Northminster's Art Collection

Artistic expression is instinctive, a natural language of the soul. Artists and theologians have long noticed and appreciated the close connection between art and faith. Some of the earliest human artifacts uncovered by archeologists are religious. And if worship springs from the instinct to praise, and praise from gratitude, then the observation of Frederick Nietzsche puts art into the heart of the matter:

"The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude."

Northminster's "art collection," modest though it may be, includes not only the two original wood sculptures which grace the sanctuary, but four original stained glass windows by Cathedral Crafts of Winona, Minnesota, a children's mural by Randy Tripplett of Painter of Fun and an almost complete collection of Christmas images by the late Rolan Johnson.

The first impression the visitor to Northminster's Sanctuary receives is of Christ in the central stained glass window. Christ stands with arms open to receive to himself all those who will come. He stands by the flowing streams of living water by which those who believe are cleansed and refreshed. The water of baptism ushers the believer into a new relationship with God, God's creation and other believers. Baptism initiates those who place their faith in Christ, along with their children, into a special family of faith that nurtures and renews in fellowship, worship and service. Easter lilies symbolizing the resurrection grow beside rocks that remind us to build our lives on Christ the solid rock. The rising sun over the horizon reflects the promise of the resurrection to a new life powered by Christ on this earth and eternal life in the world to come. Finally, the trees reflect the garden that surrounded the empty tomb of the risen Christ and remind us that our new relationship to Christ incorporates a new relationship to the entire world. God's people are committed to fulfilling the purpose for which they are created, to "dress, till and keep the earth" (Genesis 2:15).

Details about The Christ Window can be found in the Stained Glass Window Gallery.

This racially/ethnically inclusive window shows God's loving angel gathering his little children. We remember the words of Jesus,

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." - Matthew 19:14

The ascending dove reminds us that the spirit of Christ rejects no one, especially the children. Northminster has a deep commitment to ministry with children and has dedicated two full time professional staff people this ministry.

Details about the The Children's Window can be found in the Stained Glass Window Gallery.

We call the window with the lion and the lamb our "Peace Window" because it reflects the ancient prophesy of Isaiah 11:6

The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.

The season of Advent (preparation of Christmas) is a season which taps the universal longing and hope for peace on earth, and this scripture is quoted every Advent and reflected in this window. It reminds us to pray and work for the peace that results from the justice which characterizes the Kingdom of God.

But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! (Amos 5:24)

Our hope for peace is in Christ:

"Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. (Isaiah 42:1)

The tree of life flourishes in the peaceful scene in this window, recalling the vision of the book that wraps up God's revelation of his plans for us, the Book of Revelation. In Rev. 5:5-6 we see the lion that represents the ancestry of Jesus, and as we look, suddenly the lion becomes the lamb that represents Christ. In the gentleness of the lamb we see the conquering strength of the lion. The light that shines through the peace window is a revelation of what is to come.

Details about The Peace Window can be found in the Stained Glass Window Gallery

This delightful mural in the Family Life Center by Randy Tripplett of Painter of Fun in Arlington, TX shows Jesus with the children of the nations. It is placed on the wall next to the nursery at eye-level with the children. This mural was commissioned to welcome children in the media language to which they most naturally relate. This effort suggests a larger commitment on the part of Northminster Presbyterian Church: to communicate to ALL God's children, regardless of age, in the cultural language they best understand. God doesn't change, nor do the moral laws of the universe, but culture and language do, and just as God always met people where they were at in the Biblical account, so he meets us where we are at today.

This picture shows Rolan Johnson unveiling his last Christmas gift to the world! Northminster Presbyterian Church has been collecting his "Christmas Cards" for many years and recently made a concerted effort to come as close as possible to complete a collection of his works. We know of only two other collections as complete as ours. The 35 works that grace our halls cover the years 1963 through 1999, missing only 1966 "Four-Color Life of Christ" and the 1968 "Dove Address Book." Art lovers everywhere treasure Johnson's silkscreen art. Each piece represents countless hours of tedious preparation to produce and those fortunate enough to be recipients recognize the value of these exquisite pieces. Not only did Rolan personally hand design each piece to perfection, but the mosaic screen printing process which contains 12 to 14 colors requires only one color per day be printed. Johnson has also had a series of photo posterization on Peoria displayed at the Smithsonian. Perhaps the title of the 1999 piece, Johnson's last Christmas offering, is significant: "Christmas, A Gift of Love...A Gift of Life." The Spirit of Christ and the spirit of Rolan Johnson live on in his gift to his countless friends. Come anytime and enjoy these 35 works of fine art.

This figure of the risen Christ was sculpted from two Black Oak trees by Dr. Deckert in 1982. It hangs in the Sanctuary opposite the Holy Spirit sculpture. Oak was chosen for this piece because it denotes strength whereas cherry was chosen for the Holy Spirit sculpture because its grain is fluid and flows like fire or the wind of the spirit. In the Risen Christ we see Christ stepping away from the wall and tilting his head toward us as the Christ who relates to us. The form is a combination of the cross, the crucified Christ, and the risen Lord who rises victorious over the power of the grave and ascends to the power of heaven. Because he is stepping toward us he never leaves nor forsakes us. His right arm is fluid and his hand is cupped to offer us the water of life. His left arm denotes strength and his hand might suggest that he holds the cares of the world by the strength of his love for us.

"He Shall Baptize You with the Holy
Spirit and with Fire."
– Matt. 3:11

ARTIST'S STATEMENT

The inspiration for this sculpture came to me suddenly about two years ago. It appeared in my mind "out of the blue." It stayed with me and "pushed on me" to be expressed in clay like a song that wants to be sung. True to the inspiration, the first clay model was quickly formed – in a way it just happened. The second, third, and fourth models took some time, of course. But it is always a joy when the first inspiration translates into clay so effortlessly.

Dr. Mike Treanor graciously and generously commissioned the work immediately upon viewing the first clay model. It took close to a year to work through the engineering problems and finally decide to laminate the wood. I enjoyed Mike's occasional participation in the sculpting process and Rev. Ian Goslin's enthusiasm for the project.

Taking my cue from John the Baptist's reference to Jesus, "I baptize you with water, but the one who comes after me shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire," I sought to merge the two traditional images used for the Holy Spirit: the dove that descended on Jesus at his baptism, and the fire which appeared in the community of believers at Pentecost.

Cherry was the wood of choice because it's color and grain both suggest fire. The form is "amorphous" in that its shape can be either the dove or fire. The central movement can be either the sweeping curve of the dove's body or a tongue of flame. The wings can also suggest either flame or the wings of a bird. II Samuel 22:11 sings a song of praise for God's deliverance:

He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.

I tried hard to create a dynamic piece that exudes the divine energy of God's Spirit. Neither words nor art can "capture" the Spirit, of course, or adequately express the Spirit's essence. Yet, I hope that the sweeping movements of this sculpture help to open a window for the wind of the Spirit to blow into hearts on the wings of love, for this work was a labor of love. – Roane