The Center for Liturgical Art at Concordia recently installed a collection of 19 pieces of art at Alleluia! Lutheran Church in Naperville, Ill. The project took most of the summer to complete and involved five faculty members, several other professional artists and a half-dozen students.
Michael Strand, chair of the art department and director of the center, served as the designer and project leader.
"It was an amazing summer," said Strand. "This project shows how we can weave together students from across the department and how they can work together with faculty in a new way, not in the classroom."
The commission for the pieces came about as Alleluia! Lutheran Church was constructing a new sanctuary. Strand worked with Senior Pastor Michael Nelson to develop the overall aesthetic and individual design of each piece.
The largest piece is a 16-foot by 12-foot ceramic mosaic of the Tree of Life. It fills the wall behind the altar and appears to be coming up from the ground. It echoes the trees in a nature preserve near the church as it reminds worshippers of the tree mentioned in Genesis and Revelation. Thousands of pieces of clay were shaped, fired, glazed and placed within the mosaic. The mosaic also incorporates pieces of burned or sandblasted wood for the particular form, texture and color they would add.
"Creating pieces of this scale takes a lot of time and help," said junior Justin Groth, one of the five students who worked on the tree. "When it all comes together it turns out magnificently. We didn't create this piece to fulfill an assignment, but to fulfill a desire of some of God's children to create a more inviting and exciting worship space."
The three-dimensional banners designed by Associate Professor James Bockleman and senior Rachel Dermody also involve a significant number of pieces coming together to share a message. The seven pairs of chandelier-form hangings are created from strips of brightly-stained Tyvek material hung in various orientations on a six-foot-by-six-foot frame.
"We took the colors associated with the seasons of the church year and then layered and arranged them intentionally to add dimension and meaning to the banners," said Bockleman. Jen Bockelman, artist and graduate student at University of Colorado-Boulder, assisted in the fabrication of the banners.
A large, abstract sculpture of an exclamation point made out of bronze was designed by Strand for placement outside the sanctuary.
"I see the essence of the Word of God as an exclamation point," said Strand. "It is an exciting, energizing message for people to understand."
The exclamation point is also a common sight around Alleluia as they often put it after their church name. Strand guided the fabrication team for the 10-foot exclamation point that also included student Aaron Schimm and metalwork artist John Conklin. Conklin also assisted with metal elements of the other pieces.
The center also created a processional cross and baptismal candle stand made of wood pieces fabricated by Philip Perschbacher, assistant professor of art. Rather than creating the base of the candle stand as a platform, the candle stand rests in a sphere that sits in a hollowed out space in the floor of the sanctuary. It will appear that it is planted in the worship area.
They also created a smaller, wooden tree sculpture to be used to honor members of the congregation. For the church's baptismal font, Brock Shaw, outreach and education coordinator of the center, did the typography design.
Creating this quantity of work necessitated teamwork according to Strand. He credits Mark Anschutz, artist in residence at the center, as playing a key role in not only giving his artistic skills to many of the pieces but managing the entire project and keeping it moving.
When asked about the project, Anschutz commented that he saw it as a situation where everyone involved gained something.
"The church gets meaningful, well-designed, well-fabricated pieces of art made just for their space and people. The students get to work with professional artists in a hands-on learning experience that shows them another way they can praise God. The university is able to share its knowledgeable and talented people with those who may not be aware of who we are. And the center fulfills its mission of sharing the Gospel in visual ways."
Mark Mandich, a member at Alleluia, agrees with Anschutz.
"While our worship space is certainly wonderful, the inclusion of the 'Tree of Life' as a centerpiece converts it into a beautiful church! It is a blessing for us to have this fine work as a permanent part of our church!"
Meagan Zabel, one of several Concordia students who took part, saw the experience of working with so many artists as humbling and gratifying. And, as large as some of the pieces were, the lessons she learned came from attention to detail.
"The professors did so much to accomplish [the Alleluia! Project] with the highest caliber work and attention to detail," said Zabel. "And they so adamantly taught us the truth of how this is necessary. None of the pieces were merely surfaces. There was a depth to each project that goes so much farther than what's on top, and I think people can feel that when they see the finished work."
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