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Wright Hall Stations of the Cross are Mosaic Gems |
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Originally opened in 1959 as the BVM Scholasticate to house young sisters studying for degrees at Mundelein College, the building (renamed Wright Hall in 1970 in honor of former mother general Helen Wright BVM) is now a residence for retired sisters. Since the beginning, the chapel has been home to mosaic Stations of the Cross designed and created by Edmund Demers, art professor, 1954-1966, at Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa. Urged by art department chair, James Ann Walsh BVM, whom he describes as “a wonderful friend,” and encouraged by other BVMs familiar with his impressive liturgical art, Ed accepted the challenge of creating in an art form which has existed for thousands of years. Though the complexity and rich history of mosaics are fascinating to study, presently the focus is the remarkable mosaics which Ed worked on for over a year while also teaching full time. Complex Process For the project, Ed ordered tesserae, small pieces of opaque glass which he notes were “very expensive,” from a “color chart sent by a firm in New York ”; the vibrant colors of the completed stations attest to the artistically effective choices Ed made. As current Wright Hall resident Peggy Devereux, BVM (Williamette) commented recently, the stations “are so alive” and “still look brand new.” Because the tesserae all came in the same size, Ed had to cut each one whenever he “needed a piece a little bit narrower” which, judging from the finished works, was quite often. The process involved first, imagining the design for a station; Helen Kerrigan BVM (Paulita,) a colleague of Ed at Clarke, stresses the crucial importance here: “If it's designed well, it will hang together…. Ed Demers was a good designer.” He then drew a sketch and reproduced it on a panel, before setting individual glass pieces into an adhesive and filling the interstices with grout. “I struggled a lot with the designs,” says Ed. “There were, of course, centuries of tradition of Stations of the Cross,” and “I was trying to approach the work a little differently.” Key Images Confined to a specific size of 36 by 22 inches, he decided to limit each station either to a single figure or to two or three at most. He concentrated, for example, on a pair of grief-stricken women in Station 8, and primarily on the African Simon in Station 5 and on Mary in Station 4. Station 6 features a white cloth bearing an image of the deeply pained Jesus; holding the cloth is Veronica whose profound sorrow is fully conveyed even though only a portion of her face is visible. With equal concentration in the 11th station, rather than portray an entire body being crucified, Ed depicts just one of Christ's hands nailed to the cross, an image which carries singular power for the viewer. Expressive hands, in fact, provide a unifying thread through many of the stations. Similarly striking is the final station with Jesus wrapped in white swaddling clothes in the tomb. “I liked that one,” says Ed; “I did a good job on that.” Viewed from a distance, the stations appear very smooth on the surface, “almost like a painting” as one BVM relative noted; this comment is affirmed by Helen Kerrigan, who emphasizes that the way Ed captures light and dark in faces, for example, is “the way you would paint a face, partly in shadow.” When one views a station up close, though, one sees the somewhat rough texture of the surface, the variety of sizes of tesserae, the tiny spaces between them and the exacting placement of each small piece. One can only marvel at the enormous patience required for executing work like this and the extraordinary artistic gifts needed to envision a total image to be created out of countless pieces of colored glass. Words alone cannot begin to convey the intricacy of the process and the power of the finished art. Circuitous Journey Once the project was completed, Ed faced the challenge of “how to get these to Chicago.” Fortunately, the father of a Clarke student was able to fit “the heavy load” into his large station wagon for the trip. Ed entrusted the results of months of work to the driver and said farewell to his huge project. “I never saw them installed,” he says. Before the stations were moved, however, various people were able to see them. Peggy Devereux for example, remembers that periodically during summer school a sign was posted inviting students to view a finished station. Not only was Peggy struck by the beauty of each piece but also, she says, “I was impressed that we were invited to go and have a preview showing of what was going to be in the new Scholasticate. The stations were so beautiful then and they still are.” Also before leaving Dubuque, the stations were on display in the Roshek building in downtown Dubuque in an exhibit arranged by James Ann Walsh. Carol Spiegel, BVM (Ann Carla) from nearby Farley, recalls seeing this exhibit before she entered the community. Other Works of Art Dubuque residents are also familiar with the 43 x 32 foot mosaic which covers the entire south wall of St. Peter Lutheran church, and features a large figure of Christ flanked by two panels on either side depicting eight significant experiences in Peter's life. In addition to these liturgical works Ed created a variety of others before going to Ohio University in Athens, where he concentrated on teaching art history rather than studio art. Familiar to many BVMs and their colleagues, for example, are his
After years as a university art professor, Ed has frequently worked with wood in his retirement in New Hampshire. Among other things, he has created “a great number over the years” of musical instruments, including dulcimers, banjos, ukuleles and mandolins. All of these are created from “original designs.” Given the fact that in a long life dedicated to art, Ed worked primarily in liturgical art for only about ten years of his total career, BVMs are especially fortunate to have such impressive works as the Stations of the Cross at Wright Hall as daily reminders of his extraordinary artistic gifts. Providing a home to such treasures in this sacred space is a unique privilege. About the author: Sara McAlpin, BVM (Philip Mary) is archivist at Clarke College, Dubuque, and a member of the Communications Advisory Committee. She is especially grateful to Helen Kerrigan, BVM for her assistance. Return to Table of Contents. |
For centuries, the prayer environment in places of worship has been enhanced by notable art works. One such setting, familiar to and beloved by BVMs, their families and friends, is the small chapel at Wright Hall in Chicago.