St. Croix Catholic Iconographers Guild, along with the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis and the Minnesota State Arts Board, sponsored Windows to Heaven - A Visual Hymn of Praise icon exhibit. 

This exhibit was a retrospective of Nicholas Markell's 32 year journey as a Catholic Iconographer and occurred concurrently with the Basilica's 23rd annual Festival of Icons. 

While the Festival of Icons featured original icons in the Sanctuary, the John XXIII Gallery displayed the Windows to Heaven exhibit. This exhibit contained more than 140 reproductions of Nicholas' icons.  About a dozen original icons created by Nicholas were displayed among the other icons in the Festival in the Sanctuary.

An afternoon of Recognition and Reception was be held November 12, 2017 at 1pm in the Gallery. This event was attended by over 400 people.