Creche Vol. 20, No. 3
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The Newsletter of the Christmas Nativity
Fall 2016
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The Newsletter of the Christmas Nativity
Creche
Herald -VY (SS >OV 3V]L 6^U VY *VSSLJ[ *YLJOLZ
The Newsletter of the Christmas Nativity
Creche Herald -VY (SS >OV 3V]L 6^U VY *VSSLJ[ *YLJOLZ
The Newsletter of the Christmas Nativity
ON THE COVER: Della Robbia plate
FROM OUR BOARD
From the Editor:
Hello fellow Friends of the Creche,
This issue might be called “thinking and planning outside the box” or rather “off the plate” perhaps in regard to the nativity. And since we are talking plates, this is also a good time to discuss those things found around the kitchen and food. The greatest challenge for those of us who try and keep the tradition alive and well is often trying to find ways to make it more accessible and meaningful to us within our time in history. The challenge of that might involve displaying it not in the usual places such as churches. For that matter, who says that the nativity must be displayed only during the Christmas season? Having creche displays not at Christmas may allow more people to enjoy and reflect on this wonderful tradition. Last but not least, why limit ourselves to the so called historical limits of how the Incarnation of God’s Son has been perceived and depicted over time? Especially when that depiction is not the most accurate anyway many times. Basically this issue looks at where, when, how and for whom we create the creche experience. This della Robbia porcelain plate on this month’s cover, made from high glazed terracotta in Florence, perfectly melds all of our themes. The first being how food is central in the bread and wine of Christian celebrations, the where and when of unusual times and places to display the nativity (the kitchen year round or Festival of Trees in a so called secular place), and a summer time display. Lastly, for whom we do our displays: a hungry generation perhaps not familiar with the creche tradition and its meaning at all. Stuffed in this edition is our annual board of directors’ ballot. Please take the time to read about your candidates and return it. It is a great measure of your interest in our organization. (Mike Whalen)
As your board, we face a dilemma. We all want to keep the costs of our annual meetings and conventions as low as possible. We book hotels that have adequate facilities to house our meetings but almost by definition these are the more expensive hotels because they do have those necessary facilities.
MEMBERS IN THE NEWS Member, Joleen Wright was featured in the West Valley City Journal last December in Sandy, UT. Her personal collection of over six hundred sets was displayed at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for two days in November. Her fifty-one year collection brought joy and happiness to many and even encouraged others to go get theirs out of storage. Good work, Joleen. One of our newest members, Dr. Michael DeSanctis appeared in Faith Life, the Catholic diocesan newspaper of Erie, PA also last December. The article described the nativity on display at the Gannon University bookstore window where Michael is a faculty member and his work on it and several before. See related article in this edition.
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When we schedule these hotels, the more room-nights we guarantee the less expensive it is for everyone who stays at that hotel. However, if our organization uses fewer nights than the board’s guaranteed minimum, the board must pay for those unused nights. Hence our dilemma. We as a board have to be conservative in our estimate as to how many attendees will stay at the convention hotel versus the surrounding cheaper hotels. This drives up the cost for those staying at the hotel and limits the number of rooms even at that rate. We understand that there will be times when, for whatever reason, it will be expedient for some of the attendees to stay at other hotels; however, we ask each of you to consider staying at the convention hotel whenever possible. Thank you, Alvin Strong Time to “Pay it forward” I’ve enjoyed the position in 2016, as election chair. It’s been a very pleasant experience. I’m happy I volunteered. It is very enjoyable talking with FOTC members, rather a mental balm for the turbulent times in which we are living. Over several months, I’ve contacted twenty-one members. Of the twelve declining, several have served preciously. Three new members are willing to serve, and three members are returning to the board. I’m also delighted to report a gentleman retiring in 2016, has agreed to be on the 2017 ballot. “Ask and ye shall receive,” I believe our Lord’s words. So I’m asking since it is not realistic for me to contact each of you, will YOU step forward? What really impressed me when I joined FOTC, was the number of men serving on the board. If you enjoy being part of Friends of the Creche and want us to continue as a growing, interesting organization, please step forward. All of us are busy and have full lives, please consider a bit of extra effort for Baby Jesus. Susan Soldat-Schumacher Election Chair Creche Herald
