SACRED  STONES

By Gene Kangas

INTRODUCTION Excerpted from Book

The concept for SACRED STONES began germinating over thirty years ago in the tiny rural town of Mesopotamia, Ohio. "Mespo," as it is called by locals, is in the heart of Amish country in Trumbull County in northeastern Ohio. This general area is home to the fourth largest Amish community in America. The center of town is a community oriented public green space or park. A tall Civil War Monument topped by a stone eagle was erected there in 1867 honoring area veterans. Over 2,000 people attended the dedication.

About half way north on the eastern side of the commons is Fairview Cemetery, which had its first burial in 1818. Like most cemeteries, the majority of the marker stones tend towards the routine. Many of those in Fairview were fashioned from soft white marble and now appear to be melting from years of exposure. Names, dates and other embellishments are slowly vanishing; history fades with each rain storm. Scanning the cemetery, however, several obviously different stones immediately summon each visitor’s attention. They are not marble but seemingly indestructible hard granite. No detail has been erased by over a century of constant weathering. It is visually evident that a remarkable sculptural approach produced the various granite monuments in Fairview. One is a large highly detailed spiral sea shell. The largest is the Brigden Family marker accentuated by carved foliage and a friendly climbing bear. Another features a life-size seated curly coated faithful canine patiently waiting next to the headstone of a small child. These wonderful memorials originated from the self-taught artistic mind of Howard A. Brigden (1841-1913), a native of Mesopotamia. He also sculpted the stone eagle perched atop the Civil War Memorial. Being a sculptor, art teacher and folk art enthusiast, I was immediately attracted to Brigden’s masterpieces of cemetery art. Their existence provided an excellent reason to take visitors to Mesopotamia.

About twenty-five miles (40+ Km) west of Mespo is the town of Chagrin Falls, Ohio. There, a contemporary of Brigden’s named Henry Church, Jr. (1836-1908) gained a reputation as a maverick and eccentric. Among various artistic accomplishments was the ambitious thirty foot high relief carving locally referred to as "Squaw Rock." Its actual title is "The Rape of the Indian Tribes by the White Men." It boldly overlooks the Chagrin River for passers by to notice. Like Brigden, Henry Church sculpted a distinctive family grave marker in the form of a large reclining peaceable kingdom lion, protecting a gentle lamb that rests on one of its front paws. Fearing damage from vandalism, descendents eventually removed the lion and lamb from their original location in the Evergreen Hill Cemetery in Chagrin Falls and arranged for their relocation in the sheltered courtyard of the prestigious Cleveland Museum of Art. While Church’s cemetery sculpture is now safe in the hands of art professionals, its new sterile modern environment lacks context and the emotional impact of a serendipitous encounter.

Enjoyment from the publicly accessible artwork of Howard Brigden and Henry Church eventually led to the stone and wood folk carvings of Silvio Peter Zoratti (1896-1992) who immigrated to America in 1919 from Udine, Italy. Zoratti lived a quiet private life in Conneaut in the very northeast corner of Ohio. He carved primarily for his own enjoyment. During his lifetime none of his artworks were for sale. Zoratti did not make overt political statements or attempt to craft other communal expressions. Yet, Silvio Zoratti’s stone sculptures intentionally functioned as visual affirmations of his faith; each representing one of many elements of a total complex environmental matrix that evolved into his own unique Garden of Eden. He admitted that his colorful wood carvings tended to wear and deteriorate due to effects from the harsh snowy northeastern Ohio winters. Many required annual repairs, repainting or were discarded; but the hard stones, he believed, "They will last longer."

Zoratti was employed by the Nickel Plate Railroad to construct and maintain bridges, buildings and fences. That is where surplus stone for his sculptures originated. He created a multi-media shrine surrounded by brightly colored and fragrant flowers. It was situated on a prominent earthen rise in the very center of his beloved garden. Whether pruning fruit trees or harvesting beans, Silvio could fondly gaze upon his sacred hill. It was an extraordinary place, his special place.

The aesthetic accomplishments of these three individuals, Brigden, Church and Zoratti, were the essential inspiration for SACRED STONES.

[I contemplated a publication focusing on local or regional memorial artisans.] The idea gradually evolved; [actually] begged to be much larger. Was it possible to expand the basic idea into a worldwide survey? If so, how could such an overwhelming task be accomplished? The answer, proved to be quite simple. The Internet could and would provide global communication with virtually no restrictions. The Internet could quickly help discover foreign sites to consider as well as help develop a list of potential contributing professional and amateur photographers.

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New World Folk Art evolved from art faculty discussions concerning plans to commemorate the Columbus Quincentenary at Cleveland State University. Unlike the last observance, which brought forth the influential Columbian World Exposition in Chicago in 1893, the current anniversary has stoked bitter controversy. Native Americans feel that there is little to celebrate. Many Americans look upon some aspects of this country’s history less positively than their ancestors and regard the future with increasing uneasiness. In light of these circumstances, the art faculty sought an idea that would recognize these feelings and still pay homage to the native-born and immigrant people of the New World. Various concepts were suggested until the importance of interactions between cultures and their effects on folk imagery were decided upon as the focus of this exhibition.

Centuries before Christopher Columbus voyaged to these shores, ancient cultures prospered all across the North American continent. Much was learned by native people as they adapted to their environment and innovated methods to improve their lives. One of the eventual results of contact with new foreign settlers was a cross-cultural sharing of ideas and technologies. The exchange of knowledge benefited both, and each new cultural influx added to an already rich and complex history. More »