“Equilibrium,” Raymond Jacobson
The sculpture, “Equilibrium,” was placed in front of the Climenhaga Fine Arts Center for the dedication of the building in 1981. The following is an excerpt from about the sculpture:
“Art is complex, and the new sculpture in the Shaffer courtyard of the Climenhaga Fine Arts Center is no exception. It is an abstract piece of art in that the sculptor, Raymond Jacobson, did not work from a model. And yet, in one sense, he did have a model—a pre-commissioning statement provided by Messiah College which stressed ‘wholeness’ and ‘the Anointed One.’ The frontiers of art at Messiah should be advanced because of this major work.
Can the abstract be meaningful? We at Messiah, along with many of our constituency, have been highly practical and utilitarian in our orientation. There is much good in this outlook on life. But more is needed. Our Lord declared, ‘Man does not live by bread only.’ We are more than domesticated animals to be fed, clothed, housed, bred, worked and controlled. We have creative, imaginative, reasoning abilities. We have spiritual inclinations, a yearning for meaning, an appreciation for beauty and a need for wholeness in perspective. All of these are sustained, in part, through art. Bread alone does not give the full substance of life because art comes from God. He, the greatest abstract artist of all, gives us the gifts to create and appreciate art—for we are created in His image.
Though there are few art experts among us, all art, including abstract art, is important to our well-being. It is not a luxury. It is not peripheral to important matters. Art assumes a helping role, an embellishing role, an ennobling role.”
— D. Ray Hostetter, Messiah College president (1964-1994)