Mary Page Gallery: Crèches International

Christmas And No End

Re-creating the scene of Christ's birth is one of the most tender and enduring Christmas traditions. In late summer of 1994, an earnest effort was begun at The Marian Library to collect various cultural expressions of the nativity scene. To date, the collection consists of more than 800 creches from many parts of the world. It represents a contribution to the study of religion and culture, and highlights the many ways in which they reflect age-old aspirations and fears of the human soul. The creche collection has developed into an ongoing project which, as a source for the study of the Incarnation, also finds expression in research and courses. This exhibit is part of an effort to make the meaning of God's coming in this world better known.

A special meaning of this event is given with the beginning of a new millennium. Even 2000 years after Christ's birth, Incarnation has not come to an end. As long as there is time and space, people and history, Incarnation in its effect, not as cause will be an ongoing event, personal as well as collective. God's coming is offered to all peoples at all times. This is the deeper meaning of the nativity sets exhibited here. They are a reflection on the many ways in which Christ has been sought and found, with a strong emphasis on seeking.

Christmas and no end there is an old legend about seeking and finding. The wise man Artaban in his pursuit of the star misses his three friends. He misses the Christchild, too, because his pilgrimage to Bethlehem leads to strange encounters with dying soldiers, ailing beggars and poor mothers. He gives them two of his three diamonds saved for the child in the manger. After thirty- three years and many adventures he returns to Jerusalem. There, he still diligently searches for the child. Artaban, now an old man, notes an unusual commotion. Inquiring about its cause he learns that they are taking Jesus of Nazareth, who calls himself King of the Jews, to Golgotha and his death. Artaban knows instinctively that this is the king for whom he has been searching. He rushes to the scene. Alas, once again, he is sidetracked. On his way he meets a young girl being sold into slavery. His heart is moved, and he gives away his last diamond for her ransom. Just then, darkness falls over the city, and Artaban knows that his king is dead. Inconsolable, he cries out: "Thirty-three years I looked for you, Lord, but I have never seen your face or ministered to you." But then a voice comes from heaven and says: "What you did to the least of my brothers and sisters, you did it to me." Artaban's restlessness is gone. His heart grows calm and his soul peaceful. His long journey is ended. He has found his king.

Meanwhile, the story goes on for each one of us is Artaban.

--Johann G. Roten, SM

Along the Path

This exhibit of more than sixty artefacts, some of them large and others tiny, conveys a variety of interpretations of the Christmas event. Some of the sets are little monuments to artistic creation and thus a simple statement of beauty. Others will take the visitor to faraway countries and their genius of telling the story of the Incarnation. Most of the scenes speak about human life as much as they speak of religion and God. There are allusions to life's ordinariness and mystery, and attempts to deal visually with suffering and injustice. Sometimes the story crests in a symbol pregnant with meaning, at other times the tale ends with a question mark. In all of these nativity sets the challenge of the Incarnation remains intact.


1 The Annunciation	2 Hats Everywhere Unknown Artist Mexico	3 Like Wife, Like Husband Karin Howard USA

4 Empty Hands Chiapas Indians Mexico	5 Trigonometry Elizabeth Kuchen Switzerland	6 African Symphony Mohammed Amin Ghana

7 Nondescript? Gerry Wallace USA	8 Sealed Scroll Pelagia Bonniwell USA	9 Cradle and Cross Caritas Müller, Switzerland Hans Wachter, Germany

10 The Accident Manuel F. Cunha Portugal	11 The Star That Was No Star Unknown Artist Mexico	12 Twins Hans Huggler Switzerland

13 Horse, Elephant and Camel Unknown Artist (Tlaquepaque) Mexico	14 Lightness of Being Genella Ossi Italy	15 Child Prodigies June McKenna USA

16 O Lord, you search me ... Myra Vargas Eduador	17 No Island Unknown Artist Madagascar	18 Romanesque Realism Sisters of Bethlehem France

37 Only A Taste Gerardo Ortega Mexico	38 Vegetal Reign Mercedes C. Servin	39 Angel and Devil Palsied people Mexico

40 Rough and Tumble Gochi Brothers Mexico	41 Bulging Eyes Unknown Artist Poland	42 Pin People Rita Chiavacci USA

43 House of Bread Angel Ortiz Mexico	44 Flying Camels Estella Bedoya de Arias Ecuador	45 Masks Eduardo Borja Eduador

46 Blues Jack Black USA	47 A Collectible? Hummel Collectibles Germany	48 Ice Queen? Unknown Artist USA

49 Heavenly Music Florencio Rodina Gautemala	61 Open House Kevin Hanna USA

Christmas Between Adobe and Kiva

The first Indian-made nativities seem to have appeared in the late 1950's, at a time when the century-old European Crèhe tradition slowly but surely went into temporary decline. Over the next decades interest and production quickened. Today, a number of Indian artisans consider nativity sets an integral part of their yearly program. The early impetus for the making of indigenous crèches may have come from the tourist industry and major collectors. Growing interest in popular art and crafts, and stronger emphasis put on local cultural expressions of faith by the Catholic Church also explain why the making of nativities by Indian artisans of the southwestern United States is considered by experts a new and promising phenomenon.

