"Pierced"

A Visual Prayer and Sacred Encounter

Created for ArtPrize 2025 by Therese Kettman, Host of Sacred Spaces

Behold the Wound, Receive the Wonder

“Pierced” is a sacred visual encounter created by artist Therese Kettman. Born of wounding and resurrection, it invites you to return to the heart of truth and to yourself.

This painting emerged from the depths of an internal struggle that consumed me for months—nights spent awake, unraveling under the weight of pain that seemed to tear at the very fabric of my being and my life. Unable to find the words to express the turmoil within, the canvas became my sanctuary, a place to externalize and confront what was unspeakable.

Through this process, the painting became more than an expression; it was a mirror reflecting my pain, allowing me to mourn and accept it. Layer by layer, stroke by stroke, my heart began to heal. Surprisingly, even though my circumstances remained unchanged, my relationship with them transformed. Where I once felt powerless and voiceless, I rediscovered my strength, reclaimed my voice, and rekindled my hope.

This painting encapsulates a journey of transformation. It is a story told in four chapters:

Rejected - Pierced - Healed - Celebrate.

You are invited to cross a threshold. To encounter beauty born of wounding. To witness your own sacred return.

This is more than an exhibition. It’s an unfolding. A sacred invitation to journey through Pierced and the Four Thresholds — Rejected, Pierced, Healed, and Celebrate.

During ArtPrize and beyond, a Companion Guide will be offered to deepen your experience. It’s a gentle rhythm of reflection, story, and sacred presence — designed to meet you wherever you are on the path.

Step into the Threshold...

✖️ Threshold One: Rejected

The ache of being unseen. Where the story begins—not with glory, but with grief. This is the threshold of abandonment and holy disorientation.

💔 Threshold Two: Pierced

Wounding becomes witness. Here, pain is not hidden—it is held. The threshold where suffering opens into sacred encounter.

🌿 Threshold Three: Healed

Restoration is not reversal. It is the slow, radiant work of grace. This threshold invites you to trust what is being made new.

🎉 Threshold Four: Celebrate

Joy is the echo of truth living out loud. Celebration is not the end—it is the fruit of return. This threshold calls you to dance with what has been redeemed.

Stay close as the story of Pierced and the journey through the Four Thresholds unfolds. Receive insider reflections, sacred offerings, and quiet blessings along the way.

Join the circle today. You belong here.

Visit "Pierced" at ArtPrize 2025

NOW Gallery GR

200 Division Ave S, Grand Rapids, MI 49503

September 18 – October 4, 2025

Come. Witness. Remember.

Meet Therese

I’m Therese Kettman—an artist, spiritual companion, and storyteller drawn to the sacred intersections of beauty, brokenness, and belonging. My work is rooted in the belief that art can be a threshold, a visual prayer that invites us to return to the heart of God.

Pierced emerged from a season of deep listening and surrender. It’s part of a larger movement called The Art of Return, which integrates storytelling, spiritual companionship, and sacred design. Therese’s offerings invite viewers into multisensory experiences that evoke wonder, healing, and connection.

Whether through painting, sacred design, or spiritual guidance, I seek to create spaces where others feel held, seen, and invited into transformation.

Curious to explore more?

Visit my art portfolio at theresekettmanart.com

or

Email me directly at therese@theartofreturn.com

Stay Close.

Follow along for reflections, threshold guidance and behind-the-scenes glimpses of Pierced via social media.