Oregon ArtsWatch: A new chapel at Newberg’s George Fox University, filled with art

Photo by: David Bates

The new Chapel at George Fox University seats about 275 people and was completed this spring. Working with the President of George Fox University, the design was developed to create a beacon on the campus, to serve the University community’s spiritual mission.  The project was recently featured in Oregon ArtsWatch:

The chapel has been years in the making. Baker, a historian who has led students of Celtic spirituality on tours of Irish cathedrals, has long envisioned such a project for the campus, where services are currently held in a modern auditorium. He wanted an actual chapel, with no screens or PowerPoints.

Burke, principal architect at Soderstrom, was responsible for the structure that houses all this and nurtures a space for contemplation. Since 2004, the Portland firm has designed nine churches and spiritual buildings around Oregon. Burke, who came aboard in 2005, had a hand in only one he recalls: the bell tower at Mount Angel Abbey.

“I think everything is an artistic process,” he said. “I mean, making a decision about a piece of flashing on a roof; it either looks thoughtful or it doesn’t. That’s art, that’s ultimately an aesthetic judgment.”