The Clark Architects Collaborative team hopes your day is filled with wonder, peace, and love.
“And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father’s only Son,
full of grace and truth.”
On November 21st the St. Thomas Aquinas Church-Newman Center hosted its annual fundraiser, "Husker Catholic Live!" The evening dinner and program highlighted the evangelization efforts of the Newman Center with testimonials given by alumni, students, and staff. In addition, it was an opportunity to look forward with anticipation to the opening of the new building this coming spring term.
The evening concluded with a showing of their 2014 promotional video, "Can You Feel It?" and the unveiling of the Newman Center's new logo, which proudly displays the new church's bell tower.
Stained Glass window depicting The Nativity of Our Lord by Emil Frei and Associates
St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Lincoln, NE recently acquired a historic set of stained glass windows from St. Mary's Hospital in Nebraska City, NE. The windows were located in the hospital's chapel, but with the hospital's move to a a new facility, the stained glass windows were in need of a new home. The donation of the windows came just as construction began St. Patrick's new church, but as providence would have it, the Nebraska City windows were nearly an exact fit into the planned nave window openings. Clark Architects were able to adjust the window openings to fit these exquisite windows.
The stained glass windows from St. Mary's Hospital Chapel depict the five Joyful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary, plus a sixth window of Our Lady giving the rosary to St. Dominic. The windows were made by Emil Frei and Associates in St. Louis, MO and date from the hospital's opening in the 1920s.
Emil Frei, one of the oldest stained glass firms in the country, has been hired by St. Patrick's to do the repair work on the windows. The great-great-grandchildren of Emil Frei were in Nebraska last week to remove the stained glass windows that their family produced nearly a century ago. The windows were taken back to St. Louis where they will be cleaned and repaired in their studio.
The Nebraska City windows, along with two windows from a closed parish in Omaha and the two existing stained glass windows in the current St. Patrick's church, will return to Nebraska and installed in the new St. Patrick's church just prior to its dedication next year.
St. Thomas Aquinas Church - Newman Center was featured in the latest issue of Sacred Architecture. The "News" section of the periodical highlighted the blessing of the four newly cast bells by Bishop Conley which took place on June 5th. See the article below.
Over the past few months the staff of Clark Architects have had multiple opportunities to further their educational pursuits. The education of architect encompasses a broad range of artistic skill which needs to be fostered and developed. In addition, the practicality and theory of design are also important factors to the design process. Specifically here at Clark, designing churches are a major emphasis of our work. Exploring how to build a church that looks like a church, the directives given by the Church, and the ritual requirements drive our design decision. Therefore extensive theological education is vital to the success of our work.
ROBERT HANNA
Accomplished architect and artist Robert Hanna has collaborated with Clark Architects in the past providing his rendering services (see his work for the St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center here). Over a series of classes in the spring months of 2013, Clark staff meet with Mr. Hanna to learn some of his sketching and rendering techniques that he has cultivated over his lengthy career. His approach includes: drawing the basic structure, negative spaces, and adding texture. Additional topics covered were watercolor application and fountain pen use.
SKETCHING AT THE STATE CAPITAL
Armed with the wisdom of Mr. Hanna, Clark staff took several trips to the Nebraska State Capital to take these newly acquired skills into a practical setting. Designed by Bertram Goodhue with original artwork by Lee Lawrie and Hildreth Meiere, the state capital provided a nearly inexhaustible backdrop to hone sketching techniques.
CALLIGRAPHY
In August the Clark staff met with local calligraphy instructor Mr. John Clark, also principal Kevin Clark's father. This introduction covered basic techniques to calligraphy and italic lettering. Here is to hoping we see an improvement in penmanship by rediscovering this lost art.
THE LITURGICAL INSTITUTE
In September Kevin Clark, Chris Beardslee, and Kate Kelly traveled to The Liturgical Institute for a one day conference on the theology of Catholic art and architecture entitled "Decoding the Christian Temple." A full day of presentations covered the Rite if Dedication, history of the Temple, the different elements of a church, and the Heavenly Jerusalem. The Liturgical Institute, also Kate Kelly's alma mater, is home to some of the finest research on Catholic art and architecture with the scholarship of Dr. Denis McNamara.
THE SOCIETY FOR CATHOLIC LITURGY
Kate Kelly and Kevin Clark ventured to Colorado Springs, CO at the beginning of October for the annual meeting of The Society for Catholic Liturgy. The three day conference explored "The Temple Transformed: Liturgy, Art, Music, Architecture and the Fulfillment of the Old Testament." Clark and Kelly, both members of the SCL, were able to take in paper presentations covering memory, Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity, ornament, and fundamental building forms. Included in the presenters were James McCrery, consultant architect on the St. Thomas Aquinas Church-Newman Center, and Bishop James Conley, Bishop of Lincoln who delivered the keynote address for the conference.
