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Art and the Church -> Materials for Use in Churches

Lent 4 - The Ear of Wheat

 
Women in the Detention Facility for Would-be Immigrants Heerhugowaard:
 
The Ear of Wheat
 
 
A King Like an Ear of Wheat
 
by Jan Jongeneel
 
This tablecloth is made by a group of women in the since closed down Noorderzand detention facility for would-be immigrants in Heerhugowaard, The Netherlands. Two Russian and two Chinese women and women from the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Suriname and Brasil worked together on this project. The initiators of this cooperative venture, Folly Hemrica (justice councellor) and Elspeth Pikaar (artist), showed photos of grasses and wheat to the women and explained their idea for a silk-screen liturgical tablecloth. Next they proceeded to make this large silk-screen print together.
 
The tablecloth was meant for the liturgical table in the silence centre of the Noorderzand complex. It was made in the period preceding Easter, expressing the joy connected with Easter. On the cloth, around the middle five ears of wheat have been represented. In the centre Christ, the Bread of Life, is depicted as an ear of wheat and bearer of wheat grains. The Dutch Easter hymn by Willem Barnard (Gezang 199:7 Liedboek der kerken) also mentions Christ as the ear of wheat:
 
Now is the day of harvest,
The very height of time;
A king like an ear of wheat
rises in majesty.
 
The ear of wheat also is the symbol of the Church as the body of Christ, particularly of the celebration of the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist. In its totality the printed cloth symbolizes vitality and harvest. It points to Easter as the feast of the harvest and the resurrection of Christ.
 
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The Ear of Wheat, 2.20 x 1.66 cm, silk-screen, 2007. This cloth is now used as a liturgical cloth during services on detention boats in Zaandam. The Catechetisch Atelier van het Protestants Justitiepastoraat te Utrecht has made cards of this slik-screen cloth.
 
Jan Jongeneel is honorary emeritus professor in missiology at the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands.
 
This is an exerpt from the book: Jan A.B. Jongeneel, Nienke K. Atmadja-Hadinoto, Freek Visser: Verbeelden en gelijken. Niet-westerse migranten en hun kerken veertig keer in beeld, Boekencentrum – Zoetermeer, 2010. 
 
ArtWay Visual Meditation April 3, 2011 - Fourth Sunday of Lent