Sassoferrato was an Italian Baroque painter whose works were held in high regard up to the mid-nineteenth century before falling out of favor as overly sentimental; the late-twentieth century saw a revival of interest in his Baroque painting. There are over three-hundred works by Sassoferrato in public collections throughout the world. Scholars who have studied our painting believe it features a period frame, perhaps even the original — meaning the work may appear exactly as Sassoferrato intended, a rare example of an artist’s original concept.

The subject is dominated by a central pairing of Mary and Jesus. Mary is traditionally garbed in a red dress and blue mantle as her downcast eyes focus on an object, an orb, in the lower left. She holds her child, the toddler Jesus, securely in her arms, perched on the base of a column capital. On the far right is the figure of Joseph, who emphatically points off into the distance. Writhing around the orb at the bottom of the image is a snake, presumably a reference to Satan. When presented with such images, Christians know they reference Jesus coming into the world to reconcile Adam and Eve who, in their disobedience of God’s simple commandment not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, brought sin into existence. So, on its surface, this image appears to be a traditional image of Jesus born into this world to, through his death, reconcile humanity to God.

Let’s continue our spring walk with the themes of renewal and reconciliation in mind by becoming one with the renewing power of the art of nature. If you are a hiker, you can take a stroll about the Eco Lab. In its former life, the Eco Lab served as the grounds for the Allisons. They engaged the Prairie School landscape architect Jens Jensen, who made the grounds family friendly with a player’s green for dramatic readings, a semi-circular stone columned pergola, one of his signature council rings, a series of ponds, and a meadow.

In today’s Eco Lab, you will find birds galore to lift and renew your spirit — cardinals, chickadees, titmice, wood ducks, and wren fill the air with their colors and calls. If you listen closely enough, the trees, including sycamore, oak, poplar, and birch, will also whisper your name. You might spot a beaver searching for food, since beavers are pure vegetarians who favor cattails and water lily tubers; in winter, since beavers do not hibernate, they stockpile sticks to feed on in case their pond freezes.

As I walk around the Eco Lab, I often reflect on how nature is a work of art. Consider the following: the principal components of any work of art include such elements as composition, light, shadow, line, color, and, in many cases, figures that tell a story. Slowing down and strolling through the Eco Lab, with its seasonally changing composition, dappled light, playful shadows, inviting lines, verdant colors, and wildlife with their own stories to tell if only we would listen, demonstrates that the Eco Lab is nature’s art. Like the Sassoferrato image of The Holy Family, this work of art created by the hand of God can help to restore and renew our spiritual centers.

Our St. Francis statue depicts St. Francis seated, wearing a traditional habit cinched by a cord with three knots representing the Franciscan vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. His head is tonsured, leaving a ring of hair that symbolizes humility. He is surrounded by all manner of woodland creatures, among them some you would find in the Eco Lab. On his left shoulder is perched a bird, and in his right hand he holds a book, referencing both the Word of God and teaching. This iconic statue was donated in 1941 by George and Helen Feldman in memory of their daughter, Georgiana, a sophomore at Marian College who passed in 1940. Today the statue fronts a twenty-four-pillar colonnade that was part of the historic grounds designed by the renowned architect Jens Jensen — fitting, since Jensen believed that nature possessed a humanizing power essential for the soul.

In it we see a central figure of Jesus against a Tau cross. Historically, tau, the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, functioned similarly to the Greek letter omega appearing in the Book of Revelation: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end” (Rev 21:6) — so tau references the eternal nature of Jesus. The Tau cross also connects to the life of St. Francis, who often marked letters using the Tau cross as a seal, a sign of deep spiritual conviction.

Around Jesus, a crowd of historic and contemporary types, young and old, male and female, and multi-racial, gather to hear his message. Note the sheaves of wheat growing, not harvested — a reference to the bread that becomes the body of Jesus during Mass, but growing to indicate that the body lives, Jesus lives. Two quotes are located at the top of the first and ninth panels: “If you continue in my word, then you are my disciples indeed,” and “And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31–32). The central question to understanding this mural is identifying what Jesus is teaching. It seems, by way of the chosen quotes and the imagery, Jesus is teaching all those tenets, and being a university, we are called to teach those ideals to our students, to each other, and to our larger communities.

The work is dominated by a central image of Mary embraced by Joseph. Both gaze down at their newborn, Jesus, who sleeps peacefully. The magi, with their traditional gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, approach from the left. The shepherds, with a donkey and a sheep, approach from the right. To complete the humble nature of the scene, a cow is pictured in the foreground. Angels on the right and the abiding Light of God to the upper left witness this event that reconciles humanity to God.

Karen Glanders’ Franciscan Values Informed by Prayer features five mosaics of abstracted imagery. Starting from the far left, the first panel depicts a leafy branch and a pure white bird facing away from the viewer against a creamy white speckled background. The second features the prow of a boat guided by a lighted torch against a mottled sage green background. The third panel illustrates a censer emanating smoke that drifts off to the viewer’s right against dappled dark blue. The fourth panel is dominated by a bowl from which water infinitely pours against a blue background. Finally, against a blazing red background, the fifth panel features a tree sprouting from a blue water-like object, its reflection (or a lifeless version) below, with a yellow-orange orb dominating the scene. Over the years these mosaics have been installed in this hallway, I have opted not to individually title them — I enjoy walking by and listening to students wonder about what the imagery represents and how it ties to Marian’s Franciscan values, reaching conclusions of their own.