What's Happening

April 20, 2026, Adrian, Michigan – Engage: The Art of Women, the opening exhibit of the Adrian Dominican Sisters new INAI at Madden Gallery, features the artwork of Adrian Dominican Sisters and Associates, as well as members of the Adrian Center for the Arts. 

The new gallery was moved to Madden Hall from its original home on the Adrian Dominican Sisters Campus. The original INAI, founded by the late Sisters Barbara Chenicek, OP, and Rita Schiltz, OP, offered exhibits for more than 40 years. The INAI at Madden Gallery has space near Holy Rosary Chapel and is accessible from Weber Retreat and Conference Center on the Motherhouse Campus. 

Three of the featured artists took time to reflect on their lives as artists, art as preaching, and what art and beauty mean to them. Associate Judith Engel, a former Adrian Dominican Sister, has been an artist since she was 2 years old and now focuses on watercolor and some sculpture. Sister Aneesah McNamee, OP, focuses on graphic design for nonprofit organizations, but has also created art through photography, watercolor, and book creation. Sister Janet Wright, OP, has painted and drawn since her childhood and now focuses on watercolor paintings of flowers. 

“My art is an expression of myself,” Sister Aneesah said. “Through my work with my clients, that’s preaching – it’s telling their story through my graphic design, through putting it together and publishing it. It’s telling their story, so that’s preaching. I think all artists are expressing themselves through what they do.”

Judith said that “being an artist means to be open to the creative spirit that God has given to all of us and to do our best to be a channel. It’s a way of communicating with people that sometimes uses words, sometimes music, colors, and shape – all of those avenues that God has given us in terms of communication and expression.”

The Adrian Dominican artists have discovered that their art – and encouraging art in others – can benefit others in significant ways. Sister Aneesah noted that artists are often called to speak out through their art in social justice issues. “I’ve read several articles [encouraging] artists to start speaking out more and more,” she said. 

In the current political climate, Sister Aneesah said, she doesn’t see too much appreciation for the arts, but she doesn’t believe that that attitude will last. “Everybody I know prioritizes the arts,” she said. For her part, she strives to post something artistic, beautiful, and positive on her Facebook and Instagram pages every day. “I think people are really hungry for that,” she said.

As an Associate, Judith has used her art to inspire and benefit people. As a teacher in the Detroit Public Schools retirement and GED programs and as an art teacher to refugees in Toronto, she helped people to use art to express their own perspectives on the challenges of their lives. “I discovered the whole idea of what art could do for people who are in difficult and painful situations – and the gift that it could be to give people a voice,” Judith said.

Sister Janet sees art as “an excellent medium for teaching people how to be people and the appreciation of the planet. It’s transformative. It has power, and it always has: in history, the arts, and the civilization of people.”

At times, Sister Janet said, she had to set her own artwork aside to teach art to children – first in elementary school and, in later years, in high school. As a teacher in the newly-created Gabriel Richard High School in Riverview, Michigan, she helped to grow the school so that, ultimately, she was a full-time art teacher. She taught drawing, painting, and crafts such as macrame. “What I enjoyed most in high school was taking [the students] to the museums and teaching them about art,” she said.

Sister Janet had time to focus on her own artwork during sabbaticals from teaching. Her retirement also affords her the time to work on art – particularly focusing on painting flowers. “I never cease to find fascinating flowers to paint,” she said. “I think they’re dramatic pieces of creation and they’re transformative, too.” 

Judith also sees the need for transformation through beauty and the arts. “Beauty goes way beyond being pretty,” she said. “Beauty is a way of getting to what’s real …. When we can’t find beauty, what we find is a distortion of the reality of our connectedness, our humanity.”

The INAI at Madden Gallery is open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Park at and enter through Weber Retreat and Conference Center on the Adrian Dominican Sisters Motherhouse Campus, 1257 E. Siena Heights Drive. To visit INAI outside of its regular hours, call 517-266-4000 to make an appointment.
 

