Guy became involved with collecting nativity art at a later
age than Whelan, but it became an important part of his life.
“I’ve always been interested, but the collecting started 10
years ago. I got into a very bad depression. I couldn’t think,
couldn’t concentrate. But working with the nativity sets
gave me something to concentrate on. I think God gave me
something to do. It was something I could work with.”
Today’s crèche can take many forms depending on the
artist’s whimsy, craftiness, skill or the materials available.
“One I have from South America is basically made
out of recycled car parts,” says Whelan. “The hay in
the manger is spark plug wires, and the infant Jesus is
basically part of a spark plug.”
Whelan also talks about nativity scenes made out
of everything from recycled aluminum pop cans to a
Vietnamese item made from mother-of-pearl.
“One of the very unique ones I have is made of fine
sawdust and oxblood,” says Red Deer’s Guy, who compares
it to Bakelite. “It’s made in late 1800s in France.”
Of course, many of the pieces from poorer countries
have a purpose other than celebrating the birth of Jesus.
Says Whelan, “The third or fourth dimension of this is
that a lot of people support mission projects throughout
the world (through the purchase of nativity art).”
“I have one made out of orange peels from Columbia,”
reported David Guy. “That one I got from a gentleman I
know in Salt Lake City. His family buys directly from the
artist and sends the money back to the artist.
While an 800-year time span can lead to all sorts of
changes in one discipline, Whelan thinks he can sense a
recent shift in how people regard the art form.
“I have to say, I think after 9/11 I saw things change a
little bit. I think people started to see things differently. If
you ever shop for Christmas cards, you may have seen one
little section for religious cards (before), but that section
is growing a little more.”
Whelan insists his group isn’t at all political. To be sure,
some political issues have arisen in the past with nativity
scenes, but aside from the occasional act of destruction,
mischief or the rare high-profile protest, Whelan downplays
anything negative in relation to the scenes.
“Here and there maybe you get some vandalism with
public displays,” says Whelan. “A friend tells me people
like to steal the infant. For the most part people who come
to exhibits are people who… want to come there.”
It’s impossible to say what St. Francis of Assisi had in
mind when he arranged his first Nativity scene all those
years ago—whether he was trying to create a full-blown
tradition or a one-off production. But almost 800 years
later, much of the Christian world still devotes time and
energy to this category of Christian art.
If St. Bonaventure was correct, and St. Francis`
efforts were merely to generate some excitement about
commemorating the birth of Jesus, it seems he just might
have—788 Christmases later—been on to something.
Jim Chliboyko is a freelance writer in Winnipeg.
Photographs by Ian Adnams
THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN November/December 2011
Church at the Shepherds’ Fields, Beit Sahour near Bethlehem
The village church in Leukerbad, Switzerland
World Council of Churches chapel in Geneva, Switzerland