Tracy Wilson | Collegian
Tucked away in the old chapel lies a piece of art created by the same hands that created the soldier statues facing the Washington D.C. Vietnam War Memorial. The “Cross of the Millennium,” made by sculptor Frederick Hart, was donated to Hillsdale College by Stephanie Dooley and dedicated in 2019.
Dooley, an art dealer of 45 years, said she is affiliated with the group that represented Frederick Hart, the Meryl Chase Organization, and that she likely first acquired the piece in the 1990s. She donated the piece to Hillsdale in honor of her late husband.
“I knew that it needed to be in someone’s very special hands,” Dooley said. “I’m a Christian. We both had a very strong sense of spirituality for Frederick Hart and I couldn’t think of a better place that would honor my husband than to put it in the hands of Hillsdale College.”
Dooley said she had the idea to donate the piece to Hillsdale when talking with a friend at a Hillsdale luncheon.
“It just occurred to me all of a sudden. We had not been talking about it at all,” Dooley said. “I looked at my friend and said, ‘Do you think Hillsdale would like my “Cross of the Millennium?”’ It just so happened that she worked for the Meryl Chase Organization. I had known her for the same period of time. She began to cry. She was so moved, and from that moment forward, we moved into getting it into Hillsdale’s hands.”
Professor of Art Barbara Bushey said she remembers meeting with Dooley to decide where the cross should be placed.
“We had a show of [Hart’s] work in the gallery, including the crucifix piece that’s in the old chapel,” Bushey said. “She wanted it in a place that people might see it, but on the other hand that it might be protected. I remember we wandered all over campus and were like, ‘There’s a wall, there’s a wall.’”
The cross itself is made of clear acrylic, with the figure of Jesus cast in resin in the center of the cross. To the unsuspecting eye, Jesus’ figure may not be immediately visible. It’s the light hitting the cross that reveals He who is the light of the world.
Hillsdale alumnus and sculptor Isaac Dell said Hart’s unique design testifies to his skilled artistry.
“He’s very innovative in his work, and this piece is a really great example of that because you can’t tell how he actually did that,” Dell said. “It’s rare to see a sculpture like that cast in acrylic resin.”
Senior art major Heidi Yacoubian said she was intrigued by Hart’s use of clear acrylic, and after looking at the piece, decided to look up more information about it.
“They were talking about how the material of that clear resin adds this kind of mystery and you could interpret it to be a more spiritual piece because of that quality and translucence,” Yacoubian said. “I thought that was a really interesting way to depict the spiritual element in the material world.”
A plaque outside the old chapel reads, “This unique sculpture simultaneously displays the birth of Christ by the faceted Star of Bethlehem, His death by the Christ figure on the cross, and His resurrection by the head of Christ uplifted in victory over death.” According to Dell, the use of clear acrylic allowed Hart to play with perspective and create a piece where the meaning is found in the medium, rather than the form.
“He’s kind of always had this sense of mystery and a dream-like feel to his pieces that is very majestic,” Dell said. “He can do that differently because of it being in acrylic in this piece. When he’s working in clay and doing it in bronze-casting, he had a different way of playing with abstract forms.”
Bushey said this piece is representative of Hart’s use of realistic human forms to communicate religious meaning.
“Religious imagery is important to him,” Bushey said. “I think he just got intrigued by the acrylic. He came upon this new material and he’s like, ‘What can I do with this? How can I manipulate this?’ As an artist, that’s kind of what we do. We have philosophical underpinnings.”
Dell said viewing artistic pieces like the “Cross of the Millennium” adds to the education of students on campus, regardless of major.
“There is a lot to be learned from people who see the world and communicate through a different medium,” Dell said. “Writing is a form of art. People read and learn from that form of art. Sculpture and painting are just different mediums and forms of art that different personalities communicate through. It can be hard to read a sculpture and that’s just because it’s a different language that we’re not as used to. There’s a lot of meaning packed into it.”
Yacoubian said she thinks it’s important to view sculptures on campus and reflect on their meanings.
“At least for me, when I see a statue or monument it doesn’t have as much significance until I learn more about the reason behind it: why it was made, the significance of the subject to the artist, why did the school choose it?” Yacoubian said. “I think by looking into it that way, that gives students and viewers a much deeper appreciation for the ability to view the piece and gives it a much richer meaning.”