Ofrenda 2003

Mission Chic

The Nativity Up High.

Throughout the centuries the glorious birth of the Christ Child has been rendered by artisans in numerous ways. Some artisans produce exotic representations that came straight from the Bible: the Holy Family huddled together inside a cavern amidst Bethlehem's arabesque buildings and a starry night. Others choose to set it in a more familiar terrain, their own.




This nativity scene by Fontanini follows the latter. Here, the Holy Family and the shepherdess are shown garbed in an Italian peasant clothing. I chose to set the Nativity Story high up on the Tyrolean Alps as a personal reminder that even when everything seems bleak, there is still hope.