Birmingham Cathedral has unveiled a new nativity set specially commissioned to celebrate the stories of the cathedral community, bear witness to global events and amplify marginalised voices.
The New Nativity, Melanie Tomlinson – Birmingham Cathedral
The New Nativity, by Birmingham artist Melanie Tomlinson, weaves together the stories of the Birth of Jesus at Christmas, the heritage of Birmingham, the stories of the cathedral community and the needs of the world.
Over the last year, a major part of the making of the New Nativity were workshops run by the artist with members of the Cathedral Community, children and families, refugees, and homeless people where they worked on craft pieces and shared stories.
The result is a fresh visual focus for the Christmas celebrations helping visitors and worshippers to appreciate the heart of Christmas anew while acting as a reminder of the difficult themes inherent in the Bible stories – ever us.
Birmingham Cathedral’s Canon Missioner, the Reverend Canon Andy Delmege, who led on the project to commission an artist to create a new nativity for the cathedral, said,
‘We were seeking something that was original, beautiful and creative, we wanted artwork to reflect the traditions of industry, craft and manufacture here in our city and the West Midlands. And in our hyper-diverse city, we wanted all visitors to be able to see themselves represented in the artwork
‘So we are delighted to have commissioned the New Nativity by the Birmingham artist Melanie Tomlinson.
‘This striking and beautiful piece has woven together the stories of the birth of Jesus with the stories of the cathedral community and our heritage.
‘We find in it the hope of refugees, homelessness, the creativity of children, and the one industrial process shared by Birmingham and Bethlehem.
‘The New Nativity invites us to contemplate and enter the true Mystery of Christmas,’ he added,
The Cathedral is grateful to The Birmingham Municipal Charity and The Westhill Endowment for their generous support of this artwork.
