david jp hooker
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Corpus

Corpus is a commissioned artwork for the Bible and Theology Department of Wheaton College. It is a sculptural meditation on the death and resurrection of Jesus. 

For the piece, I am used an antique sculpture of the body of Jesus (a corpus) from a Crucifixion and ritualistically covered it with the contents of vacuum bags collected from the college's custodial staff. These bags contained dirt, fiber, bits of paper and other detritus as you might expect. They also contained bits of people from the community: hair and skin cells, for example, were also in the mix. 

The term "corpus" is Latin for "body." It is the root for several words in English, including "corpse," corporate," and "corpuscle." All of these words have significance in my approach to this artwork.

Corpus is part of the permanent collection on display in the Bible and Theology department in the Billy Graham Center.

Links to articles written about corpus:
Campus dirt connects Wheaton College to professor's religious artwork. Chicago Tribune Local: Wheaton. March 2013

Why a Wheaton College Professor Smeared Jesus in Human Dirt. Christianity Today. March 2013

In 2015 I was asked to give a Chapel talk to the student body at Wheaton College about Corpus. 

About David  

David J. P. Hooker lives and works in the greater Chicago area, where he is an artist and Chair of the Art Department at Wheaton College. He received an M.F.A. in Ceramics from Kent State University and a B.A. in English from Furman University. 
 
His artistic practice explores the inherent value of materials, objects, and places, hoping to find ways to better connect and understand the world we live in. Recently he was awarded the Dunhuang Ceramic Residency and spent two months as artist in residence in Lanzhou, China. 
 
When David is not freaking out over deadlines, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Elaine, his children Abbey and Samuel, and the family cat, Evee. He also enjoys baseball, BBQ, and tennis—not necessarily in that order.

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Contact David

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