The Chancellor's New Mace

North Carolina Central University unveiled a new university symbol and a new university artwork ensemble during the Chancellor’s Installation Week, April 1-6, 2002. The University Mace and an ensemble art piece depicting the chancellor were both presented to the Chancellor James H. Ammons to commemorate the week’s activities.

The university mace is a symbol of authority that stems from ancient times when knights carried giant clubs made of iron to protect the king during processions. Today, a university’s mace is carried before the president or chancellor and other dignitaries of the platform party during commencement processions and other traditional ceremonies.
The ceremonial mace was designed by NCCU Art Department Chair Melvin J. Carver. Carver has worked at the university for more than 20 years and has an extensive background in art. He received his bachelor’s in art and design from North Carolina A&T State University, and a master’s degree in graphic design from North Carolina State University School of Design. He later received his doctorate in art education from the University of Illinois at Champagne-Urbana. Carver received suggestions for the design of the mace from Kenneth Rodgers, NCCU Art Museum director; Juan Login, sculptor and UNC art professor; and a committee of NCCU alumni.

“In design, we wanted to do something that was traditional but had somewhat of a contemporary flavor,” said Carver. “We want the mace to serve this university for a good length of time.”

North Carolina folk artist Frank Barrow carved the ceremonial mace. Barrow learned the art of whittling from his grandfather when he was only 10 years old. He spent many hours watching his grandfather at work making baskets and tools.

“He was a great role model,” said Barrow. “He wouldn’t let me whittle because I was too young, but I would watch him.”

When Barrow’s hands were large enough and his coordination got sharper, he was finally allowed to try the skill. Barrow recalls carving his first major piece while in the eighth grade.
“I whittled a Mahatma Gandhi statue,” he said. “No one knows what happened to that piece.”

The loss of the Gandhi piece, however, would only inspire Barrow to carve larger prominent figures such as his Abraham Lincoln piece that was recently on display in North Carolina State Museum of History. With a skillful hand and attention to detail, Barrow turned a childhood hobby into a stellar profession. He often takes his work to various woodcarver showcases and wins prizes and ribbons.
North Carolina Central University’s mace was not Barrow’s first attempt at carving a staff. He once was hired by a church to create a much larger staff, 75 feet, complete with ornate, biblical carvings. Still, he admits that NCCU’s three-foot staff was not a simple task.
“It took me over 100 hours of work,” he said proudly. “The hardest part was getting the likeness of Shepard.”
Barrow said he used cherrywood to make the staff because the hard texture of the wood is easy to handle, provides for a better cut, and doesn’t easily dull the knives. He carved the likeness of Shepard by using photographs. A trophy shop was called in to add the engraved plates.
Barrow’s next project will be a special carving for the YMCA. He said the university mace, however, will always be a project he will hold dear.
“I have six grandchildren and this is something that they will know about and can pass on,” said Barrow. “It was a challenge and I like to do things that are challenging.”

The NCCU Alumni Association contributed the funding for the university mace. Roger Gregory, director of alumni affairs, said there wasn’t a lot of discussion amongst alumni about whether to sponsor the staff.
“It was something everyone knew we should do,” he said. “We do not have a record of there ever being a university mace and the university needed a symbol to personify the excellence and unity that NCCU possesses. It was long overdue.”
The ceremonial mace of North Carolina Central University is a 32-inch staff carved from cherry wood, stained and plated with polished metal at two sections. Crowning the staff is a ball presenting two opposing carved reliefs of the founder of the university, James E. Shepard. The carvings replicate the image of the bronze bust housed in the James E. Shepard Memorial Library. The ball rests on a square, which bears the motto of the institution, “Truth and Service.” Below this square is a hexagon symbolizing science and technology. Two opposing sides of the hexagon display the date of the opening of the university; the other four sides are designed with the Adinkra patterns Kra Pa, symbols of good fortune and sanctity. Below the hexagon is a second square with diminishing metal side plates and the inscription “North Carolina Central University.”

The next section of the Mace is rounded and scored to resemble three three-dimensional volumes of learning in all disciplines. The following section diminishes with four scored sides and patterns of Gothic “Es” to suggest dignity and excellence. The base is cone-shaped and finished with a ball, two inches in diameter, repeating the image of unity.

The university mace was unveiled during the University Honors Convocation. Chancellor James H. Ammons was presented with the mace after taking the oath of office during the Installation Ceremony.
Another symbolic piece of art premiered at the Installation Reception. Standing in the middle of the L.T. Walker reception area stood a large ensemble art piece in honor of the chancellor. It included a set of steps that led up to an almost life-size painting of Chancellor Ammons in his university regalia. The portrait was housed in an ornate gold frame and in front, a large eagle was suspended in mid-air as if it were soaring out of the picture. Beside the steps stood a large replica of a book and the university seal.

North Carolina Central University administrators did not have to go far to find an artist skilled enough to design the special centerpiece. One such artist was working right on campus. Ronald Bryant created the centerpiece and when he is not creating visual art you can find him at NCCU creating edible masterpieces as he serves as sous chef in the cafeteria.

Bryant has worked at NCCU for eight months and previously served as a chef at Carolina Meadows in Chapel Hill. He studied visual communication at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and has been an apprentice with several chefs from across the country. When asked which art form he likes more, cooking or painting, Bryant says he really can not differentiate between the two.
“I only separate them in terms of medium,” said Bryant. “I wouldn’t do well with anything that didn’t require creativity.”
At work, Bryant says he has a lot of opportunities to be creative with the campus FDY/Sodexho catering service. He takes the time to hand-carve centerpieces and make every meal an experience. However, when he heard that his department would be in charge of food for the Chancellor’s Installation Reception, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to design a special centerpiece that would be memorable and lasting.
Bryant spoke with his boss, Lawrence Lisborg, about his idea and soon Lisborg got the company to agree to pay for the large art project as a gift to the chancellor. Bryant had only three weeks to bring his idea to life.
“My goal was to make it a very special day for the chancellor,” said Bryant. “I wanted to underscore the importance of the occasion. The message I wanted to portray is that we celebrate such occasions in grand style.”
The painting was created with acrylic paint on masonite panel. Bryant used several different pictures of the chancellor to capture his likeness, which was a hard task because none of the pictures had the actual pose he was looking to create in portrait. The eagle was made out of paper mache’ and suspended from a wire armature give the appearance of flight. The book was made out of molded hardware cloth and wood, and the ceremonial platform was designed with the help of James Abdullah, Donald Boone and other members of the NCCU Physical Plant.

Bryant says his next project will be a one-man multi-media show, which he hopes to open very soon.