Mother Mary, Sculpture by Marianne Oberg
History
MOFSA was established by Bob Oberg in memory of his wife Marianne Oberg, who died in May, 2012 of injuries suffered from a vehicle accident. Since Marianne was an artist and deeply interested in spirituality, Bob had the idea of establishing a foundation for spiritual art in her memory. He got this idea, in fact, within the first month of her passing. He mentioned the idea to a friend of Marianne’s who was also a Clayworks artist. She suggested something simpler: Bob could create a scholarship fund in her memory at Clayworks. Bob followed her suggestion and reached out to Clayworks. In a few months the Marianne Oberg Scholarship Fund was up and running!
The idea of a foundation was more complex. He reached out to his long-time friend Bob Canavello, who had also become a close friend of Marianne. Bob C. suggested the core idea of offering grants and putting on exhibits, simplifying Bob’s original conception. The idea simmered in Bob’s mind on the back burner for a few years. He talked about the idea to Carlos Alvarez (from whom Marianne took classes in drawing and watercolor), and Carlos was very supportive of the foundation idea. He had the vision that someday there could be an actual center for spiritual art. He even designed a beautiful logo for it!
For a couple of years the idea continued to percolate in Bob’s mind, now with the working name “Center for Spiritual Art”, or CSA for short. During all this period after Marianne’s passing, Bob has received many blessings in his life. One of them has been an outpouring of poetry. It feels to him as if the poetry comes as inspiration from spirit, and from Marianne in particular. But how to convey to others the vision for the new foundation? The impetus came from a painting that Carlos created for Bob (based on Marianne’s white abstract angelic sculpture, the same starting point for the CSA logo).
After Carlos unveiled his painting for Bob, in 2016, a vision for the foundation coalesced in his mind, and he wrote “Philosophy and Spirit of the Foundation“. Bob invited three close friends to become founding members of the new foundation, and in February of 2017 MOFSA was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in North Carolina.
MOFSA has had four cycles of a spiritual art grant opportunity, to which hundreds of artists have applied. MOFSA has awarded five grants of $10,000 and made other smaller awards. The recipient of the first grant, Jennifer McCormick, was featured in a solo in-person exhibit. Since then, MOFSA has made virtual presentations introducing grant recipients and their artwork. We have also begun to feature selected exhibits showing the artwork of artists in the extended MOFSA community at mofsa.org and on our Instagram page.
“Angel of the Foundation”
This painting by Carlos Alvarez is based on one of Marianne’s ceramic sculptures, inspired by the abstract angelic visions she saw in meditation. Carlos’ painting inspired Bob to solidify his plans and bring MOFSA to life. The painting can be said to have launched a foundation.
Philosophy & Mission
MOFSA exists 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, it is life itself. Our most fundamental artistic creation is the life we shape each day through attention, compassion, courage, and care. In this sense, art becomes more than an object or image; it becomes a way of living, a way of seeing, and a way of deepening our connection to the Divine. We do not cling to a single belief system, but rather rejoice in art, nature, and humanity through which we are all connected. We appreciate art in all forms as an expression of the human spirit, and have found a connecting thread for many artists is the theme of healing. In our world today, that spirit is beset by problems at every hand: poverty, violence, rising suicide rates, and even the destruction of the environment, which sustains us. Healing at every level is desperately needed. We believe art can be not only a personal expression of the artist, but also a powerful catalyst to bring about the very transformation that can heal us and our world. Our hope has always been to support artists doing this important work. We believe we are not in this endeavor alone.
We Are Not Alone
It was the trees that captured my attention
Our planet’s oldest living things
An intelligence not of the mind
The tall pine trees sway in the gentle wind
Which refreshes my body
And cools my fevered head
As my mind ponders the koan of my life.
Why am I here when my loved one is gone?
Why must my mind find the answer?
Why cannot I be like the patient trees?
And why is there such sorrow in the world?
The world is out of balance
We have made it so
Time grows short
We must change, but how?
We are not alone
There is a wisdom of a higher kind
We are not in this by ourselves.
And what is my role?
Sometimes I have glimpsed the simplicity of happiness
Can I share it?
Can I lighten the hearts of others?
And let them know
That every deed of kindness is special
Every act of love is a blessing
And that in truth
We are not alone.
– Bob Oberg
Community
There are a number of ways to get involved and be a part of the conversation on Spirituality and Art and Healing and Nature. Please join the discourse at community.mofsa.org, follow us on Instagram, and you can stay in touch by signing up for our newsletter.
Art For a Better Tomorrow
We are proud to introduce Art for a Better Tomorrow (ABT), a new non-profit, launching soon, which will support artists through various grants targeted towards continuing education, workshops, and support during emergencies. ABT will continue the purpose of MOFSA to propel artists forward through lifelong learning and transformational experiences. Established by Taylor Merchant and Katie C. in 2026, we are honored to support them in this new endeavor. Further details to come…
“You can see how Marianne was working towards the expression of some undefinable holy energy. There are many iterations of it throughout her work, from the compassionate face of Mother Mary, to the lightning flash at the Tower indicating unforeseen and violent change. Her angel abstractions are inspired by observation of birds ready to spiral and soar. I believe that this is when spirituality and art really begin to crystallize.”
– Jennifer McCormick
2019 grant recipient / 2023 executive director
board member / 2024 juror