TRR photo by Krista Gromalski At the entrance to Pacem in Terris sits this sculpture by artist Frederick Franck. The figure is waving an olive branch, a universal symbol of peace. (Click for larger image)

By KRISTA GROMALSKI

This is the first of a four-week series of articles on artists and their environments. The locations were selected from the book "Art on Site" by Marina Harrison and Lucy D. Rosenfeld

WARWICK - Despite his increasing loss of sight, Frederick Franck's vision persists.

Franck, now 91, has painted, welded, carved and drawn his vision into an artistic environment he named Pacem in Terris, dedicated to the Catholic pope John XXIII, the missionary Protestant doctor and humanitarian Albert Schweitzer and the Buddhist sage Daisetz T. Suzuki.

Franck describes this place, which translates from Latin as Peace on Earth, as "one man's work of art that aspires to be an oasis of quiet, of sanity, where spirit and nature may reconnect."

Originally from the Netherlands, Franck began his career as an oral surgeon and moved more seriously toward his artistic pursuits in the 1930's. He was forever changed by his experience working with Schweitzer in Africa from 1958 to 1961. Following this, he became the only artist to draw the four sessions of the Second Vatican Council, which met under Pope John XXIII to reconsider the international role of the Catholic church.

	TRR photo by Krista Gromalski The garden at Pacem in Terris features many of Franck's large iron works. The eye is present throughout the sculpture, wood and glass work. (Click for larger image)

Pacem, in Warwick, NY, has been home to Franck and his wife, Claske, since they fled the art scene of Greenwich Village more than 30 years ago. The couple's first encounter with the place came on a winter hike in 1957. Several years later, the Francks returned to the snow-covered property and discovered a "for sale" sign. They bought the place "sight unseen" except for what they could see of the winter landscape, and what ensued was Franck's pilgrimage of "seeing."

The main structure at Pacem, where the Francks reside, was formerly the 12-room McCann's Hotel and taproom. Across the Wawayanda River, which splits the property, stands the transformed ruins of an 18th century stone water mill. Franck, with the help of the late carpenter and builder Bert Willemse, revived the mill into a sacred cathedral-like space that serves as the stage for musical performances and plays. Many denominations have celebrated their services within.

The roof that Franck designed for the mill rises and falls at several points to mimic the lines of the wings of a dove. The interior features mosaic and stonework, masterpieces of carved wood and stained glass.

At the entrance to the structure sits one of Franck's metal sculptures, a smooth, round face expressing the serenity of the pilgrim that might result from being surrounded by such quiet beauty.

"When you go on a pilgrimage," Franck wrote in his book "Art as a Way," "you set out from where you happen to be and start walking toward a place of great sanctity in the hope of returning from it renewed, enriched and sanctified."

Throughout the grounds at Pacem are Franck's welded sculptures, most carrying on the theme of "seeing." Every aspect of the art and the gardens feels infused with meaning. The "Resurgence Garden," for example, is an organic garden kept to symbolize the rehabilitation of our violated Earth. At the center of the garden is a sculpture with the words "The meaning of life is to see," burned through its metal with a torch.

	TRR photo by Krista Gromalski This calm face of "Everyman" created by Franck, sits at the entrance to the restored mill. (Click for larger image)

"The Other Shore," a small outbuilding on the property, built especially for the task by Pacem's resident assistant Art Meyer, houses Franck's original stained-glass "Way of the Cross" windows and "Oxherding Parable" series.

With age, Franck's sight and ability to walk have been failing, yet he continues to draw and paint. His books include "Days with Albert Schweitzer," "The Zen of Seeing," "Zen Seeing, Zen Drawing: Meditation in Action" and "Art as a Way," among others.

Franck's art is part of the permanent collections at the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum and the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine.

Pacem in Terris is open to visitors on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., May to October. Admission is free. For information call 845/986-4329.