Nativity Displays in a Secular Venue by Hope Wright, Springfield, IL
I know many members set up nativity displays at churches and in store fronts, or in their home. I started setting up a display in a church gym, as a way for a local homeless shelter to thank their donors. This is a rare shelter that accepts no government money but relies entirely on donations, so they can make church and bible study attendance a requirement of the long-term stays for the clients who need Secular display from 2014 to literally change their lives. As can be expected, there are a few churches that support them with substantial donations. We did this for several years, and I have so many nativities that it took several days to set them up. Of course I invited other collectors to display also, so we really filled the gym. At the peak, we had an attendance of about 750. Then we had to take a break as it seemed everyone was sick that same year. When we started discussing another nativity exhibit, I wondered if the time and effort in setting up the exhibit made us good stewards, especially since it did not seem as though we were reaching out to anyone new. In addition, there were so many nativities exhibited people could not absorb it all. People were always commenting on a “new” set that had actually been exhibited two or three years previously. For many years, and long before we did this, however, a friend and I set up a tree at the local Festival of Trees (FOT), which benefited a local hospital. The rules have the designer decorate a tree supplied by the hospital foundation, and donate the ornaments for a sponsor to purchase. The FOT committee has an overall theme and selects colors, but tree designers do not have to follow either. Sometimes I did, other times I did not. In checking out the showcases at FOT, I learned that designers had to decorate both a tree and a wreath, so it wouldn’t be many more decorations than I was already making or purchasing. But I could then decorate a 6x10 foot display space, and could put anything I wanted in the showcase and have it all returned except for the tree and wreath decorations. At the time FOT had an annual attendance of 30,000. This past year it grew to over 35,000. I quickly decided that setting up a small number of my collection, which would take less setup time, while having a much larger attendance, was the direction I Fall 2016
wanted to take. It does take time early in the year to plan and locate the sets I want to display, and to plan the setting, but it can be done long before the busy-ness of the Christmas Season starts. The head of the homeless shelter liked the idea, and committed to having some of the staff help in painting and setup. Each year the FOT committee places a sign with each showcase or tree that indicates the designers, and I always include the shelter as the sponsor since this is our replacement for the large exhibit at a church. People have gone out of their way to thank the shelter for providing a religious emphasis at the Festival. Unfortunately, it often means I can’t do this and also make the FOTC convention. FOT is always open to the public the nine days starting the Saturday before Thanksgiving and going through the Sunday after. (The week before is open to scheduled tours such as children’s groups and nursing home residents, so the crowd is smaller and thus safer.) That means setup weekend is the first or second weekend of November and the party where designers and donors are honored is the next weekend. So far I’ve managed to connect the overall theme and colors to a Nativity Showcase theme. I also have placed either a nativity ornament on the tree or a set under it, which is given to whomever purchases the tree. I encourage you to check out secular Christmas events in your area to see if you can take part. The hospital says they cannot use religious themes themselves, since they accept government funding, but there is nothing that keeps designers from using religious themes and items in a showcase or on the trees.
Creche Herald is the newsletter of Friends of the Creche (a 501(c) 3 nonprofit corporation). Published by and for its members. Editor: Michael Whalen | Founding Creche Herald Editor: Rita Bocher
Comments, submissions to: 19640 Driftwood Dr., Clinton Twp., MI 48038 or crecheguy@att.net We are eager to share opportunities that might be of interest to our readers/ members.A mention in this newsletter does not imply endorsement or that compensation was received for such mention but only done for the benefit of our readers.
