Community West Foundation: Take the Tour of the Matthew 25 Collection

Earlier this month, a group of 20 people journeyed to the near west side of downtown Cleveland to explore the six statues that make up the Matthew 25 Collection by Canadian artist, Timothy Schmalz. This marked the inaugural tour of the artwork brought to Cleveland by Community West Foundation. The final piece of the collection was only installed late summer.

“This art is not only a visual representation of our mission, but it also depicts basic human rights,” commented Marty Uhle, Community West Foundation President and CEO. “We are eager to continue the conversation about compassion and empathy through this public art.”

At each sculpture, the group learned more about what inspired the artist’s design. Staff at Community West Foundation had the opportunity to meet with the artist virtually prior to the tour to learn these details as well as the amount of time it took him to create each piece.

This is a summary of that conversation with Schmalz regarding his inspiration for the Homeless Jesus statue:

Timothy Schmalz saw a homeless person in Toronto – a figure shrouded in a blanket in the city and it moved him spiritually and stopped him in his tracks. He returned to his studio inspired because he had felt he saw something sacred and he wanted other people to see it.

His initial thought about seeing that homeless person was “I just saw Jesus” – he reflected that maybe it was because it was the middle of the day, or that it was close to Christmas on one the busiest streets in one of the busiest cities in Canada. There was a contrast between the city and this human figure that was silent and shrouded. Being a Christian, he thought “that was Jesus”.

Schmalz wanted to create that scene so others could experience it. He dropped all his other projects and started sculpting the exact scene he experienced that day. He did purposefully move the blanket up so the feet would be exposed revealing the wounds which would serve as the only identification it was Christ.

At first, Schmalz had the face exposed on the sculpture but he felt it was too much and didn’t conform to Matthew 25. In Matthew 25, there is that mystery and ambiguity where the identification of Jesus comes afterwards. The Jesus figure is identifying with the least of those in our society. Schmalz wanted to emphasize the least of us could be any of us.

Community West Foundation is encouraging all Clevelanders to take the self-guided tour of the collection and they’ve made it easy by offering a map you can download from their website: Matthew25CLE.org. Cleveland is only the second city in the world, next to Rome, Italy, to host the collection in its entirety. The locations of each statue are:

• When I Was Hungry and Thirsty – Old Stone Church, 91 Public Square, Cleveland, OH 44113
• Homeless Jesus – Saint Malachi Parish, 2459 Washington Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44113
• When I Was Naked – Malachi House, 2810 Clinton Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44113
• When I Was Sick – Cleveland Clinic Lutheran Hospital (corner of main entrance on West 25th Street), 1730 West 25th Street Cleveland, OH 44113
• When I Was a Stranger – The Refugee Response (on the Urban Community School campus), 2054 West 47th Street, Cleveland OH 44102
• When I Was in Prison – Bridge CLE (formerly known as Family Ministry Center), 3389 Fulton Road, Cleveland, OH 44109

The mission of Community West Foundation is to advance the health and well-being of our community. The staff and Board of Directors are guided by the words in Matthew 25:35-40. While their mission is based on these teachings, they are not affiliated with any particular religion. Their grantees, friends and donors come from diverse faiths and practices.

For more information, contact Community West Foundation at 440-360-7370 or visit communitywestfoundation.org.

Click here for more photos.