David J. Hetland
Encyclopedia
David J. Hetland was a nationally recognized artist
from Fargo, ND, known particularly for his liturgical works in mosaic and stained glass.
while a student at Concordia College, Moorhead
, Minnesota
, graduating in 1969.
In 1965 Hetland began working on the Concordia Christmas Concert murals, taking over the role as designer in 1978. The Christmas Concert murals, 56-foot by 20-foot, were painted in each year by volunteers in paint-by-numbers fashion. More than 20,000 people would see the murals at Concordia’s Memorial Auditorium and Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis.
Hetland also served as director for Concordia’s Office of Communications from 1974 to 1982 and director of special projects since 1982.
After dealing with life-threatening illnesses for the last eight years of his life, he died on Easter Sunday, April 16, 2006.
for presentation to world leaders, including Pope John Paul II
. One of his mosaics, http://www.hetland.com/mosaics/elca.htmRondel
, hangs in the entrance of the ELCA's churchwide offices in Chicago. Hetland also created stained glass
windows, altars, pulpits, mosaics, banners and crosses for numerous churches in North Dakota
and Minnesota
. He designed Concordia’s president’s medallion in 1980 and a mosaic mural for the library in 1981.
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
from Fargo, ND, known particularly for his liturgical works in mosaic and stained glass.
Life
Hetland studied under the regionalist Cyrus M. RunningCyrus M. Running
Cyrus M. Running was an American regionally distinguished painter. A student of Grant Wood, he is sometimes considered a regionalist. Much of his art focuses on themes common to Minnesota or Norway. He was a member of the faculty of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, for many...
while a student at Concordia College, Moorhead
Concordia College, Moorhead
Concordia College is a private liberal arts school located in Moorhead, Minnesota, United States. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and offers bachelors' degrees in the arts and music, as well as a master's degree in education. The college was founded by Norwegian...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, graduating in 1969.
In 1965 Hetland began working on the Concordia Christmas Concert murals, taking over the role as designer in 1978. The Christmas Concert murals, 56-foot by 20-foot, were painted in each year by volunteers in paint-by-numbers fashion. More than 20,000 people would see the murals at Concordia’s Memorial Auditorium and Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis.
Hetland also served as director for Concordia’s Office of Communications from 1974 to 1982 and director of special projects since 1982.
After dealing with life-threatening illnesses for the last eight years of his life, he died on Easter Sunday, April 16, 2006.
Art
One of Hetlands's best-known works was the Jerusalem Cross, commissioned by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in AmericaEvangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA officially came into existence on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three churches. As of December 31, 2009, it had 4,543,037 baptized members, with 2,527,941 of them...
for presentation to world leaders, including Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
. One of his mosaics, http://www.hetland.com/mosaics/elca.htmRondel
Rondel
Rondel may refer to:* Rondel or roundel, type of medieval dagger...
, hangs in the entrance of the ELCA's churchwide offices in Chicago. Hetland also created stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
windows, altars, pulpits, mosaics, banners and crosses for numerous churches in North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
and Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. He designed Concordia’s president’s medallion in 1980 and a mosaic mural for the library in 1981.