PC professor sculpts cross for Piephoff Outdoor Chapel

Sept. 18, 2006

Two gifts that have helped shaped the landscape of the Presbyterian College campus were made recently – one an act of generosity and the other a display of skill and artistry.

A new Celtic cross at the Clarence Piephoff Outdoor Chapel was made possible this month thanks to a gift from 1955 alumnus Warren Berry and the talent of art professor and sculptor Ralph Paquin.

Alumnus gifts college with new cross

Berry’s support of the outdoor chapel, which is right off the East Plaza adjacent to the pond at the Harper Center, including a gift to name the chapel in honor of the late Rev. Clarence Piephoff, a PC alumnus was Berry’s pastor at College Park Presbyterian Church in College Park, Ga.

“Clarence Piephoff was very instrumental in my becoming a Christian,” said Berry. “And he was also the facilitator for getting me into PC. I was honored to be a part of this project.”

Berry was asked again to lend his support for the outdoor chapel, this time to add a cross. And again, he answered the call of his alma mater.

PC art professor takes on project

Also answering a call – this one from college president Dr. John Griffith – was Paquin, who responded first to inquiries into the costs of the addition.

“I did some estimates and found some very qualified people – and they were all very expensive,” he said. “I looked into a variety of media – stone, obsidian, and granite – and they were pretty costly.”

Luckily, Paquin was able to draw on his own experience working on a public project using cast concrete – a permanent material that, he added, has come a long way aesthetically and would prove the perfect fit on campus and give the chapel the desired “sense of place.”

Enlisting 2006 graduate Andrew Howard as an assistant, Paquin – who has served on the college faculty since 1998 – spent nine weeks this summer creating the cross. From the initial designs, which were submitted to Berry, he began sculpting the cross in clay, a process that took three weeks on its own. He and Howard fabricated the molds and cast several test models before the final project was cast and completed.

New cross gives outdoor chapel ‘sense of space’

Seeing the final cross in place is, naturally, a satisfying end to a laborious process filled with a variety of challenges. In this case, said Paquin, it also provided affirmation of his skill as an artist.

“I have a God-given gift to see (the result) before it happens,” he said. “That was nice to see when it was completed – it was exactly like I thought. There were no surprises.”

The cross, Paquin added, “qualifies the space for what it’s used for.”

“That’s what sculpture is meant to do – to give idenity to a building or an area,” he said.
In this case, because that area is being used for worship, the project provided spiritual affirmation, as well.

“I’ve been brought up very Catholic, so for me the Cross represents the pain and suffering of Christ in a very fundamental way,” said Paquin. “With a Celtic cross, there is this mix between Christian and pagan and there is also this circle present which is all about divine love. It was really appealing to me to be making that kind of shape.”

Berry agreed that the new Celtic cross gives the outdoor chapel an inspirational new touch.

“I think it’s extremely meaningful,” he said. “My wife and I saw the photographs of it and we were very moved. I believe the cross is a necessary addition to the chapel so that the focus is on Christ being at the center of worship.”