Art from WWII rubble promotes peace
SALT LAKE CITY — Light from darkness: That’s the unspoken theme of “Remembered Light McDonald Memorial Peace Windows: From Rubble to Stained Glass,” a new exhibit cosponsored by the Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable and the Utah district of the Rotary Action Group for Peace.
During the last 18 months of World War II, U.S. Army Chaplain Frederick Alexander McDonald served under General Omar Bradley, commander of the Allied Forces in Europe. Traveling through the war-torn countries, McDonald was struck by the devastation, particularly to the cathedrals and churches in those lands. He began to collect shards of glass from the religious sites that he visited, and eventually amassed 300 of them. For many years, they sat in a cardboard box under his bed. Then, in 1999, they came to the attention of French stained-glass artist Armelle Le Roux, who convinced McDonald to allow her and 12 other artists to incorporate the shards into what is now the McDonald Memorial Peace Windows project.
The 13 artists created 25 diverse pieces in a variety of media including glass, wood, ceramic, copper and silkscreen, each depicting the devastation of war and its impact on its victims. Particularly poignant is a crown of thorns fashioned from shards from the Cathedral of St. Stephen in Metz, France by artist Narcissus Quagliata. At 41 by 30 inches, the crown is the largest piece in the collection.
“I took 33 shards and reconfigured them in this crown-like image as thorns, one for every year in the life of Christ,” Quagliata’s artist statement says in part. “It was an honor to take these ancient shards and find a way to work with them and to place them against the light again, where they really belong.”
“Remembered Light” first came to Utah in 2015 for the Parliament of World Religions, which held its annual meeting in Salt Lake City. Afterwards, the owner of the collection, the Presidio of San Francisco, allowed the Interfaith Roundtable to store the pieces until an exhibit could be arranged. Since that time, the group has been looking for a home for the exhibit as a focal point of starting a small peace center.
“We need to try and to get people to think not about destruction but building,” Interfaith Roundtable President Josie Stone said. “This seemed like the perfect way to show that wonderful exhibit of shared light that we all have a responsibility to grow.”
Brian Farr, chair of the Interfaith Roundtable’s peace committee, has been the driving force behind the exhibit, Stone said.
Farr, who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said he was touched by the words of Pope Francis regarding tolerance: “It is not just about being better informed about others, but rather about reaping what the Spirit has sown in them, which is also meant to be a gift for us.” (Evangelii Gaudium, 246).
“In today’s world of divisiveness, polarization and vitriol, someone needs to do something about it,” Farr said. “Someone needs to address it and to get people thinking about it.”
The Interfaith Roundtable has developed 10 principles for peace that are prominently displayed at the exhibit.
“We’re hoping people will go through the exhibit and start thinking about how they can change their own lives, what we can do in our lives to promote peace,” Stone said. “We’re looking to make people understand the need to work for peace, to build relationships with other people who are not of the same religion or culture. It starts with us.”
WHAT: “Remembered Light” McDonald Memorial Peace Windows: From Rubble to Stained Glass
WHEN: Now through Nov. 17, Tuesdays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
WHERE: Walker Center, ground floor, 175 S. Main St., Salt Lake City
Free and open to the public.
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