Since the groundbreaking ceremony in April, construction on the Museum of Biblical Art’s new Via Dolorosa Sculpture Garden is continuing to move closer to completion.
I recently visited the museum as a guest and snapped a picture of the construction progress along with a couple of bronze, life-sized Gib Singleton sculptures that will be similar to the 15 Singleton sculptures that will soon inhabit the sculpture garden.
Patricia Martin, the museum’s director of development, also passed along a photo of one of the 15 sculptures depicting the stations of the cross, which you can view below.
Singleton, who passed away earlier this year, is known as a modern master of bronze sculpture. While working at the Vatican, he also helped restore Michelangelo’s Renaissance masterpiece “The Pieta,” when it was vandalized in 1972. (You can read more of Advocate’s coverage of the Via Dolorosa garden here.)
A docent says the garden, which will be free to the public, is set to open this November or December. Martin adds that there are still sponsorships available for three of the sculptures and two benches.
Before the garden opens be sure to check out the museum’s Barbara Hines exhibit, opening Oct. 7. The Texas-based artist incorporates actual soil, gold dust, and silver dust from Israel to create her impressionist, contemporary canvases depicting the Holy Land.
An earlier version of this post incorrectly identified the sculptures to be displayed in the Via Dolorosa sculpture garden.