An exhibition of traditional religious displays will open on April 4, 2008 at the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University. "Devotional Displays: Personal and Community Traditions" celebrates twenty years of documentation of local religious celebrations coordinated through the Castellani Art Museum's Regional Folk Arts Program.

The exhibition features thirty photographs from the museum's permanent collection depicting folk religious displays from a variety of cultures including: Mexican Day of the Dead altars, Christmas Nativity scenes, Italian-American St. Joseph's Day tables, Polish-American Easter displays, the Puerto Rican Rosario de la Cruz, Hindu domestic prayer altars, and Vietnamese ancestor altars influenced by the Buddhist tradition. The exhibition will also present installations of a Hindu domestic prayer altar, a Vietnamese ancestor altar, and Polish-American Christmas crèche created by local community members, as well as a media slide show of the museum's current research on devotional displays.

The exhibition will open to the public on April 4, 2008, from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m., coinciding with the museum's First Friday, featuring live music by The Buffalo Boomers, refreshments, cash bar, art activities for kids, raffles and door prizes. First Friday is free to Castellani Art Museum members and $5 for non-members.

A special reception for "Devotional Displays," with presentations by participating community members, will be held on Sunday, May 18, 2008 from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.

"Devotional Displays: Personal and Community Traditions" runs through December 14, 2008. The Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University is open Tuesday - Saturday, 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and Sundays 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. Admission is free.

For more information, please call Claire Aubrey at 716-286-8290.