The Evelyn Burrow Museum Exhibition Features Work of Brother Jude Johnston

Hanceville, Ala. — The Evelyn Burrow Museum at Wallace State Community College announces a new exhibition featuring the work of the late Brother Jude Johnston.

Johnston was a lay brother of St. Bernard Abbey who worked artistically under the name Nov Ontos, meaning “new being.” He passed away on June 19, 2025, at the age of 92, leaving a collection of his work to the Evelyn Burrow Museum, where he had been instrumental in organizing several regional sculptors’ exhibitions.

“Brother Jude Johnston was a true polymath—a brilliant scholar of architecture, engineering, sculpture, and art, and an extraordinary artist, as well as a cherished friend and longtime supporter of the Evelyn Burrow Museum,” said Kristen Holmes, of Wallace State and the Evelyn Burrow Museum. “His generosity and belief in the power of art to transform lives and deepen understanding endure through his art. It is an honor to share the remarkable body of work he entrusted to us, and we are grateful to celebrate his legacy through this exhibition. His vision, creativity, and devotion to the arts will continue to inspire our community for generations.”

The exhibition reflects Johnston’s extensive formal training in philosophy, civil engineering and sculpture as well as relentless spirit of creativity and innovation. His work draws from geometry, structural engineering, music, and philosophy, with a focus on the underlying principles of form, structure, balance, and transformation.

The exhibit features numerous drawings, architectural forms, and additional works spanning more than 70 years of artistic exploration. Many of his computer-generated architectural and graphic design works were done after his eyes no longer allowed him to achieve the intricate degree of detail he desired by hand in drawing and sculpting. He continued this work using CADD and in architectural modeling into his ’80s and ’90s. 

Wallace State students Ivory Chaviers and Hayden Hovater assisted with installing the exhibition and shared their reflections on Johnston’s work.

“When reviewing Brother Jude’s work, what stood out most to me was his design matrix,” Chaviers said. “It is a hand-drawn piece he created himself. Seeing such a thoughtful and meticulous work opened my eyes to something truly remarkable. You can tell how intentional he was with every stroke. It is one of my favorite pieces, and it was an honor to help install it.”

“I was especially drawn to his exploration of form, concept and meaning,” Hovater said. “Even in this portion of the collection, you can see how his work returns to a mathematical foundation. Many of the pieces are bright and expressive, conveying deeper ideas and evoking strong emotion. The piece that held my attention most was Stormwinds. It captures a raw, visceral sense of nature’s fury, rendered with such precision and care that the result is quietly breathtaking.”

The Evelyn Burrow Museum is also exhibiting photography by the late William Sharpton, a former resident artist at Wallace State. The collection includes a variety of landscapes and regional landmarks.

Admission to the Evelyn Burrow Museum is free. The museum is open Tuesday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit www.burrowmuseum.org or call 256.352.8457.

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About Wallace State

Wallace State Community College (Ala.), a member of the Alabama Community College System, is a comprehensive community college in north central Alabama offering more than 200 options in academic, health and technical programs of study leading to an associate degree, certificate or transfer, as well as workforce-credit training and adult education. An Achieving the Dream Leader College, nationally recognized by the Aspen Institute as a Rising Star for the 2025 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, ranked by Southern Business and Development among the Top 3 institutions in the South for workforce development, named a Center of Excellence by the National League for Nursing and the National Security Administration, rated the Top Online Community College in Alabama, a Military Friendly Institution and an All-Steinway School, Wallace State is an outstanding place for students to pursue their education and career goals. Classes are offered online and on campus, day, evening and on weekends, with numerous start dates each year. Visit Wallace State’s beautiful main campus located on 300-acres in Hanceville, Ala., our satellite location in downtown Oneonta, Ala., find us online at www.wallacestate.edu, or call 256.352.8000.