Serve by Design

I saw a different rendition of the Christmas story recently at Springfield's Chiara Center. I attended the Franciscan Nativity Festival and enjoyed a cursory review of more than 120 nativity scenes on loan to display for the festival. When I first saw this particular nativity, I was taken aback by the simple depiction of three figures inside an igloo with a large star prominently displayed at the top of the ice block house. What really captured my imagination were the three unique figures symbolizing Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus in the manger. Presumably, a Chicago artist depicted these Christmas characters as a family of Eskimos dressed in traditional Alaskan hooded parkas. Eskimo Nativity Courtesy of R. Pruitt, Springfield However fanciful this take on the Christmas nativity was for the creator of this piece, the owner of this set told the story of why she was taken with it. This unique piece reminded her of the years she had spent as a volunteer, living in Alaska among the