February 29, 2008 12:02 pm
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BY RUTH RICE
RRICE@TRIBDEM.COM
Since the terrorist attacks in 2001, some of Sally Stewart’s artistic works in wood have taken on a global theme.
Now, a cross she made may travel around the world.
The Richland Township artist’s “Savior of the World,” which is fashioned from 50 different woods from around the world, has been chosen to be added to the permanent collection at the Lutheran Center in Chicago.
The 12-by-12 cross, which includes carvings with grapes and wheat, symbols of the sacrament of Communion, was one of the winners in a competition honoring the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s 20th anniversary in 2007.
Stewart found out about the competition from the assistant bishop of the synod while in the hospital recovering from surgery last summer.
“There was an ad in The Lutheran magazine asking artists to enter a design competition using whatever theme they wanted,” Stewart said.
“The entries could not be larger than 12-by-12, and you had to be able to replicate it.”
Replications of the three winners’ artworks will be presented to global and ecumenical guests of the ELCA and might even be taken to other countries as gifts.
Stewart, who loves to create her own designs, found it labor intensive to re-create 12 replicas of her cross.
She learned her entry had been chosen as a winner in a letter from the office of the presiding bishop of the ELCA in September.
The competition intrigued Stewart because the global aspects it mentioned rang true to what she had been trying to do through her own work.
The idea behind the cross came after the terrorist attacks of 2001, when Stewart made similar crosses using woods from all over the world.
“I made about 50 smaller crosses as gifts, and the woods were symbolic of the people in those countries,” Stewart said.
“The 50 different woods in the “Savior of the World” cross represent Jesus’ love for the people in those countries, and the cross unifies everyone. It connects us around the world.”
Stewart’s cross is already traveling – at least to Ohio.
A pastor in a church in Cincinnati saw an article in the Metro Lutheran, a monthly Lutheran newspaper, and asked permission to use a replica of one of her crosses at his church during Lent.
“His focus was going to be on global ministry, and he was going to have guests from various countries,” Stewart said.
Stewart holds degrees in art education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and was a teacher in the Greater Johnstown School District for 30 years.
She is a member of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, 1000 Scalp Ave., Richland Township.
The two other winners in the design competition are members of Lutheran churches in Minnesota and Mississippi.
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