Angels Unawares is a sculpture designed by Catholic Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz at the request of the Migrants and Refugees Section of the Holy See’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. More information on the artwork and its sculptor can be found on the Roche Center’s webpage and the artist’s personal website. The sculpture is expected to remain at Boston College until early December, before traveling to the Diocese of Brooklyn, where it will remain for the Christmas season.
Melodie Wyttenbach, Ph.D., is the Director of Boston College’s Roche Center for Catholic Education, also serving as a member of the faculty for the Lynch School of Education. Previously, she served as an assistant professor and academic director of the Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program for the Alliance for Catholic Education at the University of Notre Dame and as president of Nativity Jesuit Academy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As a result of Dr. Wyttenbach’s efforts, the Angels Unawares sculpture inaugurated its cross-country tour with a month-long stay at Boston College.
When did you first encounter the Angels Unawares sculpture?
In February, I was in Rome with Fr. Casey Beaumier and Dr. Cristiano Casalini for an international meeting for the Congregation of Catholic Education. As we were walking across St. Peter’s Square, I was drawn to the sculpture in an extraordinary way. The more I learned about it, the more significant I realized it was- from why Pope Francis chose to commission this sculpture, to the artists deep faith that inspires his work, to the diversity of migrants and refugees across time spans represented—I knew it was something special, something sacred.
While standing in front of the sculpture, I sent a text to a dear friend of mine, Fr. Joe Corpora, a Holy Cross priest who does a lot of work with migrants at the US-Mexico border asking, “Have you seen the sculpture?” Within seconds he texted back a picture of himself in front of it with the artist, who he met at the blessing of the sculpture on the 105th World Day of Migrants and Refugees on September 29, 2019. Fr. Joe replied, “There’s going to be a replica traveling across the United States. Do you want me to put you in touch with the artist?”
So what happened next, considering Italy and the United States went into lockdowns not long after?
So [the artist] Timothy Schmalz and I connected in February a month before the coronavirus pandemic started, and then everything froze. The original idea was that a replica of the sculpture would be on display in 10 cities across the U.S., moving from the West Coast to East Coast. The cast made it to its first stop which was LA, and it was eventually going to go from the Cathedral of Los Angeles, stopping along the way one month at a time until it reached its permanent home in Washington, D.C.. But then with the pandemic, everything just stopped.
Tim informed me the tour was on pause, and I hadn’t heard from him in months so thought it might be canceled completely. Then one Wednesday night in late September I thought “I wonder what’s happening with Angels Unawares and the tour.”
And this is how God is always at work in our lives, the next morning, I got an email from Timothy Schmalz saying, “It’s on the move, and I’d love to talk.” So we connected at one o’clock and he shared, “We’ve had to change the course of plans. Angels Unawares will begin at Catholic U, and then head west [before returning to the Catholic University of America, which will be its permanent home].” And he said, “Since it’s on the East Coast, I’ve been thinking about where to start, I just think Boston’s a perfect city, and you seem so passionate about this. Can we make it happen for the first stop?” Tim proposed January [2021] and I was like “No way, nobody’s here in January. We can’t do January; we’ve got to host it sooner.”
How did you manage to arrange the sculpture’s installation at Boston College? And how did you decide on its placement in O’Neill Plaza?
Managing the installation was an incredible learning experience. I had to work with General Counsel, Risk Management, Facilities, everyone down to the crane companies to try to figure how do we get it here. Fr. Leahy chose the location in O’Neill Plaza here is the heart of the campus, a real thoroughfare. It’s a beautiful intentional placement, and many people are caught gazing and thinking about the complexities of immigration and the stories of those in transit.
How do you go about interpreting the meaning of the sculpture?
The meaning of the sculpture is inspired by faith, drawing from the verse of Hebrews 13:2, “Be welcoming of strangers for oftentimes you’re entertaining angels unawares.” This represents that all 140 people on this boat are sacred. The number of people is drawn from the 140 Saints that line the colonnade at St Peter’s Square. And sadly, two weeks ago, a boat sank off the coast of Senegal with 140 migrants on it. This is a living sculpture, and people can relate to it because they see themselves in it or the events of our world represented within. The detail of the piece draws one in as well. For example, the woman at the bow on the left is a Muslim fleeing Syria. Schmalz explained as he was sculpting originally he had her expecting a baby. So there were two women in the front expecting new life, symbolic of a new beginning. And [Schmalz] said it just didn’t seem right, so he actually had her give birth. And looking closely you see she’s still holding a bottle. It’s these small details that show the depth of this art and a person’s story- as sometimes we leave loved ones behind or lose loved ones along the way.
What kind of resources did its installation require?
Originally the sculpture arrived on a huge flatbed truck and was unloaded onto a smaller truck, near McElroy, on Saturday morning [of Oct. 31st]. A large crane and the smaller 20 foot long truck made their way to O’Neill Plaza. The sculpture was covered by a metal frame, such that the crane can lift the frame but does not touch the sculpture. Once lifted from the truck, the sculpture was placed right on the grass, as the 3.5 tons would be evenly distributed. Aside from the movement, and a little landscaping, it was actually pretty simple.
That sounds surprisingly simple for such a large sculpture. All it required was lifting the one piece?
Interestingly, the boat is actually hollow and the two separate wings detach. We had to have people crawl up from underneath and with an 8-foot ladder to bolt them in. I really enjoyed how everyone came together and took interest in the sculpture from the facilities crew to the crane operator.
Which of these details stand out most to you?
When you look carefully, you can see the level of detail, like the different bags that people have with them. Like a plastic bag, people not even having a bag, carrying their book and a blanket, or a little girl with her dog, so sweet. [Schmalz] is a really fascinating sculptor. All these people are real people. He took pictures of different images from history that people shared with him. All of these people have a story and many do not want to leave what they know to be their home- oftentimes they leave with very little. He said there’s one person, a gentleman, who didn’t have a picture, but had an image of what he sees as a migrant. Other than that, they’re all real people. Also in the sculpture are the parents of the Under-secretary for Migrants and Refugees Cardinal [Michael] Czerny, who immigrated to Canada from Slovakia. [It was noted to Schmalz] that the only person not originally represented was a Native American, who were migrants when they were forced from their homes, and so he added a Cherokee on the Trail of Tears as well.
What does Schmalz want to be the single greatest takeaway from his artwork, if it carries such a multiplicity of meaning?
Tim said the best compliment that he received was when he was in Rome for the unveiling. One of the cardinals said, “Well, this is really interesting but it doesn’t fit the Berninis and the other Italian sculptures.” [According to Schmalz,] another cardinal commented, “But it fits the gospel. This is our faith, this is what we’re called to do, right? To welcome the stranger, to care for and love others; that’s what it’s all about.”
Editor’s note 12/01/20 01:40 AM: Due to transcription errors, a previous version of this article misspelled the name of Cristiano Casalini and referred to the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies as the Institute for Advanced Studies. The Torch regrets these errors.
Updated Editor’s note 12/02/20 01:25 AM: This interview is an updated version of the interview originally published on November 26th. Changes were made on December 2nd for clarity and to correct transcription errors.
- Boston College Tree Stump Returns to Catholic Roots: Strategically Planning Catholic Art Expansion on Campus - April 30, 2021
- Encounters: Inspiration & Conversion on View in Carney Hall - March 26, 2021
- Angels Unawares: An Interview with Melodie Wyttenbach - November 26, 2020