The organ
behind the altar and chancel speaks through a great wood grille
containing polychromed symbols in traditional and modern treatment. The
symbols are carved from wood and duplicated on both sides of the dossal,
but with different carving or design.
The
basswood plaques were designed and carved by wood and stained glass
artist Val Sigstedt, of Point Pleasant, Pennsylvania, in 1958 and
1959. Interestingly, the church archive contains an invoice dated
December 6, 1958 from "Wood Sculptor" Thorsten Sigstedt for
one plaque - in the amount of $100.00. In August, 1994, Val
Sigstedt called the church office requesting pictures of the organ screen which holds the
plaques. In that manner, it was discovered, for the first time,
that Val Sigstedt was the artist who had created the plaques.
When contacted in 2003, Val Sigstedt was kind enough to provide a biography and to provide background concerning the design and carving of the plaques. It turns out that the $3,000.00 payment for the 30 plaques was used by Sigstedt as a down payment on the studio, in which he currently works!
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