Illuminating The Word: The Saint John's Bible

A lot of talented calligraphers lost their jobs back in the fifteenth century, once the printing press came into vogue; their vocation has, alas, never recovered from the blow. But Donald Jackson is lucky. Not only is he Queen Elizabeth’s official scribe, he’s also been commissioned to create the first new handwritten Bible for the modern age. He is relying chiefly on the same materials and techniques that his colleagues used in the Middle Ages, but is also making use of computer-assisted illuminations that incorporate flora and fauna native to Minnesota for divine inspiration–Eden as a prairie, if you will. Sixty pages of this modern masterpiece are on display for this exhibit. 2400 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis, 612-870-3131; www.artsmia.org