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By Kayla Harris

On Oct. 10, 2000, during the Catholic Church’s celebration of the Great Jubilee, over 200 people gathered in the lobby of Roesch Library to dedicate the sprawling art installation “Mirror of Hope” by artist Kevin Hanna. A visual story, the piece depicts Creation, Incarnation, Resurrection and Redemption through over 200 hand-painted clay figures in a 12-foot-wide, 5-foot-high mountain setting. Commissioned as a gift for the University of Dayton community in celebration of 150 years as a Catholic and Marianist institution, the artwork serves as a testimony to UD’s religious tradition and continues to inspire new visitors daily in the Marian Library Crèche Museum. 

Father Johann Roten, S.M., then director of the Marian Library, first learned of Connecticut-based artist Kevin Hanna after seeing his sculptures in a Time magazine article (April 10, 1995). The two began a long-distance partnership as Roten sought to commission Hanna to craft a Nativity for the Marian Library’s crèche collection. Roten was drawn to Hanna’s artistic approach and said, “I discovered in Hanna’s art what true art always elicits — a sense of wonderment.” 

Over time, the pair determined that the Nativity was only one chapter in the Christian story, and after several years of consultation, the two decided to tell more of it.

Four Fundamental Points

Twenty-two events in the history of salvation appear in “Mirror of Hope.” These come from Scripture, but also from apocryphal writings. Four structures, which Hanna and Roten call “cardinal points,” anchor the stories thematically and balance the artwork visually and direct the eye of the viewer. 

The City on the Mount

The story begins and ends with the City on the Mount at the summit of the sculpture with life pouring out of the facade on the left side and returning on the right. The front section of the city — the first cardinal point — replicates the silhouette of the Immaculate Conception Chapel and its adjacent gates at the heart of University of Dayton campus. Roten explains, “The University of Dayton’s landmark chapel featured on the ‘Mirror of Hope’ mirrors time and eternity, their unity and presence.” 

The Tower of Babel

On the left side and the next cardinal point is the Tower of Babel, a symbol of human conceit and the growing divide between humans and God. A parable in the Book of Genesis, the Tower of Babel tells the story of how the people of the world came to speak different languages. In the beginning, the “whole world spoke the same language, using the same words” (Genesis 11:1). Inspired by their vanity and pride, the people of Babel start building a tower to reach into the heavens; to punish them, God makes them speak different languages, and they move apart. In Hanna’s depiction, a frustrated architect gazes upward at the unfinished monument.

The Stable of the Nativity

In the center of the entire structure lies the third cardinal point, the stable of the Nativity and the first scene Hanna created. The infant Jesus lies in the middle of the floor in an open structure, demonstrating to the viewer that everyone has access to the Incarnation. The kings and their companions stand to one side in their lavish, brightly colored robes. Mary and Joseph, along with farmers, children and other onlookers, wear simple, muted tones. These two groups’ presence together at the Nativity reminds the viewer that all people — rich and poor — are equal and welcome before God. 

The House of God

The final cardinal point is the House of God on the right side. Inside this temple, a young Jesus sits upon a throne, legs dangling and a large book in his lap, surrounded by elders. This well-known story of Jesus teaching in the temple is told in the Gospel of Luke. When Jesus becomes separated from his parents and they ultimately find him three days later, they admonish him for the worry he caused. Yet he responds by asking them, “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49) — an outward affirmation of Jesus' divine sonship and an acknowledgment that his obedience to his heavenly father’s will takes precedence over his ties to his family.

Reflecting the University of Dayton Today 

In advance of a renovation on the first and second floors of Roesch Library, “Mirror of Hope” found a new permanent home in the Marian Library Crèche Museum. Surrounded by Nativities from the vast crèche collection, “Mirror of Hope” contextualizes the birth of Christ in a larger narrative. It has continued to elicit a sense of wonderment for visitors but holds special meaning to the University of Dayton community. 

Olivia DiSalvo, a health sciences undergraduate student, shared,

“My favorite part of the ‘Mirror of Hope’ is the connection between the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at UD and the heavenly city. Similar to how this chapel is central to UD, the heavenly city is presented central to the ‘Mirror of Hope,’ representing where life begins and where we hope to return.”

As Hanna reflected on “Mirror of Hope” nearly 25 years after its completion, he shared that compared to what he could create today or what he could’ve created with more time, the craftsmanship is a bit unrefined — imperfect — yet it’s an apt reflection of humanity, he conceded: “Imperfections are OK. Humans are fallible, and that is what God has to work with.”

— Kayla Harris is an associate professor in the University Libraries and the director of the Marian Library.

A version of this article originally appeared in Volume 2 of Tidings: An Annual Comminiqué from the Marian Library.

Video Tour

Friend of the Marian Library Ann Persensky guides you through the "Mirror of Hope" sculpture.