Altared states ‘Icons + Altars’ at the New Art Center; 18th-century French art at the Fogg BY RANDI HOPKINS

Religious architecture is often monumental, with towering spires, vaulted ceilings, and massive stained-glass panels that generate awe and humility. But the sacred is also found in the small and the unassuming — in shrines and altars, in fetishistic objects, and in symbolic imagery. For the past 12 years, the New Art Center in Newton, a secular institution whose exhibition space is situated in a beautiful late-19th-century church, has invited a variety of artists to create small icons or altars, leaving the interpretation of those terms entirely up to the artist. The resulting annual "Icons + Altars" brings some real spirit to Holiday Spirit — for those of all faiths, and for ye of not much faith.

This year’s "Icons + Altars" includes work by 97 regional artists including moving and colorful sculptural works by Janine Al-Bayati and Lorey Bonante, a profound-yet-smile-producing wallpiece in wood by Todd McKie, a haunting tiny oil painting by Gail Boyajian, and a beguiling drawing of a soulful cat by Wendy Sellers. The exhibition is free, though all the work is for sale through a ticketed drawing process that benefits the New Art Center’s education and exhibition programs. Tickets are $225 each and are on sale till 4 pm on December 19, when the drawing will be held, part of the festive closing reception.

No one appreciated an icon like Andy Warhol, so why not combine a visit to "Altars + Icons" with a viewing of Mary Harron’s 1996 film I Shot Andy Warhol, with Lili Taylor as pistol-packing SCUM (Society for Cutting Up Men) manifestress Valerie Solanas? It screens December 15 as part of the New Art Center’s new Third Thursdays program. Wine, beer, and refreshments will be on sale, and the exhibition will open at 6 pm for those who want to take in both shows.

Charles Edward Dunlap, Harvard Class of 1911, developed a taste for fine French art during time spent at his uncle’s Newport mansion (styled after a French château) in the early 1900s. Dunlap went on to build his own substantial art collection, and he became a generous donor to his alma mater. "To Delight the Eye: French Drawings and Paintings from the Collection of Charles E. Dunlap," opening at the Fogg Art Museum on December 17, celebrates his taste for charming pictures of pretty subjects, primarily those created during the reign of Louis XV (1715-’74), including François Boucher’s 1758 portrait of Madame de Pompadour and Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s Young Girl Abandoned, a rare study for one of the artist’s great rococo masterpieces.

"Icons + Altars" @ New Art Center in Newton, 61 Washington Park, Newtonville | through Dec 18; closing reception and ticket drawing Dec 19 @ 3 pm (reception), 4 pm (ticket drawing) | 617.964.3424 or www.newartcenter.org | "Third Thursdays" screening of I Shot Andy Warhol also @ New Art Center in Newton | Dec 15 @ 7 pm | $5 | 617.964.3424 or http://www.newartcenter.org/| "To Delight the Eye" @ Fogg Art Museum, 32 Quincy Street, Harvard Square | Dec 17–Mar 12 | 617.495.4900 or http://www.artmuseums.harvard.edu/