St Paul AME Church is the surprising venue for an art exhibit next month.Mustard Seed at St Paul was the brainchild of church member, Virginia Wilson.“It came about with me taking my Hands of Faith ministry. We went to Kenneth Burch’s house, who is one of our members, and I noticed all of these paintings in his house,” Ms Wilson explained.She enquired about the artist and was surprised to discover that it was Mr Burch’s own work and wondered if there were other hidden talents within the church. She also wanted to find a way to showcase those talents. With the help of Nadine Lapsley-Dyer and artist Manuel Palacio, the exhibition was developed.Several artists and art enthusiasts have since jumped on board Sharon Wilson, Antoine Hunt and Christopher Grimes. Dusty Hinds donated African-made sculptures one to St Paul AME itself and the other to be included in a silent auction at the black-tie opening on Saturday, September 8.While a community-oriented event, the church is particularly hoping to reach students.“We wanted to connect with the community as much as possible,” explained Ms Lapsley-Dyer. Many of the schools in the vicinity have already been invited to visit the exhibition, and Dame Jennifer Smith, Minister of Education, will attend to open the schools portion, which will not only expose young people to local art and the artists behind them, but also the history of the AME church in Bermuda and the role St Paul plays in the community.“We’re also looking to tie in with tourism ... and expose the event to tourists.”She added that there is an additional hope of encouraging corporate sponsors through a special event on Friday, September 14 where dancer Markus Smith and pianist Jahkeel Quallo will perform.Mr Palacio, who is no stranger to controversial art, was very excited about the event.“We want to work together and give artists more exposure,” he said, adding that the art will be suitable for the church environment.“I love the guidelines, as long as everyone’s with it there’s no surprises ... I want it to be open all artists. This is how we can all come together.”He is coordinating much of the final details of the show, and is still seeking out artists interested in participating. The artwork will all be for sale, with proceeds going to both the individual artist and the St Paul AME’s Church Building Fund.The event will be open daily from 11am to 6pm from September 10 through 22. Special access has been set aside for student groups 10am to 12pm and 1pm to 3pm. There will also be a special evening for visiting churches on Sunday, September 16 from 6pm to 8pm.For more information about the event telephone 292-0505. To have your work included, contact Mr Palacio through Facebook before Saturday.