In its year-end Best of Baltimore issue, the Baltimore Beat named the two pieces by Ky Vassor in our sanctuary as part of the “Best of Baltimore’s Arts Scene” in the category of “Art in a Non-Traditional Space.”
Installed in February, 2025 the two eight-foot acrylic panels depict disenfranchised community members and call attention to the history of the church, which is built on land once worked by enslaved people.
The artwork invites reflection on history, faith, and justice, acknowledging both the beauty of sacred space and the difficult truths contained in the history of our church.
“The unexpected jolt of new art in a gothic structure might not fully change the world, but it can take your breath away and provide a jolt of inspiration to keep fighting on,” the Beat wrote. “We need more of this.”
The church, in a statement, said “We celebrate this well-deserved recognition and are thankful for the ways art can help us listen more deeply, remember more honestly, and continue growing together.”
Vassor, a mixed-media artist, said the panels were the largest indoor mural they have completed. “Sanctuary City I & II” has set incredible historical precedents, using research and art to continue confronting systemic racial injustices across Baltimore,” Vassor wrote. “I’d like to thank the countless individuals from Govans Presbyterian Church and beyond who assisted in making this come to fruition.”
The intent of the effort was to create images of people of color in Govans’ worship space to communicate that all are welcome and children of God.
The colorful acrylic panels depict fourteen men, women and children. Inspiration for the characters depicted are local individuals including the Hispanic road workers killed when the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed, Lillian Kim, a late Chinese-American community leader, former director of the Chinese Language School and author of the book Early Baltimore Chinese Families and Freddie Gray, a young Black man whose 2015 death in police custody was ruled a homicide and sparked demonstrations.
Photo Credit: I.H. Webster III.