EASTER ART INSTALLATION PONDERS REBIRTH.
Easter art installation at Houston church ponders rebirth
“The dead trees become a house, a home for new life. I think about Jesus’ death and resurrection. He needed to die to become new.”
Ibraim Nascimento, artist
It’s not a surprise to artist Ibraim Nascimento when a conversation with his friend Kelsey Johnson leads to a brainstorming session.
The two work together at FAM Houston, a faith-based nonprofit that empowers refugees and immigrants. They also collaborated on the children’s book “When Clouds Bring Rain.” Johnson wrote the story, and Nascimento illustrated the pages.
Last month, the two were signing copies of their book at Westbury United Methodist Church.
“We were talking about installations and creating spirituality in art,” Nascimento said. “Anytime we’re talking it can transform into an idea in one second.”
Suddenly, he had a vision for an interactive art piece, perfect for Holy Week. They walked outside to find a place where they could build the creation.
Nascimento, a Pearland resident, explained that the structure symbolizes both a bird’s nest and a tomb, referring to Jesus’ entombment before resurrection.
“We think about God, looking down on us and seeing we were lost,” Nascimento explained. “He said, ‘I’m going to give you my son to die and give you salvation.’ He gave a part of Himself to save us.”
Jesus dies and also gives new life, the artist continued.
“A nest is a symbol of new life,” he said. “It’s also about transformation.”
Nascimento explained that a nest is made out of twigs, the remnants of living trees.
“The dead trees become a house, a home for new life,” he said. “I think about Jesus’ death and resurrection. He needed to die to become new. He couldn’t be new while still being the same. We needed to close the door to be open for new life.”
The next step for Nascimento and Johnson was to propose the concept of the art installation to Westbury’s the Rev. Hannah Terry, also the founder and executive director of FAM Houston.
“When we come together with an idea, we run to Hannah,” Nascimento said. “And we’re like, ‘We have a crazy idea.’ She’s like, ‘Let’s do it.’ ”
Pastor Terry said the Holy Week installation was just what she wanted: a chance to create community around art after a year of so much isolation and virtual gatherings.
“We’re always looking for ideas that bubble up,” she said. “My passion is building community, particularly with young people in Houston.”
The music and worship pastor at the church, the Rev. Bodie Gilbert, is also focused on the youth and helping them access faith, using the arts as a tool.
“It helps them on their own journey to discover God,” Gilbert said.
The congregation has a Kids’ Music and Arts Troupe and Youth Collective dedicated to the arts.
The art installation seemed like an ideal opportunity to engage younger members of the church, Gilbert said. On Palm Sunday, Nascimento led the way as youth in FAM Houston’s programs created the sculpture.
The interaction continues Easter Sunday, when guests will place flowers over the nest, similar to the tradition of the flowering of the Easter Cross, which symbolizes the blossoming of hope and life after Jesus’ resurrection.
The Easter service is open to the public, and guests are invited to use provided flowers or bring their own.
The sculpture will stay up on the church’s lawn until April 7.
“The arts are something to be celebrated and embraced in church,” Gilbert said. “Anything that brings us closer to God is valuable — and most importantly for our youth.”
This project, he added, is a unique opportunity.
“Youth can discover faith with this beautiful experience — and then we’re empowering them to be leaders and to teach us,” Gilbert said.
Terry said the experience and the resulting visuals offer a powerful way to retell the Easter story.
“You’re retelling it and finding your place in it,” she said.
Creating the nest together is part of the art, Nascimento explained. The process itself is key.
He encourages participants to use the structure as a repository for prayers.
“People put their prayers inside, what they need to release in their lives,” Nascimento said. “That’s what God asks us: ‘What is too heavy for you? Let me take your sins, your pain. Let me help you.’ ”
On Easter Sunday, the nest will blossom.
“The thorns go down, and the flowers come up,” Nascimento said. “The idea of the installation is to bring new life and accept the cycle of life. It’s a big nest where we can think about life, and the life that is coming.”
Weaving together the twigs to form the structure is significant, the artist explained. He describes it as “messy” and “tangled.”
“That’s the way God works,” Nascimento said. “God doesn’t give us a straight line and say, ‘Go there.’ God makes us work it out, to live and learn from this journey.”
How can a tomb become a nest, and how can eggs break and become a new life? That question is central to Easter celebrations, he explained.
“We can find God in everything,” he said. “We just need to open our eyes and look around. We are trained to look down, to keep our heads down, to keep to ourselves. But when we look up, what is above us?”