Film

Quest for Beauty: The Life and Art of William Schickel

Quest for Beauty is a film documentary that will tell the story of William Schickel’s life and prolific art career for a new generation. Schickel had a very prolific art career spanning sixty-plus years; he produced a large body of mostly commissioned work in painting, sculpture, stained glass, and architectural design. His renovation of the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky, where he worked personally with Thomas Merton, won the American Institute Architects Gold Medal Award in 1968. His works can be found in numerous private collections and museums, including the Vatican Museum.

Through interviews with family, friends, and art historians, the film will explore his Quest for Beauty and the challenges he faced. Along the way the audience will catch glimpses of his vision for the church and his heart for ecumenical work. Through the victories and obstacles he faced viewers will experience the way Schickel pursued God’s beauty through his creativity, and how that pursuit became unifying within and outside of the church.

If you would like, you can give to Creo Arts which is a registered 501c3 nonprofit and can receive charitable gifts. Creo is also approved by the National Christian Foundation.