The Museum of Biblical Art will celebrate the opening of the Via Dolorosa – a new landmark for the City of Dallas – made possible through the generosity of The Tia Collection, with a full weekend of events on May 15-17 for donors and friends from all over the country. The Via Dolorosa is a Mediterranean-style garden featuring the largest outdoor installation of bronze in the world by the late artist Gib Singleton, of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The installation includes the traditional 14 stages of the “Way of the Cross” commemorating the last hours of Christ’s life and death. In addition, Singleton’s “Redemption” depicting the resurrected Christ and “The Legend of the Dogwood” are exhibited towards the end of the pathway. The gardens, to be landscaped with Biblical trees and plants, will offer a spiritual, meditative place in the heart of Dallas which is open to people of all faiths and backgrounds at no charge.
The project began seven years ago when Scott Peck, Director of the Museum of Biblical Art, saw Singleton’s work in the Santa Fe gallery of Paul Zueger and knew immediately it needed to be at the Museum in Dallas. “Gib Singleton is considered to be a modern master of bronze. His remarkable style is his own,” says Peck. “He created what is called ‘emotional realism’. What mattered to Singleton was not how the art looks, but rather the feeling that it produces in the viewer when looking at it. It is a great privilege for the Museum to freely share these powerful pieces of art with the City of Dallas.”
Paul Zueger, who has represented Gib Singleton throughout his career says, “He is the finest artist I have ever met. Having his work in Dallas is one of the highlights of his career. The Museum of Biblical Art is like one of the great specialty museums in Europe. I know art because I have been in the art world since the 1960s and you have a treasure here. The Via Dolorosa Sculpture installation pays tribute to a great artist and to one of the great art institutions in the world!”
The garden is remarkable, not only for the beauty and power of the sculptures, but also because every facet, from the sculpture to the benches, landscaping, lighting, signage and professional design and construction services was sponsored, donated or at supplied at greatly reduced rates for this multi-million dollar project.
The festivities begin on Friday evening, May 15, at 5:00 p.m. with a ribbon-cutting and blessing to honor the life and art of Gib Singleton, 1935-2014. Remarks will be made by Jennifer Staubach Gates, Dallas City Council Representative for District 13, and the blessing will be given by Rev. Tom Cloherty of the Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Plano.
The public is invited to the formal dedication and inter-faith blessing on Saturday, May 16, at 11:00 a.m.. Blessings and a benediction will be offered by the clergy of several faiths. See the full schedule of speakers below.
Fourteen of the 18 sculptures in the Via Dolorosa depict the traditional Stations of the Cross which represent the journey of Christ on the day of his Crucifixion. “Redemption,” which depicts the resurrection of Christ, and “The Legend of the Dogwood” are two of Gib Singleton’s last works before he passed away in February, 2014. An adjoining garden on the West side of the Museum will feature two Old Testament-themed sculptures – “John the Baptist” and “Rebecca at the Well.”
PROGRAM
Saturday – May 16, 2015 - 11:00 a.m.
Formal Dedication and Inter-Faith Blessing
Welcome by Scott Peck, Director, Museum of Biblical Art
Invocation by
Rt. Rev. Ray R. Sutton, Bishop Co-Adjutor of Mid-America for the Anglican Church
Remarks by
D. Harold Byrd, III, representing Mattie Caruth Byrd Family (Founder of the MBA) and D. Harold Byrd, Jr., MBA Board President Emeritus
Kirk Kibler, MBA Board President and General Contractor
Keith Crouch, AIA, NCARB, Principal Architect
Susan Atkinson, RLA, ASLA, Principal Landscape Architect
Remembering Dr. Val Robinson, former MBA Assistant Director
Patricia Martin, Director of Development and Via Dolorosa Project Team Coordinator
Prayers of Blessing by
Dr. Andrew C. Stoker, Senior Minister, First United Methodist Church
Dr. Gary Cook, President, Dallas Baptist University
Dr. Peter Van Deison, Associate Pastor, Park Cities Presbyterian Church
Blessing of Via Dolorosa by
Rev. Msgr. Donald F. Zimmerman, Christ the King Catholic Church
Remarks by
Paul Zueger, Owner, Galerie Zueger; Vail, Colorado and Santa Fe, New Mexico
Benediction by
Rev. Mark Herbener, Bishop Emeritus, Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod, Lutheran Church
ABOUT GIB SINGLETON(For More Background See www.gibsingleton.com)
Gib Singleton began making sculptures from mud and straw at the age of three. After service in the army, he received a full scholarship from the Art Institute of Chicago and a Fulbright Scholarship to study at the Academia di Belle Arti in Florence, Italy. He was later recruited by the Vatican Workshop and helped restore Michelangelo’s Renaissance masterpiece, “The Pieta.” Among his many works, Singleton created a bronze crucifix that was chosen by then Bishop Karol Wojtyla to sit atop his staff. Wojtyla, who later became Pope John Paul II, carried it for 26 years. Pope Benedict then took up the staff, and Pope Francis has also carried it.
