By Kelsi Peace, Features Editor

The story behind Jacob’s Dream, a Centennial Celebration sculpture, is as rich as the sculpture itself, said Ron Hadfield, director of Creative Services.

“This is a story that people need to see and hear about because I think not only is the piece of art inspiring, but I think the story behind it and how it came to be is potentially just as inspiring,” Hadfield said.

Which is why the 2007 President’s Circle Film, produced by Hadfield, will be a documentary featuring the sculpture’s artist, Jack Maxwell, chair of the art and design department, as he created the sculpture.

The documentary will be shown at the annual President’s Circle Dinner on Feb. 17. Hadfield said he has not decided if the film will be shown elsewhere as well.

Philips Productions, a Dallas-based company, has worked with Creative Services to produce the 30-minute documentary for the past year. The company’s owner, Bob Philips, hosts Texas Country Reporter.

The film was produced in high-definition and features interviews with family members, donors and students in addition to following Maxwell’s work from before the piece was cast at the foundry to its dedication. The documentary follows the winter 2007 ACU Today article and photo essay on the sculpture.

Maxwell said the most difficult aspect of being filmed was not having the camera on him while he worked; rather, answering questions for the interview proved challenging.

One question asked in the interview was how Maxwell wanted people to feel when they looked at his piece.

“The things I want from this piece seem almost pretentious,” said Maxwell, who hopes to draw people closer to God with his work.

Having a record of the Centennial piece will be valuable to the university when it celebrates its bi-centennial, Maxwell said, and taking the footage was important.

“If we don’t take it now, we never will,” he said.

Philips Productions will return to Abilene to conduct more interviews and film the sculpture this week.

“The weather has complicated our plans, but we intend to bring in some equipment that allows us to film from a bird’s eye view,” Hadfield said.

Once complete, the film may be pitched to PBS, Maxwell said.

“Very few people really get to see the creativity and the hard work and the thought that goes behind something like this,” Hadfield said. “I think that once they have the opportunity to experience that, it will mean even more to them. It’s not just a piece of art – there’s a whole lot more to it than that.”