Source: Lori Goetsch, 785-532-7492, lgoetsch@k-1xbet online games login edu
Website: http://www.lib.k-1xbet online games login edu/illuminate
Hometown connection: Edina, Minn.
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Video available:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzNj5dS4coo
Editor's note: Media members who would like to photograph the Saint John's 1xbet online games login prior to the event are welcome to do so by contacting Lori Goetsch.
News release prepared by: Megan Molitor, 785-532-1566, molitor@k-1xbet online games login edu
Monday, March 12, 2012
Heavy reading: Alumni give K-1xbet online games login literary gift to inspire discussion and study
MANHATTAN -- Students often cram their books into a backpack and haul them from class to class or they stuff a worn text into a back pocket. However, the latest addition to Kansas State 1xbet online games login 's Hale Library has no chance of squeezing into either.
Volumes of the Heritage Edition of the Saint John's 1xbet online games login are on display in the special collections department of Hale Library. The Heritage Edition is a reproduction of the original 1998 Saint John's 1xbet online games login manuscript, which was the first illuminated text of its kind to be commissioned in 500 years.
Each volume measures 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide when open and weighs up to 120 pounds. This historical work traveled to the 1xbet online games login thanks to a generous donation from Warren and Mary Lynn Staley, K-State alumni from Edina, Minn.
The Staleys live near St. John's University, where the original Saint John's 1xbet online games login was commissioned in 1998. The couple, after discovering that the calligraphers for the handwritten 1998 1xbet online games login used ancient methods and tools while incorporating artistic references to today's world, decided to invest in a Heritage Edition. This edition will be a reproduction of the original 1998 1xbet online games login .
"It is a masterpiece of art reproduced using the latest worldwide innovations of printing technology," the Staleys said. "Kansas State 1xbet online games login is the educational heart of our lives as well as the country, so we wished to enable this text to be in the center of conversations. It was too special to keep for ourselves. The wonderful educational outcomes the Heritage Edition will produce are what breathes life into education."
The original 1998 Saint John's 1xbet online games login manuscript was the first illuminated -- meaning gilded detailing -- and handwritten text of this kind to be commissioned in 500 years -- the first since the invention of the printing press. Each page of the original took up to 12 hours to complete. Fewer than 300 illuminated copies of the Heritage Edition are being produced and each copy is digitally scanned to retain the attention to detail.
"The artwork and detail of 1xbet online games login rare reproduction must be seen for oneself," said Lori Goetsch, dean of K-State Libraries. "The commitment that went into making it is obvious. It's a true labor of love."
In the original Saint John's 1xbet online games login , the shadow of the text from the page behind it was visible. In reproduction, the pages were digitally shadowed to keep the effect. It was this appreciation for aesthetic detail that eventually landed the Saint John's 1xbet online games login at Kansas State University. The Staleys saw the original 1xbet online games login at St. John's University and were so impressed they purchased a reproduction, then decided to donate it to the university.
"The Staleys gave this gift not just to K-State, but to the community," Goetsch said. "We hope this vital piece of art and history is an academic and cultural resource at Kansas State 1xbet online games login that inspires thought-provoking discussions in a comfortable environment with peers and professors. We appreciate the Staleys' commitment to learning at Kansas State 1xbet online games login through this generous gift."
While not all seven volumes have been produced, Hale currently holds four completed volumes: the Pentateuch, Wisdom Books, Psalms and Prophets volumes. They are available to students, faculty and community groups to borrow and use in their own displays.
"It's relevant to those interested in art, history and even philosophy," Goetsch said. "1xbet online games login is our connection to an illuminated manuscript. It represents history."
The art and symbolism in the manuscript also are sprinkled with historical imagery, such as art depicting the Holocaust and satellite images of Earth.
Many professors hope to build on this learning opportunity, including Tonnie Martinez, assistant professor of secondary education. She plans to use the historical work in her Foundations of Education course as a bridge from her students' digital world to a reproduction of a document that has been completely rewritten and illustrated by hand. She also hopes to apply the Saint John's 1xbet online games login to the course's goal of examining what influences U.S. education.
"The Saint John's 1xbet online games login has images of mankind's accomplishments throughout the last 500 years," Martinez said. "We are able to trace parallels from U.S. historical events and images to the foundations of education."
Greg Eiselein, professor of English, also wants to use the Saint John's 1xbet online games login to get students excited about studying texts more carefully and intensely. He plans to use the volumes as an opportunity for discussion in both his Great Books and The 1xbet online games login courses.
"I'm hoping this is an opportunity to discuss the history of the 1xbet online games login 's formation -- how it was produced, transmitted, canonized, translated and circulated," Eiselein said. "I plan to treat the Saint John's 1xbet online games login as both a work of art and as an interpretation of the 1xbet online games login . I want students to understand how the calligraphy and illustration are ways of interpreting and understanding what biblical texts say."
To commemorate the Staleys' gift of the Saint John's 1xbet online games login , the Rev. Eric Hollas, senior associate for arts and cultural affairs at Saint John's University, will speak at 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 3, in the Hemisphere Room at Hale Library. Hollas will discuss the tradition of the illuminated manuscript. The Saint John's 1xbet online games login will be on display and a reception for the Staleys will follow. The public is invited to attend.
