Title: Three Artists' Works Chosen in ELCA Design Contest ELCA NEWS SERVICE
October 18, 2007
Three Artists' Works Chosen in ELCA Design Contest 07-170-JB
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Office of the Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has chosen the works of three Lutheran artists in a design competition to recognize the 20th anniversary of the ELCA. Replicas of the art pieces will be presented as gifts to global and ecumenical guests of the ELCA.
The original winning entries will become part of the ELCA's permanent art collection, said Myrna J. Sheie, executive assistant to the ELCA presiding bishop for governance and institutional relations. There were about three dozen entries in the competition, she said. The contest was announced last spring in the resource publication "Seeds for the Parish" and "The Lutheran," the magazine of the ELCA.
The winning entries were:
+ Hand-forged iron cross, Joel Miller, Roseau, Minn.: Miller said he used traditional techniques to make the cross, using iron heated in a coal-fired forge. The piece was hammered on an anvil, and its parts -- a crown section and thorn/petals -- were riveted onto the cross. It took about one day to make, he said. Miller is a member of Pine Grove Lutheran Church, Roseau. + Paper cutting, Joan Blanton, Clinton, Miss.: Blanton created her piece using a single piece of paper and a paper-cutting knife. The piece features the ELCA emblem. It took six hours to make, though the design took longer to complete than the actual cutting, Blanton said. The symbols on each part of the cross represent the four gospels in the New Testament, she said. The piece will be the design on the ELCA presiding bishop's 2007 Christmas card. Blanton is a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Jackson, Miss. + Savior of the World Cross, Sally Stewart, Johnstown, Pa.: Stewart's entry is made of 50 different wood pieces from throughout the world. After the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, Stewart said she began to make crosses with these woods to symbolize Christ's love. The diversity of the woods and patterns represents the scope of God's work and its variety, she said. Stewart is a member of Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, Johnstown.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog