91妻友 celebrated its newest piece of public art 鈥� a twisting, bright red sculpture made from bronze-cast apple tree limbs 鈥� at a dedication ceremony held on March 9. The permanent sculpture, titled 鈥淭rue Vine,鈥� is the second piece installed this year as part of a public arts initiative.
The artist, Theodore Prescott, was inspired by teachings in Scripture referencing vines that reveal a life dependent on Christ 鈥� particularly John 15, in which Jesus identifies himself as the True Vine.
鈥淢y goal has been to make a beautiful and striking piece of contemporary art that speaks visually and poetically to the viewer about the mysterious living reality found in Christ鈥檚 words and his cross,鈥� said Prescott.
The bright red sculpture was funded by the Long Family Foundation, which also funded 鈥淭he Spirit of Christ鈥� sculpture installed on campus in September 2014.
鈥淲e are embracing and advancing the creative dimension of our Lord through these tangible expressions of art here on our campus,鈥� said Biola president Barry H. Corey at the dedication. 鈥淩eflections of beauty and truth and goodness and if God is the author of all things beautiful, we become his fragrance as we fan the flames of imagination to better comprehend the majesty of his power and his grace and to be His aroma to a world that needs beauty.鈥�
鈥淭rue Vine鈥� is located on the elevator shaft wall in front of Talbot East 鈥� a home to Biola鈥檚 Talbot School of Theology 鈥� and was designed to interact with the form and volume of the shaft.
Prescott used apple tree limbs to construct the 鈥淭rue Vine鈥� sculpture. He has done a number of apple limb constructions since 2008,听harvesting approximately 2,500 feet of limbs for use. After harvesting, the limbs are peeled, dried and sorted according to thickness and types of shapes.
鈥淚t may take days to find the right combination of elements,鈥� said Prescott. 鈥淥nce I have determined the character of the line, I join the limbs, and carve and grind the joints to make a seamless form.鈥