Early Life and Spiritual Beginnings Daniel Nicholas Flavin Jr., born in Queens, New York, on April 1, 1933, embarked on a path initially steeped in religious contemplation rather than artistic expression. Raised in an Irish Catholic household, young Flavin was directed towards the priesthood, spending six formative years at the Immaculate Conception Preparatory Seminary in Brooklyn. This period of intense spiritual study, however, proved to be a catalyst for a different kind of devotion—a burgeoning fascination with visual language and the power of light itself. He later recalled feeling sti…