People who read headlines about record-breaking art auction sales may not realize that there is very fine and affordable art being created by accomplished contemporary artists.

That was one reason Brother Nathan Cochran, O.S.B., director of the Saint Vincent Gallery, initiated the Nationwide Juried Catholic Arts Exhibition in 2001. The first show was so successful that a second edition was organized and it is being exhibited at Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, through Sunday.

His foremost motivation, however, was to "foster the arts of the Western Christian tradition" (although other traditions of Christian subject matter are considered) by providing artists opportunity for exhibition and recognition.

"Artists have told me they're so appreciative of this chance to be able to show their work. So many venues are closed to anything with a religious bent. The artists are rejected when they try to express their faith," Cochran says.

One consequence of not being shown by galleries is that the public isn't aware that artists are doing this kind of work, and he hopes to rectify that.

While individuals may wish to purchase art for their homes, he's particularly interested in reaching priests and bishops who may be building a new church, renovating one, or adding a shrine, he says. They too often rely on catalogs that carry mass-produced art and don't realize that for a little more money they can have originals.

Once, for example, a priest asked for advice about which company to order art from and Cochran suggested he instead commission something that would be specific to his parish. The happy outcome was six large paintings by an artist who used local people as models for such figures as Jesus and Mary.

The artworks submitted to the juried exhibition had to be "iconographically recognizable and appropriate for liturgical use, public devotion or private devotion."

That may sound limiting, but acceptable subjects inviting interpretation ranged from scenes from the life of Jesus Christ to current and historic church events, from depictions of the sacraments to personifications of the corporal works of mercy, virtues and vices.

The breadth of media also is wide, including painting, sculpture, egg tempera, ink on vellum, graphite and stained glass.

Cochran, who is also chair of the college fine arts department, has a deep appreciation for the countless masterpieces, as well as more humble expression, that have been created over the centuries. That practice is a tradition he doesn't want to see die out, as a Benedictine monk and as an art historian.

His choice of jurors reflects his emphasis on knowledge of and respect for that tradition. The 2001 juror was Pratt Institute faculty member Frima Fox Hofrichter, who specializes in Dutch and Flemish Baroque art and iconography.

This year's juror was architect Duncan Stroik, author and member of the University of Notre Dame architecture faculty. Cochran describes as "neo-baroque, neo-classical" Stroik's latest project, The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wis., dedicated this year.

As an educator and specialist in ecclesiastical architecture, Stroik already was looking at iconography and what had been done in the past, Cochran says. "I was very pleased with what he chose."

The 41 works exhibited represent about 25 percent of submissions. The 16 selected artists live as far afield as New York City and Savannah, Ga., and as close as Pittsburgh, and about one-third also exhibited in the first juried show.

Cochran is a traditionalist with a connoisseur's expectation of quality, but he's not restrictively conservative. Works can reflect "acculturation and anti-historicism, in a good sense," he says, and gives as examples Janet McKenzie's "Annunciation," which portrays Mary and the Angel Gabriel as African, and Beverly Klucher's "The Wedding Feast," which seats a little girl in modern dress next to Mary and Jesus at the Wedding at Cana.

First-prize winner Neilson Carlin's painting "Surrender at Gethsemane" shows Christ at peace, in contrast to usual depictions in the garden, reflecting, Cochran says, "the serenity and calmness that takes over you when you do surrender and go, that heroism when you make a decision for love of other people. The artist employs heavy chiaroscuro, which gives a baroque feel to it ... but the way he has portrayed the figure of Christ is timeless."

Prizes totaling $3,250 have been awarded, and a $250 People's Choice prize will be awarded at show's end.

Cochran is pleased with attendance -- the 2001 show broke gallery records and this one is on track to do the same -- and that several artworks have sold, something that happens infrequently at nonprofit galleries. He's considering presenting the exhibition triennially.

Let's hope he does. It is commendable that Cochran is providing a venue for this specialized but time-honored expression that still has appeal to a global audience.

The gallery is on the Robert S. Carey Student Center third floor, which is accessible by elevator. Admission is free. Hours are noon to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and also 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. For information, call 724-532-6600.

Pittsburgh artist Biko, who suffered a stroke last week, is recovering at a friend's home while undergoing rehabilitation. Get-well wishes may be sent to Biko, c/o LHPS, Box 23373, Pittsburgh, PA, 15222.