AWARDS
RELIGIOUS ARTS / VISUAL ARTS
HONOR AWARD
“ Via Dolorosa ” Chapel , SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital St . Louis , Missouri
William Frank , Artist St . Louis , Missouri
SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital requested a series of prints with imagery that expressed their mission “ to reveal the healing presence of God .” “ Via Dolorosa ,” meaning “ sorrowful way ” or “ way of suffering ,” refers to the path that Jesus walked to his crucifixion . The narrative told though art uses color transitions from red to violet . All 14 prints combine a scene of Christ with an image from Saint Louis University and SSM archives . These include diagnostic medical images such as x-rays , current research images made with electron microscopy , and blueprints for the original hospital . There ’ s a person and a history in each image — a child who falls from a tricycle , a man shot in the spine , a woman losing vision to macular degeneration . In this way , the local community and its afflictions become the landscape in which Christ ’ s suffering and sacrifice unfold .
Jury Comments The images created for this chapel are incredibly poignant visages that draw upon the Stations of the Cross using background images such as x-rays , blueprints , and other diagnostic visualization tools . The work ties the suffering of local people to the great sacrifice of Christ , suggesting his presence in each one of us .
Photo : Aeternus Design
“ Guardian Angel ” St . Colmcille ’ s Church Holywood , Northern Ireland
Helen McLean , Artist McLean Fine Arts Wexford , Ireland
This mosaic “ Guardian Angel ” is an addition to a church baptistry wall completed by the same artist 25 years earlier . Isolated by the Covid-19 pandemic , the artist chose to create a visage of her “ lockdown ” guardian angel . Her angel painting was transformed into a mosaic and installed in the baptistry to guide visitors . The angel stands tall , its feet grounded on the glowing earth — symbolized by deep reds and oranges — threatened by all that is happening in the world . Among the deep reds and purples , light and hope are suggested by elements that reflect the light . A line of gold tiles halfway up the mosaic marks the division of earth and the heavens . The sky and heavens glow and sparkle with golds and silver . The guardian angel evokes beauty , light , and hope .
Jury Comments This piece is an addition to a work that the same artist completed a quarter-century earlier and shows her vision ’ s maturation . In the grip of the pandemic , the angel guards over the heavens and the earth .
Stephen McCracken Photography
22 SACRED PLACES • SUMMER 2021