April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
UPON THIS ROCK
Sculptures grew from discarded cathedral stones
Soon after renovations to Albany's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception began last decade, local artist Samson Contompasis salvaged 12,000 pounds of discarded stone and carved it into hundreds of flowing sculptures.
Following a recent interfaith event at the cathedral, the Jewish-Catholic Dialogue Committee of the diocesan Commission on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs presented Bishop Hubbard with one of the sculptures.
"It looks like it has a lot of movement," said committee co-chair Ellen Brickman of the sculpture, which is about a foot and a half tall. "It's kind of like a bouquet of flowers in the sense that it's meant to be viewed from any direction. [The sculptures] have this sort of warmth and softness and pull."
The Diocese made history in 1986 when it offered an interfaith prayer service of reconciliation and healing at the cathedral. During that ceremony, Bishop Hubbard publicly asked for the "forgiveness of God for the wounds inflicted on the Jewish people through selfishness and blindness."
Expression of gratitude
The sculpture is an early retirement gift for the Bishop - who could retire as early as October 2013, when he turns 75 - and shows gratitude for his role in interfaith understanding.
"Wherever he ends up, it can be in the corner of a room," said Ms. Brickman, who attends Congregation Beth Emeth in Albany. "I love the thought of that. It might help him enjoy some memories."
Mr. Contompasis, the artist, agreed that "it will mean a lot," since "the stone came from his house."
Mr. Contompasis encountered the stone in a Dumpster next to the cathedral in 2003 and snatched a few pounds to make a base for one of his metal sculptures.
"It was actually almost by accident," he said, recalling how cathedral restoration workers explained that much of the original stone had been cut incorrectly. That initial sculpting morphed into a four-year project - with a two-year break when he lived in Portland, Ore., and worked at a glass factory.
Mr. Contompasis' work includes murals, large-scale paintings, portraits, abstracts and glass sculptures. He directs both the Marketplace Gallery in Albany and the Living Walls Albany project; the latter invites international artists to create art on donated city walls and educates the public about art.
Raw materials
The stone project "was an awakening of sorts," Mr. Contompasis told The Evangelist. "I was working with a wholly unfamiliar medium. I had never touched a stone before. I learned that you can pretty much do anything if you set your heart and mind on it."
Using mallets, chisels, sledgehammers, grinders and machetes, Mr. Contompasis gave life and personality to sculptures weighing up to 300 pounds and measuring up to five feet tall.
"They're always looking to stand up higher. I'm just freeing their wills," he noted.
The sculptures are scattered throughout the Diocese, the U.S. and as far away as Germany. The one chosen for Bishop Hubbard weighs about 20 pounds.
"We wanted to make it manageable," Mr. Contompasis said. "The fun of it is kind of picking it up off the ground just a little bit."
Mr. Contompasis, who attends St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church in Albany, respected the spiritual nature of the project.
He called the raw materials for the sculptures "ordained stone: Not only did it overlook Albany for its entire existence, but it was the house of God. It was the closest to heaven that you could get."[[In-content Ad]]
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