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| | | For Catholic stores, please enjoy the next 11 days of the ... |
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Where would the Church be without artwork?
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The Catholic Church has an over 1800 year-old relationship with art.
The Nelson Family has had a mediating role in that relationship for 22 of those years.
What does that make us, in the grand scheme of things?
We're used to defying the odds, challenging the status quo, and pushing the boundaries. Twenty years ago, a young upstart Mark Nelson was told by the CEO of one of the then-largest religious companies in the U.S.A.:
"You're out of your mind if you think people will pay 10 dollars for a picture of Mary."
The CEO went on to elaborate that the Catholic market simply could not bear larger, high-quality, more expensive art, and that this young, somewhat foolhardy Catholic-art-upstart would be better off selling inexpensive prints of more contemporary pieces in sawdust frames. And tchotchkes, too--plenty of tchotchkes.
"People aren't going to spend that kind of money. And no one wants old-fashioned art, either. A more modern Jesus who looks just like you and me, and less Mary--that's what people buy. It's all about Vatican II today, you know?"
It was Catholic USA in the 90's.
But Mark was visionary in his approach, and not to be dissuaded. Having grown up in the 1970's and 80's with what he calls "the catechism of rainbows and unicorns," and having experienced a powerful conversion to the pro-life movement in 1988, Mark
hungered for an American Catholic
culture of beauty that would change society,
rather than being changed
by it.
Art was to be the vehicle.
We believe that the beauty of true sacred art has the power
to convert an atheist, to save an unborn child, or to spark the faith of a future Saint, just by hanging on the wall.
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| The role played by Mary
Today, 20 years after Nelson's first began changing the Catholic art market, Catholic customers expect beautiful, traditional art; customers expect to see walls of art in Catholic stores highlighting the role of our Blessed Mother
This was not always the case.
"Jesus laughing, Jesus playing soccer, cheesy-sentimental Jesus, that's what was available," Mark relates with a still-present tone of frustration. "It was embarrassing."
Now, we at Nelson's are not claiming to have started, as mariologists refer to it, "The Age of Mary."
Mary started that herself in 1830 when she appeared to St. Catherine Labouré. And then she continued appearing to her children at LaSalette, Lourdes, Fatima, Knock, Kibeho, Akita, Wisconsin (???), and many other places.
All Nelson's did was make sure that the American Catholic art market caught up with the Blessed Mother after a roughly 20-year deviation.
The succession of powerful Marian bestsellers
In 1995, Nelson's released the Polish Madonna.It was an instant classic.
No one had ever seen anything like it.
It is still our best-selling "Christmas" image.
Our competitors could see how Mark was making waves in the marketplace with all this classic, Marian art. Then they remembered they had their own art featuring Mary, which they promptly dug out of mothballs and started selling. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and we didn't mind the competition. But we continued to up the ante in Catholic art:
which would completely dominate the market for over a decade.
As you can see the Blessed Mother has been our "go to" framed art catalyst for many, many years. We are grateful to Our Lady for having such an influential role in our family business, along with St. Maximilian Kolbe, and we continue to honor her by finding and framing the very best of Marian art today. |
| | | | | | | The Sale
Starting Friday, May 6th, and running through Monday, May 16th, framed art, in all its glorious forms, is 10% off the normal wholesale price
to all Catholic stores, shrines, and apostolates.
Orders via e-mail, phone, fax, and orders with terms are all valid for the duration of the sale. |
| | The aforementioned glorious forms are ... |
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Museum-Style Framed Canvases |
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Giclee canvases are stretched and framed in the largest, most ornate frames we offer to become Museum-style framed art. The exposed canvas and exquisitely decorated frames make these reproductions equal to showpieces found in a museum.
Museum-Style Canvases are excellent showpieces for your art wall, as they communicate that a larger and more exquisite collection is available for special order. Every store should have at least one museum canvas hanging on the wall.
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| Framed Prints under Glass |
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| Going all the way back to the days of Fr. Sam Tiesi's workshop in the friary garage, our company has prided itself on producing top quality religious prints under glass in attractive wood frames.
We have never produced a religious print that is hokey, silly, or folksy. We take Catholic art very seriously.
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Steubenville-Cast Oval and Round Canvases |
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Formerly cast overseas and then imported into Steubenville for printing and framing, oval and round-framed canvases are now 100% Made in the U.S.A. items from our own workshop.
As a matter of fact, it was a desire to produce our own single-piece oval and round frames that first led us to acquire the means for casting, which we now employ to cast our own stone holy water fonts, shrines, and more.
Still, even if it was just to create these breathtaking canvas masterpieces, learning to mold and cast was well worth it. These museum-like reproductions are gorgeous.
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Your final day to place an art order and save 10% off wholesale for each picture is Monday, May 16th.
So take your time and put together a fabulously beautiful art order chock-full of both bestsellers and new contenders destined to enhance your store walls
Don't wait until the last minute to start looking.
We have a plethora of art to choose from.
We'll be here all day until sale’s end,
so feel free to call, ask questions,
and share your stories.
We love you, We love art, and we can't wait to see pictures of your store walls restocked and ready for new sales.
May God bless you. |
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