Refl ecting on Judson Church’s Lenten altar
BY ROSE ADAMS
Those unfamiliar with Greenwich
Village’s Judson Memorial
Church may recognize its stately,
yellow-brick building on the south side of
Washington Square Park. With 14 arching
stained-glass windows and a 10-story
bell tower, Judson looks like a relic from
the Italian Renaissance. In a sense, it is:
The church’s architect modeled the building
off of the Basilica di Santa Maria
Maggiore in Rome. But inside Judson’s
walls, another type of renaissance has
fl ourished.
“Judson’s history is very much a piece
of the history of Greenwich Village,”
Reverend Donna Schaper, the church’s
senior minister, said. “It is unusually experimental,
especially for a church.”
Since the 1950s, Judson has been on
the cutting edge of art and activism. In
1960, it opened the fi rst drug treatment
clinic in the Village. Today, it’s a site for
the New Sanctuary Coalition in New
York City, which provides emotional and
legal support for undocumented people.
Among Judson’s laundry list of artistic
achievements are its world-renowned
dance collective and its work with experimental
artists, like Yoko Ono and Yvonne
Rainer. Judson has become so well known
for its cultural contributions that the fi rst
question on its Web site’s FAQ page is:
“Is ‘THE Judson’ a church?”
The answer is yes, and the Judson’s latest
arts display makes that clear. For the
duration of Lent (which this year runs
from March 6 to April 18), a multicolored
altar will be standing in front of the
congregation, its base stretching down
the center of the sanctuary. On top
of the altar, small animal statues
balance imperfectly on wooden
planks like pagan fi gurines in a
burial ground.
“Usually in art you’re talking
about religious symbols
in an abstract way. But by
doing this with Judson,
it was a really great
chance to see my
work in a context
where it’s being
used spiritually,”
said the artist,
William
C o r w i n .
Corwin is
a local sculptor and writer who has exhibited
in various local and international
venues.
“It’s incredibly empowering as an artist
to see art being used for the purpose
it was created for thousands of years
ago,” he said.
In creating the altar, Corwin
tried to link Judson’s rich history
and the spirit of Lent, the 40-day
religious period commemorating
Jesus’ time in the desert
before his resurrection.
“I think, on a very
spiritual and conceptual
level, there’s an interaction
between the idea
of freedom as expressed
in Judson
and the idea of
Lent as a time
for refl ection,”
Corwin said.
“A church
is a safe place where people can be themselves
and talk about what’s inside of
them. And Lent is metaphorically about
looking back on your life and assessing
what makes you you.”
The processional cross in the altar’s
center, entitled “Seraphim (Flaming
Creature),” ties biblical symbols and Judson’s
history together: It references both
the seraphim angels from the Old Testament
and a 1963 experimental fi lm called
“Flaming Creature” that featured many
artists from Judson’s 1960s arts scene.
Ironically, Corwin’s use of religious
symbolism is new for Judson.
“The exciting thing about Will’s work
is it’s bringing a cross back into the sanctuary,”
Schaper said. Judson hasn’t displayed
a cross in its sanctuary since the
1970s. “People just love it,” she said. “It
looks like a dancing angel, really.”
But, in staying true to the Judson’s open
and accepting ethos, the altar doesn’t layer
on too many Christian motifs. When
Corwin told the reverend about all the religious
images he planned to incorporate
into the piece, she allegedly hesitated.
“ ‘Well, you got to be careful,’ ” Corwin
said she responded. “ ‘You know, 10
percent of the congregation is Jewish.’ ”
The Lenten altar will be on view until
April 21 at Judson, at 55 Washington
Square South. To check the altar’s
viewing hours, visit Judson’s calendar at
https://www.judson.org/calendar.
PHOTO BY TOMMY MINTZ
The creative Lenten altar links to Judson Church’s rich artistic history.
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