Scripture bursts to life in hands of Sacred Heart freshmen

(Photos by Beth Donze and courtesy of Academy of the Sacred Heart)

By BETH DONZE
Clarion Herald

In Matthew 16, Peter suddenly goes from being Jesus’ “star student” to being called out for his immaturity.

Asked by Jesus, “Who do you say I am?” Peter displays tremendous insight, correctly answering: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” As a result, Jesus gives Peter the “keys to the kingdom of heaven.”

But in the very next passage, when Peter refuses to accept Jesus’ pronouncement of his forthcoming passion and death, Jesus rebukes him, telling Peter: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

How to artistically depict the pair’s complex relationship was the daunting task of Academy of the Sacred Heart freshman Emma Gelé, who delved into the passage for a recent religion project.

“Jesus is holding out the key to the kingdom of heaven, which is promised to Peter after he identifies Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus’ hand includes a wound on his palm – to allude to the passion,” said Gelé of her finished product: a breathtaking, layered wooden sculpture she designed on the computer and assembled from pieces of wood she laser-cut herself inside Sacred Heart’s innovation lab and makerspace (iLab).

In a clever project that merged religion, art and engineering, all 51 of Sacred Heart’s freshmen were assigned a scriptural passage to research by their religion teacher, Courtney Jansen.

In addition to writing their usual scriptural analyses, the freshmen had to go further: use the resources of their school’s iLab to create some tangible representation of their assigned biblical scene and then explain their pieces to their classmates.

Two scenes in one piece

Ali Martin, who was assigned the moment in Scripture in which Jesus tells his apostles “I am the bread of life,” pushed wood through the iLab’s scroll saw to create her colorfully painted sculpture inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Last Supper.

Ellie Bendich, tasked with the “I am the good shepherd” passage from John 10,  made a two-sided diorama that could be turned to alternatively show viewers “the good shepherd” and “the bad shepherd.”

Bendich’s good shepherd, standing watch under sunny skies and flanked by a tree bursting with green foliage, is seen protectively placing himself between his sheep and an encroaching wolf. Conversely, Bendich’s bad shepherd allows the wolf into the pen, scattering the sheep. A withered tree completes the dismal scene.

Window into Jesus’ baptism

Although Ava Arch’s design inspiration came from a secular source – a John Mayer album cover – her piece evoked the feeling of a stained-glass window and incorporated Ava’s favorite line from her assigned Scripture describing Jesus’ baptism: “You are my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Arch created a window depicting waves of water swirling around the central figure of Jesus. After drawing her design on the computer, Arch used the iLab’s laser cutter to make the frame, hand-cut acrylic sheets to form the panes and decorated the window using puff paint.

“In our paper, we had to learn about the socio-historical context of our Scripture, and it definitely helped make the story make more sense,” Arch said. “It also helped me tie in the whole ‘Son of God’ concept, because in the Mediterranean, family ties are a very important thing. So, it made God calling Jesus his son more meaningful to me.”

Same story, different spin

Because more than one student was assigned the same Scripture, the projects showcased the freshmen’s unique artistic interpretations.

For example, Sarah McKinney decided to make a stop-motion film on her assigned passage chronicling Jesus’ curing of the man with an unclean spirit while on the road to Capernaum.

Katherine Benton, who was given the same Scripture, painted a haunting acrylic canvas inspired by Edvard Munch’s famous painting, “The Scream.” Benton’s screaming figure depicts the moment “Jesus exorcises the unclean spirit from him,” she said.

“Although this event truly occurred, I could see the characters in it as being metaphorical to the elements of salvation as well,” Benton said, explaining to her classmates the meaning of symbols painted into the background of her piece: A man wearing a cross represents the people in the crowd who witnessed the miracle and converted to Christianity, while a distant lakeside temple represents the temple at Capernaum, the miracle’s geographical setting.

Nativity sparks creativity

The scriptural account of Jesus’ birth also prompted varied artistic responses.

Mariella Arroyo built a life-size manger out of scrap materials – a nod to the fact that Mary and Joseph had to improvise to create a bed for their son. Arroyo stained wood, bored screw holes and used a nail gun to assemble the manger before filling it with her clay-sculpted rendition of Baby Jesus.

For her project on the same Nativity passage, Elaine Marie Ehrensing researched Jewish swaddling customs – involving the rubbing of salt into the fabric and other ancient techniques – and sewed her own swaddling cloth according to the customs she researched.

Project played to strengths

Jansen, who also serves as Sacred Heart’s campus minister, conceived the joint religion and art project as the culmination of her students’ study of Christology – studies of the person of Jesus Christ.

“I wanted (the projects) to show the whole range of Jesus’ life, so I chose different stories that they’re familiar with, like the birth of Jesus and his baptism, and some they might not be as familiar with, like the driving out of the unclean spirit and the Transfiguration,” Jansen said.

“I wanted them, obviously, to learn something about Scripture and have a base of doing some Scripture research,” Jansen said. “But then, for the creative element, I wanted them to do something that was totally them, using a medium they were comfortable with. I didn’t want to just say, ‘You have to paint a picture’ or ‘You have to write a short story.’ I wanted them to do something they felt comfortable with. They went far and beyond what I thought they were capable of!”

Sacred Heart’s well-equipped iLab, formally named the Katherine and Robert Boh Innovation Lab and Makerspace, includes two 3-D printers, a laser cutter, scrolling saw, band saw, drill press and various CAD (Computer Aided Design) software, items used in robotics and various drills. A CNC machine (computer numerical control) machine aids in the precise cutting of wood.

More “low-tech” tools include hair dryers, drills, sewing machines, fabric, popsicle sticks, hot glue guns, hammers and nails.

By freshman year, Sacred Heart students are well acquainted with iLab safety protocols and equipment, having used it since fifth grade. The iLab is also a resource for teachers on how they can develop and collaborate on interdisciplinary opportunities for their students.

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