Covenant News

Minnesota Covenanter Unveils Newest Sculpture

BROOKLYN CENTER, MN (May 4, 2003) - A sculpture by Bob Johnson, a parishioner at Brookdale Covenant Church in the Twin Cities, was unveiled at the 25th annual Brooklyn Center Community Prayer Breakfast at the Earle Brown Heritage Center on Saturday.

A resident of Robbinsdale, Johnson created a 48-inch-by-55-inch sculpture of the official Minnesota state photograph titled "Grace," a picture that is well known in Christian circles. The photo shows a man (Charles Wilden) bowed in prayer over a simple meal and his Bible - the original picture was taken in 1918 by Eric Enstrom. Johnson's creation took about 150 hours to complete, according to a recent church newsletter article.

The 81-year-old Johnson has been making sculptures for many years. He sold his first piece, a horse made out of a 2-by-6 piece of wood, for $10. Since then his works have been a focal point around the state. They include the 10-foot-high octopi that adorned a car wash, a 29-foot bald eagle that is on the campus of Northwestern College in St. Paul, a miniature version of Mount Rushmore and a replica of Atlas that was located at a now-closed health club. He has even created three life-size trees for Disneyworld in Florida.

Two years ago, Johnson created a 13-foot-long version of the Last Supper (based on Leonardo da Vinci's painting) that hangs in the narthex at his church.

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