Over a decade in the making, Anglican fibre artist Karen Brodie of Golden, British Columbia, expects all 14 liturgical worship banners she designed to finally be completed and debut in an exhibition starting January 2026.
“I didn’t want my designs to be sitting in a box,” says Brodie. However, delays during the pandemic and budget constrains halted work on her Stations of the Cross project. A recent $5,000 grant from the Anglican Foundation of Canada and a fundraising campaign is now breathing new life into the massive undertaking. Brodie has been able to hire a studio assistant, buy fabric and supplies, and free much of her own time for a year. She is hard at work to complete the project for a show at the Il Musea Gallery at the Italian Cultural Centre in Vancouver.
The Stations of the Cross, a long Christian tradition, depict up to 14 events during Holy Week. They include images such as Christ carrying the cross or being laid in the tomb. Brodie’s Stations are a contemporary interpretation of this tradition. After the Vancouver exhibition, the artist anticipates the show will tour to other locations, including churches throughout Canada.
“The artist in me decided to make the banners more complicated,” quips Brodie about her work. She has started working out to manage back pain and be physically able to sew the large pieces. She uses a 17-year-old sewing machine and does all the sewing herself. Brodie worships at St. Paul’s Anglican in the East Kootenay Region. Her works hang in churches and other buildings across North America and beyond.
Each Station of the Cross banner is guided by a reflection written by a diverse group of clergy. Many of the designs feature the figure of Jesus plus his cross. Although thoroughly modern, her work is immediately recognizable as liturgical art used to enrich worship. It is impeccably executed in rich colour palettes and a variety of fabrics.
Angela Clarke, curator of the Vancouver exhibition, says in a statement that the liturgical banners “seek to engage the viewer in a contemplative practice.” She adds, “Brodie’s Stations of the Cross is a non-denominational focused meditation, which all of us, regardless of our spiritual background and beliefs can participate in.”
After completing her sketches for the Stations of the Cross in 2015, Brodie showed the designs and shared the clergy meditations at different churches around B.C.’s interior and the Anglican Diocese of Kootenay.
After hosting Brodie’s work at St. Andrew’s Anglican in Kelowna B.C., Incumbent Rev. Canon Anne Privett says the sketches for the banners, executed in water colour, provided a fantastic devotional practice for her congregation. “Her work is a treasure,” says Privett. She adds that Brodie’s sense of vocation as an artist and the time she spends in prayer as she creates her designs are impressive.
Brodie says, “I wasn’t just waiting, I was actively praying and anticipating a future” which would see the banners executed in fabric appliqué.
After finishing a degree in fashion design in Surrey, B.C., Brodie, in her early twenties at the time, made her first banner for a church in Vancouver where she worked in youth ministry. It helped her launch her career as a full-time, internationally recognized fabric artist. Orders for her liturgical stoles and other artworks to support worship are generally booked far in advance.
Readers can learn more about The Stations of the Cross project, the ongoing fundraising campaign and exhibition details by visiting www.thestationsofthecross.ca
Exhibition details:
Sacred Journeys, An Artistic Meditation by textile artist Karen Brodie
Italian Cultural Centre Gallery, Vancouver, (3075 Slocan Street)
22 January – April 6, 2026
Curator Angela Clarke, Ph.D.
