The concept for the Word of Life mural originated from Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., who envisioned a mosaic to adorn the façade of the library. Fr. Hesburgh knew that the building would need some equally magnificent art to anchor the grand structure and vision for the library. He was known to joke that without some kind of mural, given the geographic location, people might mistake Memorial Library (Hesburgh Library) for a grain elevator.
Artist Millard Sheets was commissioned by Father Hesburgh for the job. Southern California-born artist Millard Owen Sheets' (1907-1989) career as a painter, muralist, teacher, author and architectural designer spanned more than 60 years. He is regarded throughout the world as a renaissance man who made significant contributions to the American art scene. After earning a degree in art at the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, California, and another in humanities at Scripps College in Claremont, California, Sheets explored many unique paths of art.
According to the Smithsonian Archives of American Art, which holds the Millard Sheets papers, Sheets served as a war-time artist and journalist for Life magazine during World War II. Upon his return from the war in 1944, Sheets chaired a new fine arts program at Scripps College and later held a directorship at the Otis Art Institute. He founded his own design company in 1953 and hired between 25 and 30 artisans including engineers, registered architects and draftsmen. The firm designed murals, mosaics and other architectural projects in Detroit, Los Angeles, Minnesota and Washington, DC.
In the early 1960s, Sheets served as an American Specialist in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Information Agency, Department of State. This led to travels in Turkey and the former USSR as a cultural arts representative. Today, the Millard Sheets Center for the Arts in Pomona, California, has a long-standing tradition of producing art exhibitions for the Los Angeles County Fair, showcasing both local and national artists.
Sheets was unintimidated by the size, scale, and vision of the project he was about to undertake. He was not fazed by the limitations that the northern Indiana climate put on his choice of materials. In fact, Reverend Carolyn Sheets Owen Towle stated that her father was essentially dauntless. “It didn’t take much encouragement to inspire Millard to share the vision. Artists are people of vision and Millard was a wonderful artist in many media. Yet, it adds fascination to the total reality of this piece of art that is so unusual, so unprecedented, I have to say, almost inimitable. I don’t know anyone who has tried to do what Millard did given all of the impossibilities involved,” said Father Hesburgh.
Due to the national exposure of the Word of Life mural, it’s likely Millard Sheets’ most well-known work. This iconic landmark remains as an everlasting legacy for the prolific artist.
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