This document summarizes observations of art in the Christ the King Chapel altar mural at Mercyhurst University. It describes seeing depictions of the Sisters of Mercy and crucifixion scenes. The mural was created by Rambusch Co. in 1934. The document outlines activities for students to learn about religious symbols in the mural and create their own art.

1. By: Samantha Eimers Kerri Janoske Bridget Lozier Aesthetic EducationCulminating Project

2. Our Focus Point : Christ The King Chapel Altar Mural

3. Christ The King Chapel Mercyhurst Campus

4. Observing Using the Senses: Seeing Smelling Hearing Feeling

5. Sight Observations:

6. Smell Observations:

7. Hearing Observations:

8. Feeling Observations:

9. Using Past Experience to Observe:

10. How long did this work of art take to create? How was it created? How old is this work of art? Is there just one artist, or several artists? What exactly is it made out of? Is it a popular work of art? Questions That Came to Mind While Observing:

11. Mind Map

13. Stands about eight feet off the floor

14. Senses:See details Feel cold stone and its texture Surrounding Object:

16. Represents crucifixion

17. App. 1 ½ feet tall

18. Senses:See great detail of body and pained look on the face Feel the different textures of the candle, body, and its mount Surrounding Object:

20. Mural is directly behind it

21. Surrounded by flowers

22. Senses:See the importance (raised level) See flowers and candles Feel smooth wood and soft petals Surrounding object:

24. Located to the left of the altar

25. Stands app. seven feet tall

26. Senses:See light glistening off finished wood Feel smooth wood and soft cloth Surrounding Object:

28. Its cathedral-like structure has been the site of more than 500 weddings.

29. Mural created by Rambusch Co. of New York and Philadelphia

30. Has theme of Christ the King and Sisters of Mercy

31. Mural displays the connection between the church and the Sisters of Mercy

32. The mural has Pope Gregory XVI and Archbishop John Mark Gannon pictured behind the Sisters of Mercy

33. The images of the Sister’s represent their mission

34. The building in which the chapel resides, Old Main, is said to be haunted

35. People attend church and look upon the variety of images for many different reasons. This all goes back to how our past experiences shape our views/opinions of other pieces of art.Contextual Information

37. Lesson on respecting all religions and beliefs, gaining an understanding of the views of many other people

38. Students can all create a small image and together the class can combine their images, creating one large mural

39. Have students create a mural of their own

40. Use Clay to shape a statue of something/someone (similar to the activity we did in this class)

41. The students could write a story as to what they see when they look at this particular mural

42. Students could listen to several different music selections and decide which music fits best with several mural selectionsActivities for Classroom

45. Would it have a different effect if it were in the back, on a side wall, or the ceiling?

46. Does the clarity of the mural affect how you view the story?

47. How are the characters portrayed?

48. Think about elements connected with artwork (color, texture, lines, shape, spacing, proportions, etc). How are they used in the mural?

49. What tools would you need to create a mural high on a wall, or on the ceiling? How would you transition those tools?

50. Is there an obvious center character in the mural?Possible Lines of Inquiry – Key Ideas

54. http://my.mercyhurst.edu/Visitors/CampusMinistry/Pages/ChapelWeddings.aspx

55. http://hauntsandhistory.blogspot.com/2009/07/mercyhursts-spooky-sister.htmlReferences