6
justifiable, although somewhat spotty, means to an end
in the same way
Classic Comics
piqued my interest in
history and the cheap print of Van Gogh’s
Sunflowers
I bought at the drugstore pushed me towards visiting
museums as I got older.
Now, when installing the
Art and Faith of the Crèche
exhibition, I envision the many visitors who see our
new presentation each year and what their response
will be to an Alaskan crèche with a dogsled rather than
a camel. Last year, we introduced a children’s table to
the exhibition with a drawing of how the traditional
crèche is configured and crèche sets for the kids to move
about. I was not surprised when I saw kids moving the
crèche figures around as they set their own scene, like
little movie directors. I was surprised, however, when
two adults were seated at the table doing the same thing.
I know our members have similar memories as the
response to sponsoring a crèche grows each year. You’ll
find this year’s list of crèches on page 20.
Because of all of the above—the memories, the movies,
the imagination sparked by the Nativity scene, and the
potential for storytelling—I am starting to work with
our staff to produce a semi-documentary short film in
the next few years. The screen treatment will be to film
interviews with children while they interact with the
crèche scenes from different countries, hoping to capture
their imaginative understanding of the Nativity story.
LUMA is working with two Chicago-based filmmakers,
Tom Kwilosz and Melissa Costello, to secure funding for
the film. I had actually thought about crowd sourcing,
as there have to be thousands of people out there with
memories similar to mine. What would I have made, at
the age of six, of the Alaskan crèche scene? Certainly I
would have felt that Baby Jesus needed a parka. If being
a part of this production interests you in some small or
large way, then let’s start a discussion.
Shona Nativities: 2014
This year, LUMA will add to the
Art and Faith of the
Crèche
exhibition six Shona sculptures of the Holy Family
from the collection of Hans D. Heubert. A former pilot,
he has actively collected and promoted African sculpture
by the Shona artists since he first lived in Rhodesia (now
Zimbabwe) in 1972. Zimbabwe is known for its rich
mineral deposits and wide variety of beautiful stone.
The sculptors have carved, rusticated, and burnished
the stone to accentuate these qualities. Included in the
exhibition are works by the famous Shona sculptor,
Washington Msonza. His work has been exhibited world-
wide and regularly at the annual Krippana festival in
Germany. These sculptures will be an interesting contrast
to the small artisanal Nativities we have in our collection.
Pamela E. Ambrose
Director of Cultural Affairs
Loyola University Chicago
The Holy Family
, Zimbabwe, stone
