Revisiting the Rothko Chapel

"The Chapel is a place conducive to spiritual activity. We are cut off from the world and its suffocating multiplicity, able to wander in the infiniteHere we are nowhere and everywhere; here we can find a blessed wholeness, a sense of unity." (Dominique de Menil, 1989) This was the motto animating Dominique and John de Menil's commission of the Rothko Chapel, expressing their desire to create a space for unity in the individual, and unity in humankind. How can the contemporary visitor experience such unity today? Which functions does the Chapel perform as a contemplative or spiritual space for interfaith communion? The Rothko Chapel, a space set "between tragedy and hope" (according to Mark Rothko), has been functioning as a place for worship and reflection since its inauguration, hosting encounters with his Holiness the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, and Rutha Mae Harris, among many other world-renowned human rights activists and religious figures.