We want to say thank you to our outgoing Guest Curator, Dan Jenkins! If you missed a chance to see his fantastic artifacts, please stop by the Guest Curator Archive Page. You can also examine all of our past Guest Curator’s as well.
Welcome to our Guest Curator, Faith Hutson!
Nativity collection of Faith Hutson
THE ART OF THE CRÉCHE, THROUGH THE CULTURAL LENS AND EXPERIENCES OF ARTISTS
Nativities are artistic portrayals of that mystical event when, as an ancient writer declared, “the invisible became visible.” And whether you refer to the portrayal of the birth of Christ as a nativity, Christmas crib, or crèche, their creation is amazing, because they are created with such a variety of styles, materials, skill levels, and life experiences of the artists. For these reasons, the Nativity as an art form can appeal to all, regardless of religious belief. The depiction of the birth of a child brings all humanity together in a universally shared experience.
The depiction of the Nativity spans across many cultures, as well as centuries. St. Francis of Assisi is credited with erecting the first live Nativity scene in 1223 in Greccio, Italy, recreating the moment using animals and people; after that first nativity scene, the practice became popular and spread far and wide.
Within a century, almost every church in Italy had taken up the practice of displaying the nativity. Over time, statues replaced people and animals, and this also led to the in-home nativity scenes that are so much a part of Christmas today. The word nativity comes from the Latin word ‘natal’ which means birth, and is also where the word ‘native’ comes from.
There are many myths, and many versions of the nativity story; people express the Incarnation in ways that resonate with their cultures in both the style of dress and the type of animals present. The ubiquitous manger scene makes the perfect illustration of enculturation, the adaptation of the nativity story to their specific cultural setting. Beyond the religious nature of the story, everyone can relate to the vulnerability of a little baby’s arrival in the world.
If you are a folklorist or a collector of folklore/popular culture artifacts, please consider becoming a Guest Curator. Your objects will be highlighted here on a rotating basis.
All we ask is that the objects be yours, you have a photograph of the objects, and all or most of the information about the object (see the guidelines below, for more details).
Guest Curator Guidelines:
1. Artifacts must fall within the subject of our website (folklore, folk art, popular culture, etc).
2. Artifacts must be a part of your own personal collection.
3. Submissions must be limited to no more than five artifacts.
4. Submissions must contain a photograph of the artifact, as well as the title, purpose, country of origin, culture , materials, and dimensions of the artifact.
5. We also would like your photograph and a brief biography to accompany the collection.
Please contact, flpcgallery@gmail.com and write Guest Curator in the subject line for further information or with any questions. We cannot wait to highlight your collection!