The Wesleyan Ecumenical Society met at the beginning of October to organize a decorative holiday installment that would include all religions and cultures. A committee of students, University chaplains and faculty members decided that an evergreen tree, with its religious connotations removed, would be suitable to display the different cultural identities of Wesleyan students.
An important outcome of the committee’s meeting was that religions and cultures would be denoted on the tree according to the percentage of Wesleyan students who represent the given culture.
“We wanted it to be a representational tree,” said Margaret Stevens, who sits on the Ecumenical committee. “ It wouldn’t be correct for one religion simply to dominate because of popular demand. We had to take a pragmatic approach.”
A survey of Wesleyan students’ cultural identities was taken at the end of October and the finding showed that roughly 65 percent of students identified as Christian, 30 percent identified as Jewish and 5 percent identified as either Muslim, Buddhist or Hindu.
“When I looked at the results, I was shocked at how many people ‘identified,’ if you know what I mean,” said Professor of Sociology Connie Lertes. “You see, I don’t identify. Do you identify?”
After the results were compiled, world-renowned Viennese Christmas tree decorator, Franz von Nettbaum was commissioned by the University to decorate Wesleyan’s multi-cultural, “representational.”
An alumna who is active in faith-based philanthropy, Christina Moshe Muhammad-Cohen ’70 donated $30,000 to Wesleyan’s Ecumenical Society specifically for this project.
“My idea is to bring religion into the mainstream in a way that is inclusive and aesthetically appealing,” Muhammad-Cohen said. “That’s why I chose Franz to do the tree because he is so brilliant. He has decorated all my bathrooms exquisitely and detail with toilets is sublime.”
The tree will be erected in the center of the lobby of Olin Library and will stand at 30 feet, making it necessary for the chandelier to be temporarily removed. The tree will be presented Dec.10.
According to the survey taken, since the majority of Wesleyan students are Christian, the committee instructed Nettbaum to make Christian motifs most prominent on the tree and the other less religions proportionately less prominent.
For those who have seen Nettbaum’s detailed color-drawings of the tree, they say it will be breathtaking and very likely a candidate for the annual Christmas Tree Competition of Greater Deutchland.
President Bennet was among those who viewed Nettbaum’s drawings.
“Nettbaum’s work is truly powerful,” Bennet said. “We are very grateful to Chistina Moshe Muhammad-Cohen for bringing an artist of this caliber to our campus.”
According to an account of someone who viewed the drawings, the tree will be garnished in bright red velvet ribbon from top to bottom. Embroidered onto the velvet will be a pattern of three white crosses followed by a blue menorah, a symbol of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. The ornaments will include fake doves and glass balls tinted pastel colors. To represent Wesleyan’s Buddhist contingent, Nettbaum has specially ordered 15 cell-phone-sized green marble Buddhas from the Khentrul Rame Sen Monastery in Tibet.
“This is the first time I’ll be working with marble,” Nettbaum said. “I’m so excited to touch the little Buddhas when they arrive.”
Five ornately designed Persian scarves have been ordered from Saudi Arabia to represent Wesleyan’s Muslim contingent and they will adorn the tree as well.
Those who saw the plans for the tree said one of the most remarkable parts of the large ornament that will be placed at the very top.
For this, Nettbaum collaborated with his identical twin brother, Johann von Nettbaum, a highly regarded sculptor, to create an original sculpture of baby Jesus. According to descriptions, baby Jesus is three feet high and sits with a Star of David around his waste, “like a hoola-hoop,” someone suggested. In his right hand he holds a crescent moon, a symbol of Islam and in his left hand is a “kinara” or candle-holder, which represents the African American holiday celebration of Kwanzaa.
“The smile on the baby’s face brought tears to my eyes,” said Jesse Sommer “05 ”I can only imagine the effect it will have on me when I see it in Olin.“
There will a ”Lighting of the Tree“ on Friday night and all members of the Wesleyan community are invited to attend. Additionally, if a religion has not been represented on the tree, all students are more than welcome to place an object/ornament that symbolizes the religion on the tree. A photograph of the symbol must be taken and send to Mr. Nettbaum’s e-mail for his artistic approval. Nothing ugly. Nettbaum’s e-mail is: nettbaum@richt.com.
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