About the exhibition:

Michelangelo’s Last Judgement, above the altar in the Sistine Chapel, dramatically presents belief in the Second Coming- the final and eternal judgement by God of all humanity: The good are being raised from their graves and welcomed to heaven, the bad are being condemned to hell.

John Pron’s Last Judgement presents a much more nuanced, much more complicated moment- staged well before this decisive celestial event. It is more about journeying through life today, not about anticipating the ultimate destination. But this everyday earth is increasingly one of chaos and turmoil. Problems and threats- local, national and global- are overtaking an increasingly cynical, divided and insensitive populace: global warming, the opioid crisis, gun violence, nuclear bombs, growing income inequality, unresolved immigration, bigotry. Where to turn for help? People have lost faith in so many formerly revered institutions; prayer alone is utterly too passive. How can one become personally responsible right now to help this human race- festering in troubled disorder- survive on this planet?

The Not-So-Fast Last Judgement (9-feet high and 14’ long and comprised of 28 interconnected drawings on one wall) is part of a site-specific installation, meant to be a place of quiet contemplation, a setting to meditate on the diversity of this world- peoples young, old, white, black, Asian, wealthy, homeless, neighbors and strangers. The other walls of this “secular sanctum” are a call to action: what can one poor architect do to raise awarenesses and propose solutions? Just as important, what can you do?

About the Artist:

John Pron is an architect, an artist, a retired faculty member from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University and from 1998 til 2016, a member of the 3rd St Gallery on 2nd Street in Old City, Philadelphia. Now he is an active member of the DVAA (DaVinci Art Alliance) Gallery in Bella Vista, South Philadelphia.

John Pron graduated with an M.Arch from the University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Fine Arts (now PennDesign). Since 1976, I taught in the Department of Architecture, Tyler School of Art, Temple University, teaching design studios, freehand drawing and Beaux Arts presentation graphics as well as lecturing on architectural history (both Western and Non-Western traditions). In my studios, I specialized in the adaptive reuse of historic buildings. I led several summer study tours of Italy and Greece and taught at the campus of Temple University Rome. He was the recipient of his college’s Distinguished Faculty Award (1981), a Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching (1986), and the Temple University Great Teacher Award (1995)- its highest honor. Since 2012, he is an Emeritus Professor.

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