Tile Wall Mural: The Work of Many Hands

What does one do with a big bare wall that greets visitors at our entrance?  During the winter and spring of last school year, visiting ceramic artist, Bob Yost, worked with hundreds of LCCS students to address that question.  Conceiving a ceramic work that would embody the school’s mission statement, Mr. Yost could be seen frequently ferrying crates of clay slabs to and from the art room eventually emerging with the pieces parts that would comprise the finished work.

Mr. Yost demonstrates to young students how to create texture in their clay

Working the stamps with Mr. Yost

It was always a welcome change of pace when we set aside our regular art project in order to pick up some clay and work on the tile wall mural. Little ones created “energy” by tapping their fingers into a soft clay surface resulting in beautiful pattern variations for background tiles.  Older students as well as adults used letter stamps pressed into slabs to spell out bible verses.  These worked as  stand -alone tiles as well as a textural element.  High school art students took on the task of forming three-dimensional shapes in addition to executing representational imagery.  

Stamping in text

Last winter a friend shared a song with me called  “Why it Matters” by Sara Groves.  Whenever I listen to it, I'm reminded that beauty matters because it’s a reflection of God’s creative character.  Many hands in our school community, orchestrated by a talented visiting artist, joined together to make something of lasting visual impact because beauty matters.

Next week: A glimpse at the finished work