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Meditations on the Creche By Daniel Zorn
Recently while perusing a collection of creches, someone remarked on the various cultures, styles, and depictions represented. The comments were negative, expressing disdain for cultures which were not deemed “Christian,” or Christian enough, and yet producing such a representation – “they don’t worship Christ” or “Jesus did not look like that.” I explained, a nativity scene does not represent the Lord’s birth because of any resemblance to the original account. No matter how one arranges a nativity scene – or creche as some would call it – it represents a mystery: The Incarnation of God. And within the representation of the mystery, certain questions are posed. All, or almost all, of them refer to representation. The simplest questions have to do with staging. We know very little about the exact details of Christ’s birth. The nativity scene is a representation of the description given in Chapter 2 of the Book of Luke in the Holy Bible. Luke’s description is sparse in details and lacking scenic specifications. We know nothing of the main characters’ wardrobe, footwear, hairstyles and physical appearances. Why then are there so many preconceived notions of the Lord – his trim beard and long hair, for instance? Or, why is the newborn Lord never red and wrinkled, but looks like a child a month or two older? Let’s explore this a bit further. Walter Pater claims in his book, The Renaissance, that Leonardo Da Vinci is “the painter who has fixed the physical appearance of Christ for succeeding centuries.” This statement is no exaggeration, as it was Da Vinci who envisioned the slightly aquiline nose and soft, wavy mane. And also, in passing, it was Da Vinci who established the furnishings, clothing, physical features and positions of the participants in The Last Supper. So why do we have to obey a tradition in our nativity representations? There’s no reason for it. Nor do we have to comb through history and archaeology in search of a close approximation of the way people dressed in the first century on the outskirts of the Roman Empire. Because the Lord’s existence occupies two planes: the historical one which develops over time from one date to the next; and the ritual one, faith, where Christ is alive right now and His life story is repeated over and over, revitalized. This allows us to avoid pretensions of historical reconstruction and to situate the scene in the era, and its environs, which strikes our fancy. That is exactly what an artist such as Veronese did, and this process continues to this day. 4
Nativity scenes offer unlimited artistic possibilities, because they are – in reality and in contemporary terms – what the art world would call “installations,” nothing more and nothing less. Those installations pave the way for artistic creation, with great imaginative effort. Thus, we accomplish these elemental aesthetic considerations by inviting or allowing artists, visionaries, and dreamers to imagine completely new and wonderful nativity scenes. The vastness of the Christmas story is reduced to a manger, the Holy Family, some animals, a few shepherds and, in the distance, the mysterious Magi. The description in the Book of Luke has been condensed into an object of devotion: the nativity scene. It is a small representation capable of grandeur or even glory, because glory is nothing but the reconciliation of grandeur with goodness.
Hope Wright’s display from 2011. Photo credit Hope Wright
Creche Herald subscription information
Membership in Friends of the Creche includes subscription to the Creche Herald. Published four times yearly. To become a member please send check payable to Friends of the Creche $35 for USA addresses or $40 in US dollars (addresses outside USA) Mail to: FOTC Membership/Marilynn Gillespie 7564 South 2020 East, South Weber, UT 84405-9641 USA Be sure to include name, address, telephone number and email.
Creche Herald
I am the Bread of Life By Mike Whalen
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1. Nativity from a bakery in the Czech Republic: note the chef hats. 2. Polish Christmas wafer (Oplatek). 3. Nativity coffee and tea set. Photo credit M. Amstutz. 4. Nativity napkins with holder from Germany. 5. Bread dough ornaments from Ecuador. Photo credit Garrick Hyde.
One common denominator throughout Christianity is the celebration of Eucharist, Communion or a representation of what Jesus did at the Last Supper. For some, the belief is the real presence of the Lord Himself in the Bread and Wine consecrated at Mass. Others see it less sacramental, but certainly a way to bind people together in a reenactment of that final meal with the Lord and His disciples the night before His death on the cross. How appropriate then is it to have the nativity scene or depiction of the Savior’s birth on a plate or dish, even though rarely used for eating but for more for display. What Christmas celebration would be complete without some type of family meal, together lovingly prepared and taking even weeks to plan? Some take it a step further, such as in many households of Polish origin, where the wafer type bread (Oplatek) used in communion is broken with every guest at the meal to wish them health and happiness in the coming new year. So intertwined is the nativity in history that it is shown in gingerbread houses and figures, in cookie cutters made in the shapes of stars, camels, shepherds and the like, which are then hung on the tree or displayed on a table. The tradition of using real bread dough has risen to new heights (no pun intended), especially in Ecuador where nativities are made from bread dough, painted and Fall 2016
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glazed. These amazing nativities may be just the Holy Family alone or ones with several dozen pieces. “Kitch” displays have included teapots, cups, candle holders for the table, salt and pepper shakers, to name just a few in addition to plates. Table runners, tablecloths, placements and even towels and napkins have born nativity scenes along with tea bags, and cocoa cans. As the expression goes, we are what we eat and the meal is no more perfect a way to convey our oneness with the Lord. The miracle of Christmas is the son of God becoming one with man and mankind striving to become one with God. “I am the Bread of life, he who comes to me shall not hunger, he who believes in me shall not thirst,” as the song goes. The humble plate on which the bread rests has never been so exalted.
