Liberty art students display biblical unity in Christmas tree decorating contest

Before leaving for Winter Break, students from Liberty University’s School of Communication and the Arts transformed the DeMoss Hall Grand Lobby into a Christmastime forest as part of “Unity in Lights,” a competition facilitated by LU One encouraging students to use their talents to demonstrate biblical unity through the creative arts.

The competition featured 10 Christmas tree art installations created by duos of talented student artists. The pieces were displayed from Dec.4-7 and voted on during a showcase on Dec. 4, where attendees enjoyed hot chocolate and s’mores as they observed the trees and reflected on the hope and joy of the Gospel.

The winning tree (below), chosen through a combination of campus voting and a juried process, was designed by Studio and Digital Art (SADA) Department students senior Ariana Murphy and sophomore Marie Shumaker. The tree featured picture frames depicting joyful and difficult moments in people’s lives. Each person in the photos is depicted with a golden halo to represent that the Holy Spirit is living inside of them. Atop the tree is a wooden star with a golden crown of thorns (a reminder of Christ’s death), and the red throughout the tree is a symbol of His blood.

“Through His sacrifice we are able to be united as one in Christ Jesus,” the students said in their brief for the competition. “Our lives are not our own, and our stories are not our stories. Through all the differences in people’s lives, we are all living the same story which is Jesus Christ’s Gospel story of redemption. From the joyous birth of a newborn child to the grieving loss of a loved one, we are all united.”

Murphy and Shumaker split a $4,000 scholarship.

Other trees featured flags from different countries around the world, a figure made to look like Jesus, stuffed animal toys, angels, and small churches.  (View a digital gallery.)

This is the third event in LU One’s Project Unity initiative, which seeks to partner with a different school or department within Liberty for competitions that allow students to apply biblical unity to a project in their field with a chance to win a scholarship. Previously, students in the Department of Family & Consumer Sciences created design projects — from t-shirts and bags to event proposals and children’s books — and a different grouping of students from School of Communication and the Arts created broadcast videos, graphic design campaigns, and PR proposals.

“This competition was more than creating beautiful work—it was an opportunity for students to artistically represent the gospel’s impact and the unity it brings to all believers,” said David Shinkle, Associate Director of Communication for LU One. “Their designs were inspiring, but even more so was their support and encouragement for one another, powerfully reflecting the unity they share as brothers and sisters in Christ.”

SADA Chair Todd Smith said the partnership with LU One on this project was a timely opportunity to focus on God in the Christmas season.

“What better time to celebrate unity through creativity than at Christmas, the time when the divine designer/artist took on flesh to dwell among us,” he said. “The goal of (SADA) from the beginning has been to cultivate excellence in students so that God will be glorified, and His creativity will be reflected in all opportunities that arise. We’re very thankful for the opportunity to play a part in the Unity in Lights event and to use our talents and skills to bring the Lord glory.”

The next Project Unity competition will be in April, when select students in the School of Music will participate in a commercial music showcase.