Tour One: The Wallace All Faiths Chapel

The graceful Chapman Light Tower soaring skyward, radiating softly like a glorious California sunset, immediately draws your attention to the Fish Interfaith Center. Beckoned by a warm, lantern-like illumination from backlit marble high atop the 60-foot tower, you begin a spiritual journey facilitated and evoked by carefully designed architectural and artistic elements. Behind the tower, the building’s many windows glow with the rich colors of art glass, and a band of soft, white light encircles the top of the “floating roof” architecture.

At the base of the tower, you stop to read the story of Chapman University’s founding by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) through the extraordinary leadership and generosity of C. C. Chapman. Adorning the historical plaque, a red chalice emblazoned with the white cross of St. Andrew – the distinctive symbol of the Disciples of Christ – bears witness to the continuing covenant between the university and the church.

The vertical height of the tower contrasts with the horizontal pathway of the “Solar Star Score and Fountain.” Lita Albuquerque’s three-part work of art begins at the tower, continues through the vestibule, and culminates in a sparkling fountain on the north side of the building 175 feet away. Following the labyrinth-like lines carved into the pavement, you walk through a wisteria-covered Pergola, its intertwined vines (will one day be) heavy with clusters of luscious purple blossoms. Beneath your feet, the swirling blue lines flow together forming a musical score. The golden notes are actually a star chart, the Water Bearer constellation; thus, heavenly music ushers you into the Wallace All Faiths Chapel. Ahead, the lines of the score merge at the doorway, symbolizing distinct religious traditions working together for the common good. On your left, the gentle breeze rustling the tall grass of artist Susan Narduli’s Sacred Mound Garden in The Fashionables Courtyard whispers of conversations shared among worshippers. Pausing before the impressive bronze and glass Doti-Henley Doors created by artist Norie Sato, you ponder the symbolism of the calligraphic brush stroke circle in the bronze panels of the doors – God’s endless love, the interconnectedness of humankind and God, the eternal nature of life, the creation of the cosmos.

Grasping the massive 500-pound doors by their braided rope bronze pulls, your spiritual journey continues, aided by the lengthy Moody Processional Vestibule and its striking strip of water-blue tile. Drawn toward the beautiful Skaggs Solar Fountain visible through the vestibule’s glass wall, you become aware of a subtle shift in the directional source of light. Near the doors, light enters the corridor from low, side windows. As your journey continues toward the glistening solar disk, light enters the hallway at a higher angle from strategically-placed windows high in the walls. The worshiper’s spirit experiences a corresponding elevation. Suddenly on the left, three angular openings in a massive wall reveal the Yoder Sanctuary, and beneath your feet you discover quotations reflecting on themes of water, the heavens, music, and the interconnected of all life with the divine.

Entering the expansive sanctuary of the Wallace All Faiths Chapel, your senses are heightened by the unexpected sweep of curved walls ending in a lofty, four-story-high ceiling. The room’s focal point, Chapman artist Richard Turner’s magnificent Makarechian-Pralle-Case “Equinox Sunrise” Sculpture of the setting moon and the rising sun, floats effortlessly from its suspension beneath a skylight high above the altar. Constructed of lightweight golden-bronze metal, the sculpture measures 30 by 15 feet. Nature’s light entering from the skylight and art glass windows interweaves with the interior lighting to play upon the sculpture’s metallic surface, subtly altering its appearance. Kent Kahlen’s star-like pendant light fixtures of blown glass frame the sculpture. On the dais beneath the sculpture, artist William Tunberg’s beautiful Chancel Furnishings feature marquetry (inlaid wood) finishes echoing the celestial imagery of the sculpture—abstract shooting stars, crescents, and swirling galaxies. Because the furnishings are supported by lightweight steel frames that are nearly invisible to the eye, they give the illusion of floating.

The varying sources and colors of light profoundly impact your commune with the spiritual. During different hours of the day and seasons of the year, the sanctuary’s interior is bathed in constantly changing light of various hues as the sun traverses its heavenly arc, flashing its brilliance through art glass windows set high in the sanctuary’s massive walls. In each corner of the room, these free-standing walls are joined by Norie Sato’s intricately designed floor-to-ceiling Casewell-Parker “Dawn and Twilight” Windows composed of translucent panes overlaid with two layers of etched iridescent glass, creating an ever-changing variety of subtly-colored, patterned light.

A concealed hallway on the south side of the Wallace All Faith Chapel provides access to restrooms and a tastefully-appointed Lounge. Equipped with a kitchenette to facilitate conference meetings, the lounge also doubles as a bridal preparation room. Three art glass windows flood the room with a deep purple light evoking a tranquil feeling. Continuing down the hallway you encounter the Vestry, a large room for the reverent storage of sacred symbols, vessels, vestments and other accoutrements of worship.