Haywood Street Fresco
Affirming sacred worth, restoring human dignity, and sabotaging the shame of poverty, the Haywood Street Fresco announces, in plaster and pigment, that you matter.
Fresco Viewing Hours:
Monday – Thursday, 10 am – 2 pm (with the exception of during our worship service, which is 12:30 pm every Wednesday).
Contact April if you would like to make an appointment to see the Fresco outside of those hours.
Theology
The Haywood Street Fresco is a depiction of the Beatitudes, eight blessings offered by Jesus to the poor, sick, and invisible in every society. The fresco is a reflection of this sermon in that it entreats viewers to look, to see, to behold the humanity and individual value of all human beings.
The Haywood Street Congregation endeavors to be a living example of the Beatitudes in every aspect of its ministry, reversing the typical value system so that the last are put first. It is a ministry founded on relationships – the act of being with rather than doing for.
Community
Each figure depicted in the Haywood Street Fresco is modeled off of a real, living member of the Haywood Street community. Lead Fresco Artist Christopher Holt conducted portrait drawing sessions with each model, taking the time to sit with them and listen to their stories. The fresco celebrates the individual, lived experiences of each of these models, and also celebrates them as beautiful representations of the Haywood and human community.
Learn more about each model in our interactive diagram below.
Process
Fresco, meaning “fresh” in Italian, describes a special painting technique where color is applied to plaster while it is still wet. The Haywood Street Fresco includes 30 individual characters, or figures, all drawn from life, and took approximately 15 months to complete.
The fresco process involves mixing sand and lime to make plaster, placing the mix on a wall and painting it while it is still wet. The Haywood Street Fresco team painted for three months, working from dawn to dusk six days a week to complete the painting.
Haywood Fresco Team: Christopher Holt (principal artist), Caleb Clark, John Dempsey, Jill Hooper, Anselme Long
Ways to Experience the Fresco
Self-guided Fresco visit during open hours: Mon (10 – 1), Tues (10 – 2), Wed (10 – 2 except during the 12:30 worship service), Thurs (10 – 2)
Schedule a tour with a docent. Email April to arrange a time.
View Theirs Is the Kingdom, the documentary which follows the creation of the Fresco. Click here to learn more. Check out the Study Guide which can accompany the viewing
Purchase the Haywood Street Fresco book, a 28-page book with color photography outlining the Fresco timeline and process. Click here to purchase.