Unique FOTC annual meeting at Mepkin Abbey, South Carolina, November 12, 2016. At press time, very limited space available. Please email Susan at: susanss@att.net or call 708-562-2827 to see if registration ($65) is still possible.
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Pewter plate series by Michael Anthony Ricker 1988-1991
Bavarian artist Heidi Keller, Nativity series, 1979-1986
Wedgewood inspired relief plate
Pressed toile fabric plate, USA
Serving plate by Mikasa, Flight into Egypt nativity scene, Wiseman by Santa Clara pottery
Julen Porsgrund porcelain, Norway
Anri woodworking Christmas plates from 1989 and 1990
Typical Christmas plate from Hummel in 1973 Photo. E. Canty
Weihnachten plate, Bavaria. Photo. E. Canty
87 Spal porcelain, Portugal
1990 example from Nativity plate series by Edwin Knowles
Rosenthal studio 1977, design Bjorn Winnblad
Hutschenreuther porcelain plate from Germany
Star plate, origin unknown Photo credit. E. Canty
CHALK WARE THEOLOGY: Reflections on my Vocation as a Creche-Builder By Michael E. DeSanctis
Book store windows in past years.
Having been saddled at birth with the surname “DeSanctis,” I suppose it was inevitable I spend the better part of my life attached to all that’s hallowed in this world, including, as mid-winter approaches each year, some semblance of straw and stable fashioned by my own hands to evoke that Miracle Place in ancient Bethlehem where cattle are said to have spoken and angels appeared from thin air. It didn’t hurt, of course, that my paternal grandfather, an Italian immigrant and church painter-decorator by trade with a knack for recognizing the kinship of grace and beauty in everything, was forever reminding me of the responsibilities implied in a patronym that literally means “from the saints.” In his mind, sainthood was nothing to be trifled with—by which he didn’t mean the sullen, stiff-as-cardboard demeanor Bible figures always seem to assume in the Catholic picture books he’d show me as a child or even the murals he was close to completing for some jolly monsignor or the Methodists down the street. Neither did he think it right to ignore the gift of artistic expression that’s run through our family bloodline for generations, a deep instinct for participating in God’s own acts of self-revelation and for treating the commonest of earthly objects and gestures as ingredients for what he’d call sacramentalità. A “sacramental” view of things, thoroughly grounded in the God-with-us reality of the Incarnation, was as natural to my grandfather as his love of good wine and unfettered laughter. He knew that heaven and earth had been reconciled for good in the person of Emmanuel, which is precisely why straw and stables—not to mention shepherds and stars—could all be assigned bit parts in the narrative of salvation. I like to think that my grandfather, who died years ago at the age of 100, would appreciate the way I’ve embraced in the course of my own career the kinds the things the Apostle Paul was contemplating when he exhorted the early Christian community at Philippi to seek after “all that is lovely [and] admirable” (Philippians 4:8). As a professor at 8
a Catholic university with appointments in both the departments of fine arts and theology, it’s my task to place before an increasingly unchurched population of undergraduates subject material designed to enrich their souls as much as their minds. Sadly, the so-called “millennials” who today fill my classroom demonstrate only faint familiarity with the scriptural accounts of Adam and Eve, Jonah and the Whale or David and Goliath—let alone a beleaguered couple from Nazareth named Mary and Joseph. Thus, as part of my larger involvement in the life of the university, I began several years ago to construct for each Christmastide an original nativity scene large enough to fill one of the showcase windows in our bookstore. The scenes owe a great deal to those I’ve built over the years from recycled materials for my own household, where the Advent Season and Christmas are observed as fully as possible. They’ve become a seasonal tradition on campus to which everyone from the university’s president to its custodial staff looks with anticipation. The local media outlets have gotten into the act, as well, routinely sending a reporter or two to cover my “bookstore creches” with the first snowfall. All this positive attention to my projects, while gratifying, has not been completely unanticipated. My hunch as an educator is that people of all ages and stripes are yearning today for something meaningful beyond the tips of their selfie sticks. I’ve caught even the most self-absorbed of my students, after all, stopping to gaze at my seasonal displays as they scurry between classes. Do they pause out of sheer curiosity? To reclaim some fragment of childlike wonder? To pray? I’ll never know for sure. It’s my hope, though, that my displays embody a “chalk ware theology” as serious as anything I might utter in a lecture hall or include in some stuffy conference paper. They’re three dimensional icons, windows onto the miraculous, and the means by which I encourage at least one academic community to ponder the marvel of Christ’s birth.
