Faces
By Jeff Favre
Big award for artist is chance to inspire
S
cott Parsons’ earliest memories of making art are closely associated with, of all things, giant Tootsie Rolls.
A TV show that aired in Denver when Parsons
was a child offered the chewy treat as a prize for mail-in art contests. “I won a bunch of times,” he said. “In some ways I feel like I’m still doing that when I go after commissions.” These days, though, it’s not simple drawings but com-
plex public art, including projects for congregations. Per- haps his most impressive work, commissioned by Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls, S.D., and featured on the summer 2012 cover of Stained Glass magazine, incorporates 24 separate glass panels covering 750 square feet. The largest panels weigh 600 pounds each. Parsons gets to see that installation regularly because he
wound up making Gloria Dei his home congregation. “It was great because they let me come up with what I
wanted to do, as long as it was to the glory of God,” he said. “I think it’s a really nice piece that speaks to three parts—the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, but also to creation, the life of Christ and the life of the church.” Parsons attended Lutheran schools growing up. Now he
teaches printmaking and drawing at Augustana College, an ELCA school in Sioux Falls, and is chair of its art department. Parsons, who never wanted to be anything but an art-
ist, said his work has long veered toward the political or the spiritual. Part of this process involves figuring out what materials to use. His list of media includes glass, concrete and porcelain, as well as traditional painting and drawing. “I look at what I want to say and how I want to say it, and then I look at the space available,” he said.
100 + birthdays
Scott Parsons has always wanted to be an artist. As a member of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls, S.D., he gets to see his work regu- larly—24 separate glass panels covering 750 square feet.
Prayer and extensive thought go into the planning pro-
cess, particularly with pieces for religious institutions. Another recent installation, titled “The Heavenly Jeru-
salem Windows,” includes 16 stained-glass windows at Our Lady of Loreto Roman Catholic Parish in Foxfield, Colo. In an email to Edward Buelt, parish priest, Cardinal James Stafford wrote: “The insight of Scott Parsons is right on. That the breath of God’s creation of man is a particular sig- nal contained in blown glass is not only a precious gift of intelligibility but is also worthy of further reflection.” Parsons has received several honors for his work, includ-
ing two design awards in 2014 for religious art, given by Faith & Form magazine and the Interfaith Forum on Reli- gion, Art and Architecture. The bigger award for Parsons is the chance to inspire
people. “Great art can ask us to ask the ultimate questions about life,” he said. “I think an artist can be a servant and can enhance the liturgical sense of worship.” For more informa-
tion and to see images of Parsons’ work visit www.
damnfineart.com.
105: Rose Weber, Christ, Beaver Falls, Pa. 104: Kathryn Patter- son, Salem English, Minneapolis. 103: Louise Tostenrud, Peace, Cold Spring, Minn. 101: Beatrice Lemickson, Belmont, Lakefield, Minn. 100: Willie Mae Blackwelder, Lutheran Chapel, China Grove, N.C.; Esther Burmeister, Greenfield, Harmony, Minn.; Bennie Coo-
per, Emmanuel, Prescott, Ariz.; Elmer Heinly, Eberhard, Columbia City, Ind.; Dorothy Huberg, Bethlehem, Royal, Iowa; Myrtle Johnson, Salem English, Minneapolis; Albert Mann, Zion, Cohocton, N.Y.; Copeland Veronee, Reformation, Columbia, S.C.
Author bio: Favre is an assistant professor at Pierce College in Los Ange- les and a freelance theater critic.
Send stories Share your stories of ELCA Lutherans and your 100+ members in “Faces.” Send to
lutheran@thelutheran.org or “Faces,” The Lutheran, 8765 W. Hig gins Rd., Chicago, IL 60631.
June 2015 43
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