DONORS
The Tia Collection
Legacy Sculpture Sponsors
Dr. Wayne and Nona Yakes; Bonnie and Paul Zueger; Faye Briggs; Mr. Karl C. Hoppess; Dr. Gary Cook – Dallas Baptist University; Mike and Mary Terry Family Foundation; George A. and Shirley Shafer; Andrew and Jane Adams; Ed Haggar Family Foundation - John and Patty Jo Turner; Don and Katy Houseman.
Legacy Bench Sponsors
Catholic Foundation of Dallas – Mr. Matthew Kramer, President
Christ the King Altar Society - Tracy Wilson
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Cicherski (Sue) - Asel Art Supply
Mr. and Mrs. James L. Forrest (Mary)
Gwinn Family Foundation - Marianne Gwinn, Stephen and Tina Gwinn
Mrs. Harriet Halsell
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Houseman (Katherine)
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Martter (Theresa)
Mrs. Betty Kerr Moberly
Redman Foundation, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Stanzel (Susan)
Prince of Peace Catholic Community
Mr. and Mrs. Howard Westerman
Dr. and Mrs. Richard Wood
Sally Yamini
Bonnie and Paul Zueger
Dawna Hamm Walsh, Monty Hamm, Charlotte Vernon and Jerry Hamm
Faye Briggs Family
James L and Mary Forrest
D. Harold and Roberta Byrd, Jr.
Dr. and Mrs.Valentine Robinson and Family
Additional Major In-Kind Sponsors
Kibler Construction Company, LLC – General Contractor
Pinson Excavating - Lentz Landscape Lighting - Dave Riddle Electric Company
American Landscape Systems, Inc. - Southern Services Landscape & Irrigation
Zone Systems, Inc. - Noble House and Garden – SI Memorials
Innovative Signs, Florida –- TBMPClick - Archiped Classics, Dallas
Maria Valentina Sheets – Philip Martin – Philip Prince – Adrienne Glaze
Johnson Granite Supply – Spralding Monument Service - Signature Hardware
Graphic Products, LP – Judy Moore Productions, Inc. - Nice Moves
North Haven Gardens, Rusty Allen – Eric Dorton – Spice of Life Catering – Mark Rankin
AAI Trophies, Plano - Gold Crown Valet –– John Roppolo – Julie Dunn
Strong AV Productions - Jim Martin and Gary Bauer, Martin Media – Wayfair
Helen S. Towne, President, and Members of the MBA Guild
ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF BIBLICAL ART
The Museum of Biblical Art in Dallas,Texas is unlike any museum in the world. It has a simple mission: to display art with a Biblical theme. It is one of the few museums in the country that is devoted to Biblical themes. It was established in 1967 and named the Museum of Biblical Art in 1999. Nothing of its size exists in the United States, making it a treasure trove for art enthusiasts. Diverse types of art are exhibited including bronze sculpture, drawings, fine prints, and oil paintings. Specialized galleries have been created for Biblical Archaeology, Jewish Art, Religious Architecture, Israeli Art, African American Art and Hispanic Art.
The Museum is a cultural crossroads, utilizing art for tolerance and understanding reflected in the various archaeological exhibits and decorative art from Israel and the Holy Land. The MBA's vision encompasses the classical arts with a call to beauty which emphasizes the Biblical figurative art illustrating the narratives of the Bible, and a call to the study of classical Greco-Roman art, archaeology and architecture.
Museum featured artists Include: John Singer Sargent, Marc Chagall, Jacques Lipchitz, Ben Shahn, Paolo Veronese, Francesco Guardi, Agam, Kathe Köllwitz, Albert Pinkham Ryder, Emil Nolde, James Tissot, Oskar Kokoschka, Bernard Buffet, Andy Warhol, Everett Shinn, John Marin, George Tobolowsky and many more.
The MBA - Museum of Biblical Art Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10:00 to 5:00
7500 Park Lane Late night Thursday until 9:00 PM
Dallas, TX 75225 Sunday 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
214-368-4622
Across from North Park www.biblicalarts.org