Kindlers of the Soul: HDS Recognizes Remarkable Artists with the 2023 Gomes Distinguished Alumni Honors

Each year, the HDS Alumni/Alumnae Council (AAC) recognizes exceptional graduates and one non-alumni Friend of the School with the Peter J. Gomes, STB ’68 Distinguished Alumni Honors. The award, given in memory of the late Reverend Gomes, celebrates community members whose excellence in life, work, and service pays homage to the mission and values of HDS.

This year’s theme, “The Arts: Kindlers of the Soul,” honors creativity and imagination. 

“This year we celebrate the kindlers of the soul, the artists among us at HDS—visual artists, designers, dancers, poets, singers, photographers, musicians, writers, actors, filmmakers—the truth-tellers, beauty conveyers, and storytellers in our midst,” says Arleigh Prelow, MDiv ’13, the Alumni/Alumnae Council chairperson. “We also honor those who lead, guide, and elevate artistic endeavors. In summary, we recognize those whose works of love and light beckon us to become our better selves and envision and make a better world.”

This year, the Council recognizes the following honorees: 

Dave Hullfish Bailey, MTS ’88, is a sculptor and multi-disciplinary artist whose work explores place and collective meaning-making. He has presented his work in solo exhibitions at institutions including the St. Louis Art Museum and The Gallery at REDCAT in Los Angeles, in addition to international shows in São Paulo, Stockholm, and Vienna. In collaboration with Aboriginal leader Sam Watson, Dave developed CityCat Project, an intergenerational project of performance, ceremony, and activism on the Brisbane River/Maiwar. HDS recognizes Dave Hullfish Bailey as a Gomes Honoree for using art to reinforce a love of the land and to reimagine a just and sustainable relationship between people and place.

Jennifer Hollis, MDiv ’03, is a writer, music-thanatologist, and project director of Harps of Comfort, an organization she co-founded in 2020 to provide live, remote music at no cost to patients with Covid-19, patients with other serious illness, and those nearing the end of life, as well as loved ones and caregivers. She is the author of Music at the End of Life: Easing the Pain and Preparing the Passage, and a contributor to Religion and Healing in America. HDS recognizes Jennifer Hollis as a Gomes Honoree for providing end-of-life care and compassion through the beauty of music and human connection.

Michelle Renee Jackson, MDiv ’09, is a writer, director, and photographer. She wrote and directed “Another Slave Narrative,” which reenacts the 1930s WPA interviews of formerly enslaved African Americans using a multiracial cast. Her film won first place at the African American Women in Cinema Film Festival. As a leader in her field, Michelle has moderated the Virginia Film Festival and has guest lectured at several universities, including Cal Poly, Occidental, Georgetown, Harvard, and Yale, about representations of slavery in film. HDS recognizes Michelle Renee Jackson as a Gomes Honoree for transforming how the world relates to the history of slavery through the power of film and storytelling.

Breai Michele Mason-Campbell, MDiv ’02, is a Baltimore native, activist, dancer, and cultural counselor. A Harvard graduate and 20-year veteran teacher in Baltimore City, Breai is Executive Director of Moving History, a non-profit that teaches the story of African American people dynamically through instrumental and vocal music, dance, and visual, culinary, and martial arts. She is actively involved in the promotion and design of anti-racist spaces in the international Jazz Dance community, including teaching and consulting work in Canada and Sweden. HDS recognizes Breai Michele Mason-Campbell as a Gomes Honoree for powerfully bringing together the arts, education, and social justice to make positive change in the world.

As they have in years past, the AAC also honors a non-alumnx member of the HDS community.

“We are delighted to recognize Susan Shallcross Swartz as the 2023 Friend of the School,” says Chandra Mohammed, associate director for alumni relations. “Susan’s art, film, and activism provide a message of hope and highlights our interdependence as citizens in a global community. This award is especially apt since Susan’s first official connection with the School was as the HDS Artist-in-Residence in 2005. Susan is being recognized for shining a light on the vibrancy and vulnerability of nature as an artist dedicated to faith, hope, and love.”

The Alumni/Alumnae Council will celebrate the 2023 Gomes Honorees during an event on Friday, May 5. To learn more about the AAC and alumni news, please visit the Alumni & Friends website.

Please note that space is limited. Complete our online form to register for this special celebration. Email alums@hds.harvard.edu with any event-related questions.
 

—by Amie Montemurro