Paul Wegner

Paul Wegner served as Photo Editor and Contributing Photographer, with Margaret Bresnahan, Editor, and Paul Nylander of Illustrada Book Design to publish the book, Kura: Prophetic Messenger was published in 2021.

Kura: Prophetic Messenger is a 220-page documentation of the sculpture of the same name created by Richard Bresnahan in the Jon Hassler Sculpture Garden at St. John's Abby and University in Collegeville, Minnesota. The book lays out the historical and conceptual foundations of the sculpture and documents its creation with its component parts. The book includes essays by Richard Bresnahan, Dr. Mathew Welch, Deputy Director and Chief Curator at MIA, and Steven Lemke,  Environmental Artist-in-residence at St. John's University with additional text by Colette Bresnahan.

The Kura sculpture serves as a container of cultural heritage. There are separate ceramic jars containing 178 heirloom varieties of seeds with descriptions and a dedication  to an artist influential in Richard's life (each seed is assigned a different artist). Additionally, the Kura contains a letterpress printed scroll of The Rule of St. Benedict designed and printed by Mary Bruno of Bruno Press with redwood scroll dowel and stand created by Jeff Thompson and silk case by Colette Bresnahan. The scroll, its stand, and case is stored in a ceramic container. All of these artifacts are sealed in the suspended Kura designed to preserve its contents for upwards of 300 years.

Kura: Prophetic Messenger has received recognition with the following awards:

2022 Midwest Book Awards, Nonfiction - Arts/Photography/Coffee Table Books

2022 Nautilus Gold Award, Photography and Arts

16th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards, Fine Arts

2022 Finalist, Minnesota Book Awards, Emilie Buchwald Award for Nonfiction

Other links:

Richard Bresnahan

Book Design insights at Illustrada Book Design

The St. John's Pottery Studio at St. John's University

Mary Bruno on The Letterpress Scroll

Steven Lemke

Bruno Press

Purchase: https://www.kurabook.org/store