By Rodney Richey, Herald Bulletin Feature Writer
ANDERSON — A new Web site has been launched to tout the fact that Anderson University and Warner Press own several globally iconic images of Jesus Christ.
The Warner Sallman Collection has been under joint control of those two local entities since 1987, with the university owning the actual paintings and the company controlling the copyrights.
The best known of the collection, “The Head of Christ,” is one of the most common depictions of Christ in the world, having been reproduced more than 500 million times, according to Chris Williams, director of AU’s Office of University Communications.
“The work of Warner Sallman had brought a lot of attention to Anderson University,” Williams said Thursday. “And there are millions of people throughout the world that relate to these images and have encountered them at some point in their lives.
“We had an earlier version of the Web site that was created several years ago, and we really felt that an updating was due. We have received a lot of traffic to the site.”
Williams, along with Randy Dillinger of his staff, joined with Jason Knapp, AU professor of art; Regina Jackson, vice president of product marketing for Warner Press; and several people from Brainstorm, a Web site design firm in Indianapolis, designed and built the new site, which was relaunched on Aug. 7.
“Brainstorm had been working with Anderson (University) on their Web sites for quite a while,” said Barb Lakin, account manager for Brainstorm. “One of the principals here, Bart Caylor, attended Anderson and went to the design school, so when they wanted to redo the Warner Sallman site, they brought us in.”
Other AU graduates at Brainstorm include Dawn Caylor, Joellyn Detjen, Hiroki Chalfant and Paul Ruda. Chalfant developed the site from designs by Jenni Roberts.
“The main goal was to make it a little bit more user-friendly,” Roberts said, “while also highlighting his artwork and letting the collection be the focal point. The site as it existed before was much more text-heavy.”
A new navigation system made it easier to use, especially for those who know the paintings but not necessarily Anderson University.
“They definitely wanted to create a site that was unique and different from the university’s site,” Roberts said. “There was an emphasis on making it its own unique entity.
“We wanted it to feel very classic. We didn’t want it to feel trendy in any way. We wanted to keep it simple and streamlined so that the focus was on the imagery.”
Lakin, who said Brainstorm handles both faith-based and corporate clients, said she relished the challenge of providing a Web site for such a revered collection.
“There are always challenges, but we look at it more as an opportunity,” Lakin said. “Any kind of Web site, you have to step back and go, ‘What is the goal of this?’”
One of the goals, according to AU’s Williams, was to provide a forum for visitors to tell their own stories about encountering Sallman’s images in their lifetimes.
“We have received e-mails from people who have discovered images in their attic or perhaps they saw it in their home during their childhood years, and they’ve written us about some of those memories,” he said. “We really wanted to give people an opportunity to share some of those stories on the site.”
“It’s exciting to be able to put that kind of information out there, as well as show the images and tell the story,” Lakin said. “There’s an opportunity for people to tell their stories. It’s solemn, but it’s also a point of joy for people.”
Williams said the traffic to the original site had been heavy, from people who had seen the images, not only in their childhood, but also during their military service. The Salvation Army handed out billfold-size cards to World War II GIs, with one of Sallman’s paintings on one side and the Lord’s Prayer on the other.
“Wherever the setting might be, invariably when you show somebody the images, there almost always an instant ‘oh, I remember!’
“This is a true jewel of Anderson University, and we really want to share it as widely as possible.”
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About Warner Sallman
Born: April 30, 1892, in Chicago
Died: May 25, 1968
Influenced by: Religious art of Gustave Dore
Studied at: Chicago Art Institute
Inspired by: Dean of Bible school, who told him, “Sometime I hope you give us your conception of Christ. And I hope it’s a manly one. Most of our pictures today are too effeminate.”
Most recognized work: “The Head of Christ,” first sketched in 1924
Of his work: “I give God the glory for whatever has been accomplished by my efforts to bring joy and happiness to people throughout the world.”
— www.warnersallman.com
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The Warner Sallman Collection
What: A series of famous Christian paintings by the artist, including “Head of Christ” and “Christ at Heart’s Door”
Where: Jessie C. Wilson Art Galleries, Krannert Fine Arts Center, Anderson University
Web site: www.warnersallman.com