Creche Herald
List of Creche Exhibits, 2016 CALIFORNIA * Mary & Joseph Retreat Center 5300 Crest Road, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 310-377-4867 10th Annual Nativity Exhibit:“The Flight into Egypt” Sunday, Decenber 4 - Wednesday, December 21 Admission is free to view the exhibit. Call in advance for hours, docent tours, field trip reservations and tour fees. CONNECTICUT of Columbus Museum * Knights One State St., New Haven, CT The Creches of Germany and the museum’s own collection featured November, 19, 2016 - January 29, 2017 203-865-0400 ILLINOIS University * Benedictine 5700 College Rd., Lisle, IL (outside Chicago) 630-829-6320 November 21- December 23. Normal Museum hours Whalen Collection featured in 2016 Loyola University Museum of Art * The
820 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611 312-915-7600 Art and Faith of the Creche: The Collection of James and Emilia Govan December 6, 2016 - January 8, 2017 (Admission)
INDIANA * Manchester University North Manchester, IN 46962 Creche Exhibit (Max and Joyce Douglas Collection) Nov. 22 - Feb. 22, 8 am to 8pm when classes are in session. Other times contact: Ejenobo R. Oke “Jena” Associate Professor of Art/Director of Galleries 260-982-5334 (office)/eroke@manchester.edu
MASSACHUSETTS * National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette 947 Park St., Attleboro, MA From Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. Monday-Friday 5 pm to 9 pm Saturday and Sunday 2 pm to 5 pm MICHIGAN * Historic Trinity Lutheran Church 1345 Gratiot Avenue, Detroit, Michigan 48207 Late November through Christmas M-F 9-4, call 313-567-3100 for more info. MINNESOTA * Holder Creche Collection on display 606 Oakland Place, Austin, NE 55912 November 21, 2016 - January 7, 2017 507-433-2643 or wrholder@charter.net NEW HAMPSHIRE * Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette 410 NH Route 4A, Enfield, NH International nativity display Call for apt. 603-632-7087 SOUTH CAROLINA * Mepkin Abbey Moncks Corner, SC Late November through December. Best of the Abbey’s collection and commissioned works are featured in 2016 Check website for more details. Mepkinabbey.org
Govan Collection at Loyola University
Beaded Huichol nativity in exhibit at Benedictine University
FROM OUR PRESIDENT, Fall…it seems to come faster every year. I think I’ve just put away all my Christmas shopping and decorations and here it is, time to take them out again. But the comfort of setting it all up and savoring all the treasures of Christmas does add to the excitement of the season. This year the national election has truly taken up a large part of our news and social media. I encourage you to go out on November 8 and vote. The choice is your own, but your voice does need to be heard. And a much smaller but still very important election is also occurring in our organization, the Friends of the Creche. Each year we add at least two new or returning members to the board. This year, through the diligence of the nominating committee, we have several candidates to affirm. The FOTC board is made up of twelve to fifteen elected members who serve a three year term as well as three who are ex-officio members and are appointed and not elected (the treasurer, the archivist and the editor of our national magazine for FOTC members, the Creche Herald). It is also possible for the board to appoint up to three other members who serve a two year term. When you affirm the slate of those who volunteered this year to be on the board, our board will have the thirteen elected members plus the ex officio members and one appointed for a total of seventeen members. You might ask, why so many on the board? Why bother to have an election? In answer to the first, I think those who wrote our bylaws realized that a board made of many brings a diversity and richness to any organization. Our board members come from different parts of the continent (in this election the US and Canada) and from many walks of life with different thoughts and ideas. Each of those running shares the
Christmas in July in Indiana
Christmas in July in Indiana
Christmas in July in Indiana
