas painting of a beach’s coastline, scattered with waves, sand and islands amid the water. She said she made the painting in about an hour. 

“When I heard about the exhibit, I thought it was a great way to make a positive impact on the idea of climate change,” she said.

Finley submitted a piece she choreographed and danced to in Central Park. “I was really inspired by the message of hope when it comes to the environment. I think so many times when we think about environmental justice, we only think about the bad and not the fact that we have a chance right now to make a difference, and we can still be hopeful,” Finley said. “For me, my biggest way of connecting with the world is through dance, so whether it be connecting with people or connecting with the environment specifically, dance is the way I communicate and express myself.” 

The visual art will be on display for the remainder of the week.