I am pleased to have my life-size figurative sculpture The Descent from the Cross in an exhibit of 21 works of art at the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC. The exhibit opened on March 5th and closes May 5th. The paintings, prints, and my sculpture all depict Christ’s body being removed from the cross. “The Descent from the Cross” is the subject of the 13th station in “The Stations of the Cross”, and has been a source for meditation and prayer for generations of Christians. All of the art except mine was collected by Sandra Bowden, who organized the exhibit and approached the museum with the idea for it.

I made the Descent with the aid of 6 friends, all of whom were employed at Messiah College (now University), where I taught. It was made in 1985-6, and exhibited in various settings (churches and colleges) for roughly 15 years, and then put in storage. I extensively cleaned and restored each figure in preparation for this exhibit. It is interesting to compare the photographs of it here with the original installation, which can be found on this website in the “Figurative” link.

The installation at the Museum of the Bible showing a video monitor to the right of the installation. The monitor plays a documentation of some of the original casting and construction processes back in 1985, and is courtesy of Bob and Susan Getty, who made and produced it.

The video can be accessed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpcrKlwwCmE

DESCENT FROM THE CROSS

AT THE MUSEUM OF THE BIBLE

Washington DC, March 2025