Former News-Gazette owner's creche back on display at history museum
Dec. 16—CHAMPAIGN — A creche that was once displayed yearly at The News-Gazette's former downtown office can once again be viewed by the public after a lengthy absence.
It has been given a new home in the Champaign County History Museum, where volunteers are able to safely store and preserve it outside of the holiday season.
"It's been an important part for us to be able to kind of reignite this community tradition that a lot of people have very fond memories of," said museum manager Will Best. "You know, traveling to downtown Champaign during the holiday festivities, and part of that was to swing by the Stevick Building and see the creche."
The creche, which features many more figures than your typical Nativity scene, was part of a collection of items owned by the late Marajen Stevick Chinigo, former owner of The News-Gazette who became an Italian contessa through her marriage to Michael Chinigo.
She was given the creche while at her summer home in Naples, though Best said it isn't clear whether she was given the whole thing then or whether she added more pieces later.
It's traditional in Italy to continuously add figures to the scene, which they call a "presepio" or "presepe."
That means that the figures depicted go beyond Joseph, Mary, Jesus, shepherds and wise men.
"An Italian creche is meant to also symbolize the idea of community," Best said. "You'll find that there are a lot of very normal-looking townspeople that are included."
Best's favorite is a woman carrying a bag stuffed with flowers, but he says to take a closer look at any of the figurines playing instruments as well.
Every one has been delicately handmade with intricate details and painting, but it appears that the artists weren't interested in figuring out how instruments worked. Some seem to be original creations, unidentifiable as any brass or woodwind you've seen before.
Many of the figures are angels that have been suspended from the museum ceiling or carefully hung in a Christmas tree.
A lot of the figures can be moved and posed a little bit because their arms are iron rods attached to their wooden bodies and wrapped in thread.
"It's not something that you really consider in today's age, where dolls are much more common," Best said.
There isn't much information available about a lot of the pieces of the creche, but Best said the Jesus, Mary and Joseph figurines all originate in 18th century Naples.
Some of the other pieces are noticeably more modern based on the art style or clothing.
The collection needed restoration when Stevick Chinigo received it, so she hired Bloomington artist Jack Statz, known for his restoration work.
Local artist Harry Breen designed the lobby display and tree in The News-Gazette's former office, while his wife, Diane, restored many of the figurines' apparel.
The creche has been packed away in the history museum's storage for quite a while now, but the museum board has wanted to put it on display.
It was all set up and ready to go for Christmas 2021, but a surge in the pandemic closed the museum before it could open the display.
Now that Best has been hired as the museum's first full-time manager in quite some time, he was able to kick-start the effort to get the exhibit set up and open to the public.
It'll be on display this year through January and will hopefully return in November 2024, starting the annual tradition anew.
