“Women and the Word: Gender and Literacy in Medieval and Renaissance Europe” is the topic of an art exhibition and lecture series taking place at DePaul through March.

The exhibition, located in the DePaul Art Museum, 2350 N. Kenmore Ave., runs through March 16 and explores medieval women’s relation to the written word – as authors, readers, laywomen and members of religious orders. “During the Middle Ages and the early Renaissance in Europe, the few women who gained access to education did so almost exclusively through the church,” said Louise Lincoln, museum director. “From accounts of women’s spiritual experiences to orders of prayer, from images in books printed by nuns in a convent to books on the conduct of wives, the materials brought together in the exhibition suggest the role of literacy in women’s lives in times of political turbulence and social change.”

Books and manuscript leaves included in the exhibition contain miniature paintings, or illuminations that were done in brilliant colors and gold leaf. The documents also include examples of beautiful calligraphy. Letters and legal documents included in the exhibition suggest women’s active involvement in business transactions during the time periods. Female authors and nuns at some convents actually participated in the spread of literate culture by composing and printing texts. “Women and the Word” illustrates that women’s engagement with written culture encompassed more than books and documents. An inscribed ring bearing a message of love and a ceramic plate with a woman’s motto demonstrate that the relationship between women and the word crossed a variety of media.

The exhibition is free and open to the public. Museum hours are: Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. For more information about this and other exhibitions, visit the DePaul Art Museum Web site at: http://museums.depaul.edu/artwebsite/ .

The “Woman and the Word” lecture Feb. 11 will focus on St. Brigitta of Sweden, considered to be the most celebrated saint of the Northern Kingdoms. The saint is also the author of “Revelations,” a 16th century prayer book, a copy of which is owned by the university and included in the exhibition. The discussion takes place from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in Cortelyou Commons, 2324 N. Fremont St. The panelists – foremost experts in this area of study – and their topics are: Rosalynn Voaden, professor of English, Arizona State University, “Brigitta of Sweden: Writing the Woman, Writing the Word;” and Claire Sahlin, professor of women’s studies, Texas Woman’s University, “Brigitta of Sweden and the Voice of Prophecy;” Anne Clark Bartlett, associate professor of English, DePaul, will add comment to the panelists’ presentations.

“Medieval Literature and Literacy” will be the topic for discussion March 3. The discussion will be held from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in Cortelyou Commons. Panelists and topics are: Paul Griffiths, chair of the Catholic Studies program at the University of Illinois Chicago, “The Treasure House of Memory: Learning Without Literacy from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages;” and Bill Fahrenbach, chair of DePaul’s English department, “Vernacular Literacy in a Fifteenth-Century Miscellany.” Karen Scott, director of DePaul’s Catholic Studies program and associate professor of history, will provide comment.

The panel discussions – sponsored by the university’s Catholic Studies program and made possible by a grant from the Vincentian Endowment Fund – are free and open to the public. For more information, visit the program Web site at: http://condor.depaul.edu/~cathstd/events.htm .