What began as a Nativity set commissioned by the Marian Library, grew into a 12-foot-wide, 5-foot-high art installation with over 200 hand-painted clay figures by artist Kevin Hanna. With the birth of Christ at its center, surrounded by scenes from the Old and New testaments, “Mirror of Hope” depicts the visual story of creation, the Incarnation, the Resurrection and redemption.
Father Johann Roten, S.M., then director of the Marian Library, first learned of 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. 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, balance the artwork visually and direct the eye of the viewer.
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.”