What is meant here when speaking of Southwest and Indians is the region between Albuquerque and Taos in New Mexico. There are nineteen villages or pueblos in or close to that part of the Rio Grande Valley. Some of them are only sparsely populated, more tourist attraction than home to what is known as Mesa Indians. However, most of them, spread out between Acoma in the South and Taos in the North, have an age-old tradition of making pottery, which is the seed bed and also the stuff from which most Pueblo nativities are made. Although exposed to Christianity since 1540 when the first Spanish explorers entered New Mexico, the Indians' contribution to Christian art has been modest and sporadic until they discovered the nativity set. Today, Indian nativity artisans are believed to be the only homogenous group in the USA producing art on the theme of Christ's birth.

As in other regions with a rich crèche culture, Pueblo nativities represent different styles from colonial painted (or fabric-clothed) figures to sets made of Yucca. But the great majority of Pueblo artisans work solely in clay. At one time, their technique and decorating art depended very much on tradition and style proper to each pueblo. Things have changed. Many artisans now have their own style, sometimes a mixture of styles from different pueblos. For this reason, it becomes almost impossible to find the typical nativity set from Laguna or Jemez. This applies to the fifteen nativity set on display in this exhibit. They are from fifteen different artists, most of them contacted personally by the exhibitors, but they do not represent fifteen different pueblos.

At first glance, the visitor will discover that there exists a great similarity between the different sets. One of the foundational characteristics of pueblo art is its earth-boundness. Whatever the figure or personage, it does not speak its own language or message but that of the clay and the earth from where it comes. The message of the earth speaks of life and life's origin. Faces, limbs and extremities of pueblo crèche figures are crude and clumsy in the eye of the beholder used to the work of Neapolitan figurari or Provencal santonniers. For the Indian artisan the many details of the human or animal body are not important as long as they express loud and clear the message of the earth. The visitor has to look for different kinds of detail: colors, ornaments, various postures and features of a culture which is not indebted to Christianity. Most Indians have accepted the Christian religion as an addition to their own pre-Christian way of life. For this reason, the visitor will have to look at these nativity sets from two different vantage points. The Christian perspective is represented in the scene as such and its traditional characters. Indian culture is present in the finer details of decorative motifs and other traditional elements.


19 Corn and Rain Mary Toya Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico	20 Ladder of Ascent Santana Seonia Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico	21 Animalitos Ignacia Saya Duran Tesuque Pueblo, New Mexico

22 Cowboy Style Reycita Garcia San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico	23 Paths Crossing Ethel Shields Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico	24 Three Mothers Thelma Lujan Taos Pueblo, New Mexico

25 Stick Dancers Alfred Aguilar San Juan, New Mexico	26 All White Antoinette Concha Taos and Jemez, New Mexico	27 The Wonder of Telling Mary Lucero Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico

28 Indian Gifts Margaret Gutierrez Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico	29 Honored Tradition Juanita Dubray Taos Pueblo, New Mexico	30 ... And Beyond Ann Graffy USA

31 Adobe Nativity Robert Toledo Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico	32 Earthiness Martha Arquero Cochiti Pueblo, New Mexico	33 Pilgrim's Rest Dorothy Gutierrez Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico

34 Jar and Tiles	35 Jar and Tiles	36 Jar and Tiles

No Place Like Home

One of the very human lessons of Christmas is about the importance of home. In the Incarnation, God made his home among us. He made thus an indirect but clear statement about the right to home and country, citizenship and social security. But if there is no place like home, it is equally true that home is first and foremost where they take you in. The latter was Christ's first and own experience. He was taken in by his mother, and all other generous or not so generous people who gave and still give him shelter in their homes or in their hearts.

Speaking about the Christchild's second home, we seem to know that it was a manger (Lk 2,16). But where stood the manger? Was it a cave, a barn or some run- down motel of Antiquity? Early Christmas tradition was influenced by Roman mythology. It placed the Christchild in a shelter or refuge not unlike that of Romulus and Remus. In Roman art it is called tugurium, meaning a roof, level or inclined, supported by four posts and open on all sides to wind, rain and sun. In the course of history, the architecture of Christ's first dwelling has changed many times as the following sampling shows. But many of them have retained the original concept of a simple roof over four posts.


50 Animal Nativity Barry Grosscup USA	51 Gothic Delight Unknown Artist Germany	52 Mere Pretext Unknown Artist Italy

53 Living Stone Agnes Boiste France	54 Taunting Heaven Unknown Artist Peru	55 Princely Canopy Terez Patona Hungary

56 Portable Bliss Huamani Mitma Peru	57 Flower Power Unknown Artist Mexico	58 Peppers and Snow Jil Gurule USA

59 Illumination in Wood Jan Rejman Czech Republic	60 Spectacle for the Many Unknown Artist Peru