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common bond of love of the nativity and wanting to make the FOTC the best organization that it can be. And why bother to vote? First, it is an affirmation from you, an important member of the FOTC that you have learned a bit about the people who are running the organization and are being wise stewards of your dues and activities being promoted. And secondly, it also provides you an opportunity to communicate with the organization if you have any questions or concerns. So please do send your comments or suggestions. Current members (three men and eight women) come from California, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah and West Virginia. Our new candidates for this year’s election (two men and six women) come from California, Canada, Illinois, Nevada, Texas and Utah. Our future is bright with so many gifted people who are willing to share their time, talents and the treasures of their experience with all of us! You will be able to meet the board members at our Annual Meeting, this November 12 in South Carolina. It will be a great meeting followed by a tour and free time to explore the Mepkin Abbey. I hope to see you then! Sydne
Creche Herald
Christmas in July Rev. Jonathan Meyer, definitely a man of the cloth who thinks outside the box regarding getting the “Good News” out there, was very pleased with the response to the 2015 display of a Shroud of Turin exhibit that was done in connection with three summer parish festivals at the churches over which he presides. The question of how to follow up in 2016 was easy, the Nativity. The only question was if people would respond to such an exhibit in the heat of summer and at country fun event. Following is our friend from the University of Dayton, Michel Devitt’s account of what she observed in the farmlands of Indiana. (MW) Brent and I went to All Saints Parish in Dover, IN for Christmas in July. We had an amazing experience with Fr. Meyer, the parishioners and the gorgeous nativity exhibit! Thirty of our cases were exhibited and in addition, Fr. Meyer shared another sixty sets from his family’s collection, and those belonging to parishioners and friends. All were beautifully set up, (with dark sheets covering the classroom walls) artistically pleasing and the display showed his desire to touch all five senses with music, candles, reflective questions and docents to keep people delighted. As impressive was the atmosphere of the parish and the friendliness of the people. Four historic churches had been joined as a new parish three years ago. All four had been newly renovated in 2016 with thousands of volunteer hours and funds raised by the people. The pride in their buildings was evident with docents and reading materials to explain the new and old. The whole exhibit was dismantled and moved to the next church for its festival to be held in two weeks. This was accomplished by about forty volunteers and vehicles in two trips and two hours. Fr. Meyer then spent another forty-eight hours reassembling the exhibit with the help of his parents and a few other volunteers. By Thursday of that week, he was on his way to Poland with a group for the World Youth Day.
Scenes displayed at three summer parish festivals in Indiana. Photo courtesy M. Riegle
Fall 2016
Santa Fe Spanish Market 2016 By Joyce Douglas
The mere mention of Santa Fe conjures up visions of a special place where we can experience different cultures through art as well as encounters with the artists and residents. During the summer, many festivals occur to highlight the unique talents of local groups including Native Americans and Spanish that have contributed so richly to the life of the city. Spanish Market had been on our “to do” list for many years, so we chose to take it in on a long week-end. This festival occurs the last full week-end in July every year. The objective of Spanish Market is to showcase the hand crafted art produced by traditional techniques that have been used by artisans for over 200 years. This was the 65th Traditional Spanish Market which featured over 230 artists. Another section of the market also featured contemporary Hispanic artisans. Juried artists present works including Colcha embroidery, copper engraving, furniture, bultos, retablos, straw applique, tinwork, weaving, wood carving and other traditional artwork. Those of you who attended the FOTC Convention in 2005 may remember artists Charles Corrillo, Marie Romero Cash, and Sabinita Ortiz whom we found among this year’s market exhibitors. Through visiting the booths of these well- known artists, who use time honored materials and techniques, we were able to find a special piece to enhance our nativity collection. Why not plan a special Spanish Market visit for a long week-end in Santa Fe next year? There is much to see and learn!
Nativity by Peter Ortega of Santa Fe, NM. Photo credit: M. Douglas
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Three examples from the Story of Christmas plate series by Eve Licea, produced by Knowles china. Photos: E. Canty
Plates 2, 4 and 6 in the Darceau Limoges Noel Vitrail series of 8 from 1977 through 1982
An autumn creche: The Nativity not just for Christmas