DePaul University contributed to the downtown public art landscape this week when it erected a 21-foot sculpture, entitled "Vincentian Letter," in its plaza at Jackson Boulevard and State Street. The sculpture will be dedicated at noon June 9 during a public ceremony that includes music and free refreshments.

     The sculpture refers to the history of DePaul and to the life St. Vincent de Paul, the 17th century priest who dedicated his life to serving the poor and for whom the university is named. The major motif of the sculpture is a pair of bronze elements, which are actually an "envelope" and an "open letter" to be read by all who pass by. The letter side of the sculpture is a bas-relief image of St. Vincent welded onto bronze patina. The envelope portion of the piece tells the history of DePaul through an artistic interpretation of archival documents, which include a heraldic cross and an image of the fleur-de-lis (the symbol of France), the university's Tree of Wisdom logo and a profile image of a young person.

     "Vincentian Letter" is the work of sculptor Alexander Tylevich, who lives in St. Paul, Minn. Tylevich, originally from the Soviet Union, was the winner of a national competition that DePaul held to find an artist best suited for the work. A committee comprised of members of DePaul's art department and the Chicago arts community judged the work of 12 applicants before deciding on Tylevich.

     His public art works are on display at a number of churches, schools and universities, including St. Mary's University in St. Paul; Church of St. Stephen in Anoka, Minn.; the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and the Church of St. Mary in Alexandria, Minn. Tylevich was also commissioned to create public artwork at the North Shore Synagogue in Syosset, N.Y., North Memorial Hospital in Minneapolis and Harriet Island Park Development in St. Paul.

     According to the Rev. Edward Udovic, C.M., senior executive for University Mission at DePaul, "Vincentian Letter" is being erected at a time when DePaul is focusing more attention on its South Loop campus.

     "Now that we are making major moves with development of the South Loop campus, we are looking at how it will look five years, 10 years from now," said Uodovic. "The plaza is the heart of our downtown campus. I think this is the first significant piece in the South Loop in a long time."

     "Vincentian Letter," which is located at the east end of the DePaul Center plaza and faces west, was installed May 25. The dedication ceremony is free and open to the public. For more information about the dedication, call 312/362-8042.