Larry Zgoda
Title: Marian Woods windows, 2000
Liason: Father Thomas Paul, Liturgical Consultant, Franciscan Sisters of Chicago
Site: Our Lady of the Angels Chapel, Marian Village, Lockport, IL.
As a Liturgical Consultant, Father Thomas Paul relies on The Guild Sourcebooks to find original art best suited to a given environment. "Artwork that is original in its design and fabrication makes the space its own," he says. It was through the The Guild Sourcebooks that Father Paul found glass artist Larry Zgoda. "The selection committee was familiar with my work and wanted a design much like the pieces I had done before - abstractions of the circle, triangle and square," Zgoda recalls. "The windows were more saturated in color than anything I had ever done. There was a lot of light and not a lot of foliage outside, so the colors had to be rich. We didn't want to have people wearing their sunglasses inside!" Father Paul finds special inspiration in Zgoda's artwork. "The windows really create the spiritual mood of the chapel. They enhance its beauty and allow visitors to come in contact with the mystery of God as light in darkness." Zgoda found his work with Father Paul and the design committee very helpful. "They were able to come up with symbolism for the chapel that I hadn't even considered. I'm very comfortable working in the kind of situation where the client is as involved with the design as the artist." As a result of their collaboration for the Our Lady of the Angels Chapel, Father Paul and Larry Zgoda have worked on two more projects together. "I would encourage other art consultants and designers to work with artists they've never worked with before," says Father Paul. "It's a wonderful way to find new sources for art. I'm very pleased with the creativity, design and responsiveness of Larry. He's created distinctive windows that will have a long-lasting effect on the residents and employees of Marian Woods."
