Glencairn Museum News | Number 9, 2020
American Nativity, by Karen Loccisano and R. Michael Palan.
Figure 1: In American Nativity, an abandoned produce stand littered with bushel baskets is the “stable.”
The title of your new creation is American Nativity. Why did you decide to imagine this Nativity in an American setting?
Artists from around the world embrace the story of the Nativity and make it their own. They add a bit of themselves, their culture and the world that they live in. In previous years we have created a traditional, Italian-style Nativity (called a Presepio) with the miraculous event set within the daily life in 18th-century Naples, and also a Renaissance-style Nativity set within a snowy 16th-century Flemish village. All of the Nativities we have made up to this point have been influenced by what we have learned from the European tradition of making Nativities. We thought it was time to make a truly American Nativity with Joseph, Mary and Jesus in an American landscape.
What were some of your visual inspirations for this Nativity?
The familiar, iconic image of Grant Wood’s 1930 Depression-era painting American Gothic was our starting point. It can be clearly seen in Karen’s interpretation of Joseph and Mary. We looked at black and white photos documenting life in the Dust Bowl by Dorothea Lange (see Figures 2-3), including her image of the Migrant Mother, which is viewed as a modern Madonna and Child. We reread John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath (his novel about the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression), and also watched the Hollywood version of the book starring Henry Fonda on TV.
Figure 2: Figure: Dust Bowl farm north of Dalhart, Texas. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, June, 1938. Library of Congress LC-USF34- 018241-C.
Figure 3: Figure: Oklahoma Dust Bowl refugees in San Fernando, California. Photo: Dorothea Lange, June, 1935. Library of Congress LC-USF34- 002613-C.
Everyone in this Nativity seems to be on the move. What part of the country are they coming from, and where are they headed?
We drew comparisons between the Three Kings [i.e. the wise men or magi] traveling west, and the migrant American farmers traveling west from the drought-stricken southern plains during the Dust Bowl. Joseph and Mary traveled south to Bethlehem to register for the census. The Three Kings followed the Star of Bethlehem west. The people of the southern plains followed the highway west, escaping the severe drought and dust storms for the promise of work picking fruit and vegetables and a better life in California. There was no room in the inn for Joseph and Mary, just as there was no room in California for the migrant farmers during the Dust Bowl.
Figure 4: Migrant American farmers traveling west from the drought-stricken southern plains to California during the Dust Bowl.
Figure 5: Everyone in American Nativity is on the move.
Figure 6: Migrants loaded up their jalopies with whatever personal belongings they could fit.
Instead of the stable, cave, or grotto familiar from traditional Nativity scenes, where have you situated your Depression-era Holy Family?
Figure 7: “Michael added a star to the windmill to guide the Three Kings down the highway in their convertible sedan.”
Michael chose an abandoned produce stand littered with bushel baskets on the side of the highway as our “stable.” Windmills are a common feature in old photos of the Dust Bowl. It seemed like good fortune that the blades on the windmill looked so much like the beams of light radiating from the Star of Bethlehem. Michael added a star to the windmill to guide the Three Kings down the highway in their convertible sedan.
Instead of arriving by camel, horse, or elephant, the wise men have arrived by automobile. They seem well dressed, and are wearing neckties. Who are the wise men in your American Nativity?
In The Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family are greeted by a watchman when they arrive at the Weedpatch government camp. The watchman treats the family with kindness and respect, something that is sorely missed throughout their journey west. The watchman was in our mind when we were thinking of the Three Kings. We didn’t see the Kings as royalty, but as men with jobs that were spared some of the hardship of the Depression. Karen’s mother lived through the Depression and said, “Any man that had a job was not poor.” The kings have gifts wrapped in brown paper, tied with string. We never defined what they were, but asked ourselves, “What would a humble 1930s Depression-era baby need?” Apple pie? A blanket? Some gas to get their jalopy another few miles down the road?
Figure 8: “We didn’t see the Kings as royalty, but as men with jobs that were spared some of the hardship of the Depression.”
Instead of shepherds, who would obviously not be appropriate for the Dust Bowl, who are the other visitors who come to see the Christ Child?
Karen always adds children to the Nativities we make. She sees the children as being the most excited of anyone with the birth of the Christ Child. A family with children was added to play the role of the shepherd and sheep.
Figure 9: “A family with children was added to play the role of the shepherd and sheep.”
Can you think of any other ways that The Grapes of Wrath influenced your work?
The large billboard sign features a picturesque landscape scene along with the words, “The Land of Milk and Honey: America’s Promised Land.” This brings to mind a different biblical story: the Exodus from Egypt (Book of Exodus 3:8). In fact, in the 1940 film version of The Grapes of Wrath, when the family reaches the Arizona side of the Colorado River, the father says, “There she is, folks—the land of milk an' honey—California!”
Figure 10: A billboard features a picturesque landscape scene with the words, “The Land of Milk and Honey.”
Figure 11: Plagues of jackrabbits and grasshoppers destroyed whatever meager crops could grow on the plains.
Instead of the usual ox, donkey, and sheep, you have included a jackrabbit in this Nativity! What is the significance of the jackrabbit?
Woody Guthrie’s song, “Dusty Old Dust,” describes the dust storms blocking out the sun. People thought they were witnessing the end of the world. The chorus, “So long, it’s been good to know yuh,” puts a humorous spin on saying your final goodbyes to your family and friends. As if the dust storms turning daylight into darkness weren’t apocalyptic enough, seemingly biblical plagues of jackrabbits and grasshoppers destroyed whatever meager crops could grow on the plains. We left out the traditional ox, donkey and sheep in this Nativity, but we added one of those jackrabbits sitting beside Joseph and Mary’s pickup truck!
Someone viewing American Nativity in the year 2020 might reflect that, while our country is now facing extreme difficulties, the Great Depression was not that long ago, and the Christ Child was also born into a troubled world. Do you see similarities between what you have portrayed in American Nativity and what we are going through now?
We started working on this project a few weeks before the coronavirus pandemic started. It’s been a difficult year for many people around the world. We found ourselves going from researching hard times to living in them. Joseph and Mary faced the problems of their day—including the pressure of being the parents of the promised Messiah. Imagine the stress of that! Yet Joseph and Mary faced their troubles and obeyed God, and God sent angels, shepherds and kings to welcome the birth of their son, Jesus.
Figure 12: “Joseph and Mary faced the problems of their day—including the pressure of being the parents of the promised Messiah.”
Figure 13: Two jalopies under construction.
Figure 14: Despite overwhelming obstacles, many refugees from the Dust Bowl made it to California in their overloaded jalopies.
(Interviewed by CEG)
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