Half Human, Half Divine (detail) by Jennifer McCormick, Mixed Media, 2018, 28″ H x 15″ W

This mixed media work is based on a CT scan of Marianne’s heart, and the artist, Jennifer McCormick, sent the image to me on the sixth anniversary of her death, with the message, “Marianne sends you her heart.”

— Bob Oberg

The Marianne Oberg Foundation for Spiritual Art (MOFSA) was born out of a desire to support the creation, sharing, and preservation of art that touches and elevates the soul. At its heart is the belief that art is not separate from life. Rather, life is our most fundamental artistic creation. 

This retrospective tells the story of a Foundation built to honor the life of Marianne Oberg, the late wife of our founder Bob Oberg. In honor of Marianne’s life as an artist and her profound devotion to spirituality, Bob conceived a foundation dedicated to spiritual art in her memory. Compelled by the immediacy of her loss, Bob envisioned the foundation mere weeks after her passing in 2012. He shared this vision with a fellow Clayworks artist and friend of Marianne, who suggested a more immediate way to honor her was to establish a memorial scholarship. Embracing this direction, Bob reached out to Clayworks, and within months they established the Marianne Oberg Scholarship Fund. Today, this enduring fund continues to support and inspire ceramic artists, preserving Marianne’s spirit within her creative community. 

There existed still a want for Bob for a broader way to champion spiritually minded artists, further honoring Marianne. Since its official 2017 inception, MOFSA’s spiritual art grants have supported artists across regional and national levels, while also supporting several international recipients. Throughout its history, the Foundation has fostered creativity that is inspiring, uplifting, and deeply human. It honors art in all forms as an expression of the human spirit. It recognizes healing as a common thread for many artists, a salve that is so needed in these times. Whether their work speaks through joy, contemplation, truth-telling, devotion, or the environment, these artists play a vital role in the regeneration of humanity. They are seekers, storytellers, truth-sayers, and observers of the sacred within everyday life. Each approaches art not only as an act of making, but also as a way of being, with the conviction that the experience of creating is itself sacred. Across varied media, styles, and personal histories, these artists share a deep belief in the power of art to heal, connect, reveal, and transform. Their work invites us into spaces of reflection and discovery—places where the human experience is honored, where the natural world is revered, and where creativity becomes a path toward mindfulness, openness, and spiritual awareness. Through their vision, we are invited to share our stories, to rest in beauty, and to remember our shared belonging.

We hold much gratitude for the connection, expression, and transformation that art imparts to the world, our communities, and ourselves. We, as a foundation, exist because of those who have supported this vision, and those with whom we have shared this vision—the board members, volunteers, jurors, staff, and friends. And, of course, our raison d’être, the artists who have been grant recipients, those who have participated in calls and conversations, and our most beloved artist, Marianne. Her legacy lives on in us all.

Marianne Oberg by Taylor Merchant, 2022, Oil on canvas, 18″ H x 24″ W

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