Caption for above feature photo: The INAI at Madden Gallery opens with the exhibit, Engage: The Art of Women.
Photo by Sister Suzanne Schreiber, OP

March 4, 2026, Miami, Florida – Two Adrian Dominican Sisters – themselves immigrants from Latin America and naturalized U.S. citizens – were among a group of Catholics and other people of goodwill participating in late January 2026 in a Mass, procession, and prayer service in Miami in solidarity with their immigrant sisters and brothers. Participants attended Mass at Gesú Church and processed to the Immigration Court to attend the prayer service. The service included testimony from people affected by the recent efforts to deport immigrants.

The event was sponsored by Barry University, founded by the Adrian Dominican Sisters; Gesú Church; the Instituto Jesuita Pedro Arrupe, and Catholic Legal Services of the Archdiocese of Miami.

“I think that because I’m a Latina who came to this country [from the Dominican Republic] 18 years ago, what happens with immigration is close to my heart,” said Sister Xiomara Méndez-Hernández, OP. “I’ve had to be intentional about being a presence where I can.” 

Sister Marilín Llanes, OP, came to the United States from Cuba with her parents at the age of 6. “I came at a time in the early ’70s when this country welcomed immigrants, especially from Cuba,” she said. “I am very sad and appalled at the lack of respect and welcome to immigrants today.” 

Sister Marilín noted that in the past year in Miami – a city where more than 60% to 70% of the population is Latino – the amount of public outrage against the treatment of immigrants has been sparse. But the January event drew a crowd of about 200 citizens and residents united in their concern for the immigrants. 

Sisters Xiomara and Marilín were not sure what to expect during the event. “We were prepared for the best and for the worst,” Sister Xiomara said. “We had Plan A, B, and C. We sat in a strategic place where we could see the exit.” They also stayed together throughout the event for their safety and brought their passports to verify their U.S. citizenship. Sister Xiomara said she was nervous in attending the event, which took place shortly after the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. But, she added, “we didn’t want fear to stop us from being a presence.”

They were pleased by the sense of unity among the participants. “There wasn’t any altercation, any agitation,” Sister Marilín said. “It was very peaceful.” The police escorted them during the procession and protected them as they headed back to their car, she added. “We felt like we had bodyguards.”

Sister Xiomara said the presence and the attitude of the police transformed the event for her. “I was telling the police, thank you, and they were so appreciative,” she recalled. “They said, ‘We’re honored to serve you.’ That changed the tune. The way we reverenced them – everybody was so respectful and so grateful to the police.”

Sisters Marilín and Xiomara said they are always watching out for opportunities to stand with the immigrants and to be a presence to them and hope to attend a monthly ecumenical prayer service in nearby Broward County. “It’s being a presence but also reaching out to our legislators, voicing ourselves through that venue.”

At the same time, they also strive to reach out to people who have opposing political views. Sister Marilín recalled a recent incident in which a member of a conservative youth group asked her how the Adrian Dominican Sisters stand on immigration. “I realized I had to put aside my difference with her, and we kept the conversation to the point that she felt that her parish wasn’t praying for the immigrants,” she said. “She might agree with some of the policies that I don’t agree with, but we find a place to keep the conversation [going].”

Noting that Florida is a Republican state, Sister Xiomara said, “Some of my good friends, loving people, they voted for [President Donald] Trump, and I have been tempted not to engage with them. But we honor each other, and because we love each other, we can engage in conversation.” 

Sister Marilín added: “If Dominic were around, he would really support the dialogue.” 

 

Feature Photo at Top: Members of the Barry University community participate in the Mass, procession, and prayer service for immigrants in January. Among them, standing in the center front, are Sister Marilín Llanes, OP, left, wearing a black T-shirt; Father Jorge Presmanes, OP, in the white habit; and Sister Xiomara Méndez-Hernández, OP.