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Museum of Biblical Art Opens New Landmark Sculpture Garden

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

Wednesday, 13 May 2015