HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) - Mention “Eggbeater Jesus” and most any Huntsville resident will know what you’re talking about. The glass-tile mosaic that graces the front of First Baptist Church - officially, its name is “Cosmic Christ” - has been a local landmark for more than 40 years.
The church doesn’t embrace or reject the mosaic’s unofficial (and somewhat irreverent) nickname, said Jud Reasons, First Baptist’s executive pastor. At this point, it’s inescapable.
“It’s on Google maps as ’Eggbeater Jesus,’” said Reasons. “I can’t change it.”
The mosaic, which depicts Jesus Christ surrounded by the cosmos, is 47 feet high and 154 feet long.
It weighs 6 tons, but “it’s getting lighter every day,” said Todd Westbrook, chair of First Baptist’s committee of trustees.
Tile began falling off the mosaic not long after it was dedicated in January 1974, and it is still raining down.
“One of our members joked that if you walk under the tile, carry an umbrella,” said Travis Collins, the church’s senior pastor.
The mosaic - originally composed of 1.4 million square glass tiles - was designed and fabricated by Gordon William Smith, a stained glass artist from Fort Worth, Texas. Smith also designed and installed the stained-glass sanctuary windows.
The mosaic was commissioned during the heyday of the Apollo program. Huntsville was a city growing by leaps and bounds, and its residents were proud to be connected to the program sending Americans to the moon. The mosaic’s design - with an image of Christ that resembles an old-fashioned eggbeater - reflected that optimism and passion for progress.
“They were trying to meld the idea of a community that was both scientific and faith-based,” said Westbrook. “They saw it as a way to pay homage to the created and the creator at the same time.”
A church newsletter from 1971 described the mosaic’s theme this way: “Members of the church and their pastor, Dr. Alvin H. Hopson, feel that the work reflects the forward-looking atmosphere of Huntsville and its Marshall Space Flight Center where the Saturn moon rocket is built.
“According to the artist, the design of the mosaic is based on the first chapter of the book of Revelation in which Christ is described as galactic and universal - the Christ of earth, of space, of eternity.’”
But the brightly colored “Cosmic Christ” has not aged well. Hundreds - probably thousands - of tiles are missing, leaving white or gray empty patches scattered across the cosmos. Broken tiles can often be found on the sidewalk beneath.
The church has tried various methods of repair over the years, with little success. Since 2003, said Westbook, the church commissioned two different studies to determine the best way to fix it.
“The conclusion of both,” he said, “was that it’s unrepairable.”
The church has been almost unanimous in the fact that we have to do something. Earlier this month, the church voted overwhelmingly in favor of replacing the mosaic entirely - and making a new mosaic as close to the original work as possible.
The new art will be the same, but not exactly. The trustees have spent the better part of a year meeting with experts and potential contractors before coming up with a plan.
The new Cosmic Christ will be constructed from 4.3 million blown glass tiles, hand-cut in Italy by the Barsanti Marble Bronze Mosaic company. The original mosaic had just 1.4 million tiles.
“The fabricators said it’s like going from analog to HD,” said Westbrook. “We have about 60 colors in the mosaic now; we’ll get close to 1,000 colors when it’s replaced.”
The new tiles will be reflective, giving the design a more brilliant appearance than the current tiles, which are matte.
The mosaic will be replaced over the next five years, one section - there are seven bays in all - at a time. Italian artists from Barsanti will arrive to lay the tiles in each bay as they are completed.
But first, a Florida company will use drones to photograph the existing mosaic in order to measure it for reproduction. That company, J. Piercey Studios, will also remove the mosaic, one bay at a time, as the new tiles arrive.
The church is still considering what to do with the old tiles. Leaders hope the process of removing and recreating the Cosmic Christ can provide educational opportunities for the community.
“We hope the arts community will embrace this as a celebration and a way to learn,” said Collins. “We’d love to host classes and gatherings.”
The project will cost approximately $1.4 million. The church has already allocated some building money for the project, and has received a commitment of up to $500,000 in matching gifts from donors.
“Because of the generosity of a few individuals, and the entire church, we’re not going to divert any of our missions money to this,” said Collins. “We will still be able to invest in the community financially as we always have. That was important to us.”
Westbrook said the timing was ideal, particularly after individual donors came forward, willing to give funding for a large portion of the project. Since the project was approved by church vote, he said, there’s been a sense of excitement about it.
Reasons put it this way: “Can you imagine not doing it?”
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