The Seventh Most Important Thing (21 page)

This book began about twenty-five years ago when I visited a small folk art museum in Williamsburg, Virginia. I remember stepping into a darkened exhibit room, and there it was—a breathtaking world of gold-and-silver tables and thrones and pillars.

The scene was lonely, curious, and awe-inspiring, all at the same time. It wasn't until I walked closer that I realized what the art was actually made from and saw its mysterious title:
The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations' Millennium General Assembly.

The artwork and its unusual story have remained in my imagination ever since.

Today, James Hampton's masterpiece, which is sometimes referred to as
The Throne of the Third Heaven
or
Hampton's Throne,
is on permanent exhibit in Washington, D.C., at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, formerly called the National Collection of Fine Arts. It has also traveled around the country for special exhibits. You can read more about James Hampton and the little we know about his work on the Smithsonian's website:
americanart.si.edu
.

Like the character in the book, James Hampton was a solitary man who created his vision of heaven in an unheated garage over many years. One hundred eighty objects make up
The Throne.
They are built of various scraps he gathered from the Seventh Street neighborhood near the garage and from government buildings in Washington, D.C., where he worked as a night janitor.

Discarded furniture, foil, glass bottles, mirrors, coffee cans, cardboard, and lightbulbs are among the materials he used most often, which inspired the idea for the Seven Most Important Things. One piece in the collection is labeled as having been made in 1945 on Guam, where James Hampton was stationed during World War II, though the story about its meaning is my own interpretation.

Interestingly, Hampton wrote down some of his ideas and visions in elaborately coded notebooks, which have never been deciphered.

For the purpose of the story, I used a grocery cart as James Hampton's “chariot,” although he was more commonly seen pulling a child's wagon or carrying a burlap sack. The characters of Arthur Owens, Groovy Jim, and Officer Billie are fictional. Unlike the landlord in the book, the real landlord played a role in helping to save the artwork after Hampton died in early November 1964 following a long battle with cancer.

While some details about James Hampton and his work were changed for the story, others are true to life. He did refer to himself in his writings as “St. James” and the “Director of Special Projects for the State of Eternity.” Wings and stars were important symbols in his designs. The quote “Where there is no vision, the people perish” was found on a bulletin board in his garage. “Fear not” appears at the top of his masterpiece.

Anonymous individuals really did contribute money to save the artwork after Hampton's death
.
And
The Throne
was kept in storage for seven years before going on exhibit—where it continues to intrigue and inspire visitors today.

The rest is left to the imagination.

Special thanks to the important people who made this book possible: my wonderful editor, Nancy Siscoe; my agent extraordinaire, Steven Malk; copy editor Colleen Fellingham; ace proofreader Amy Schroeder; designers Kate Gartner and Trish Parcell; and my husband, Mike, who always reads the first words. Thanks also to Marcy Lindberg, Bob Kline, and Redwin Lewis for their help along the way.

A former teacher and museum historian, Shelley Pearsall is now a full-time author. Her first novel,
Trouble Don't Last,
won the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. Her other books include
Jump into the Sky, Crooked River, All of the Above,
and
All Shook Up.
To learn more about the author and her work, visit
ShelleyPearsall.com.