Bible Garden, (sculpture).

Bible Garden, (sculpture).

Ruth, John D., Rev., sculptor.

Bible Garden, (sculpture).

Digital Reference:

Painted cement, concrete, wood, limestone, granite, pebble, rock, papier-mache and vinyl, tar paper, brick, metal, wire mesh, glass, and found objects (including chain, cans, light bulbs, Christmas lights, hose, ladder, and nails).

Rev. John Ruth signed

A folk art installation consisting of eleven sections that illustrate religious themes. The sections are: 1)Bible Stories; 2)World Powers; 3)Apostles; 4)The Cross; 5)Church History; 6)Jesus the Shepherd and His Flock; 7)Joseph, Mary, a Donkey and Lamb; 8)Five-Pointed Star Honoring the Davison Sisters; 9)The Globe; 10)Small House with Camels; and 11)Front Entrance with Sign and Llama. The sculptures in each section are made from an assortment of media and found objects, many of which are painted.

The Bible Stories section consists of fifteen individual pieces: "Creation of the World" (six wood panel paintings); an untitled piece depicts a male and female figure lying on the ground, perhaps Adam and Eve, (limestone and concrete); "Noah's Ark" (wood and wire mesh encased in painted concrete with ceramic animals and a painted wood rainbow); "Tower of Babel" (large rocks encased in concrete); and the follow pieces created with painted pebble and concrete slab --"Cain and Able," "Abraham," "Fall of Sodom and Gamorah," ("Hagar and Ishmael" missing from installation), "Testing of Abraham," ("Rebekah at the Well" missing from installation), "The Stolen Blessing," "Joseph and His Brethren," and two pieces that could not be identified because the title panels are missing.

The World Powers section contains paintings of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Rome created on pebble and concrete slabs, although Egypt also contains wood, stone, cement, tar paper, chain, cans, and lightbulbs. The Cross is created with painted concrete blocks. The Church History section contains a wood panel painting of a Medieval castle representing the second period of church history and a hole with a ladder inside representing Hell. The Shepherd with His Flock section contains wood panel paintings of the Last Supper and Jesus Praying, and a concrete sculpture of Jesus Holding a Lamb.

The Joseph, Mary, Donkey, Lambs, and Sign of Purpose section contains a painted wood panel of The Boy Jesus Talking with Doctors of the Law, and sculptures of Joseph and Mary, a donkey, and two lambs, and a sign representing the Holy Trinity. The Five-Pointed Star Honoring Davison Sisters section contains a twenty foot granite and concrete star with granite markers on each point inscribed with the names --Annie, Sarah, Ellan, Ida, and Alene. The Globe is created with blue vinyl. The Small House with Camels section contains, a fence made of can lids, a wood, metal mesh, and glass house, and three papier-mache camels. The Front Yard section contains an entrance sign, a papier-mache llama, and paintings of Washington, D.C.

Outdoor Sculpture -- Georgia -- Woodville

Ruth, John D., Route 77, Woodville, Georgia 30669

The Bible Garden was started in 1954 by Reverend John D. Ruth after he had a vision of God. Since this time, he has devoted his life to teaching people religion through the "Bible Garden." The land for the garden was donated to the artist by the five Davison sisters, whose father was a close friend of the Reverend. Signs throughout the grounds contain many words, stories, titles, directions, narratives, and histories.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Georgia survey, 1994.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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