‘The Jesus Project’:
Christ the King parishioner creates ornate collage for God
Christ the King parishioner Nancy Shields of Indianapolis created this ornate, multimedia religious collage that she calls “The Jesus Project” over a period of two years in her spare time. She said making it was an expression of prayer for her. (Photo by Mary Ann Wyand)
By Mary Ann Wyand
Multicolored jewelry and stones sparkle with an ethereal glow. Yet, in spite of their translucent beauty, an image of the resurrected Christ dominates the ornate collage.
A crucifix, a statue of Mary, an image of Michelangelo’s “Pieta,” several crosses and an assortment of beautiful holy cards also tell the biblical story of Jesus, Mary and Joseph without words in nine small, wooden shadow boxes that form the unique religious artwork.
Christ the King parishioner Nancy Shields of Indianapolis created this multimedia expression of her love for God and the Catholic faith as a lengthy process of prayer, discernment and self-discovery.
“It took me over two years to complete it in my spare time,” Shields explained. “I worked and I worked and I worked on it. Through that whole time, there were some days when I felt like I almost couldn’t pray so I would just sit there thinking about it. Sometimes all I would do is put three or four little pieces of paper in it. I wanted it to be beautiful. I wanted it to be perfect.”
Her collage gleams with a statue of Mary that her mother gave her after making a pilgrimage to Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Other pieces of the artwork were gifts from friends or found objects or even garage sale treasures that came together in harmonious ways in the shadow boxes to form a colorful, textured tapestry of faith and love.
Yet in spite of its beauty, Shields knew that her religious collage wasn’t finished because “something was missing.”
That “something,” she realized later, was a colorful image of the risen Christ that she found at Krieg Bros. in downtown Indianapolis and happily glued to the center of the collage.
“It’s about the Resurrection,” Shields said, smiling. “That is what this [collage] is all about, and the [statue of the] resurrected Jesus is exactly what was supposed to go there [in the center]. I call it ‘The Jesus Project.’ When it was finally finished, it really felt remarkable to me. Now I look at it and am amazed at how beautiful it is.”
Her collage is also a reminder of the Eucharist, she said, and the Last Supper.
The artwork inspires her to think about “knowing Jesus in the breaking of the bread,” Shields said, “and that for some reason has stood out for me in this piece. My Catholic education was really important to me.”
A single parent with a grown son, William, and daughter, Dru, Shields said she relies on her faith every day.
The collage was her most ambitious artistic endeavor, she said, because it means so much to her and creating it was an experience of growth in her faith life.
“I find peace and comfort in developing my talents aside from what I do at work every day,” Shields said. “With my children, I always said, ‘Use your gifts. Use your talents.’ We’ve all been given gifts. I think whatever your talents are, you were given your gifts for a reason and you should use them. Everybody can build a collage about the things they love and that are meaningful to them.”
A close friend, St. Joan of Arc parishioner Jean Easter of Indianapolis, is an artist and professional art conservator.
Her company, Easter Conservation Services, restored the historic crèche at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis last year, and she often works with religious artwork and statues.
Easter said she hopes her friend will make note cards with photographs of the collage to share with others because it is so complex and beautiful.
“The amount of thought and effort that went into that [collage] is incredible,” Easter said. “It’s an amazing array of thought. It’s inspiring. I think she is a very spiritually connected person.”
Religious artwork “transcends anything earthly,” Easter said, “… more on an ethereal plane, and tells [the viewer about] God’s love for us.”
Shields said she especially likes the collage because it is “so Catholic in nature” and reflects the complexities of her beloved faith.
“I know I’ve never been alone,” Shields said. “I’ve always told my kids that they are never alone, and if they have faith they can go to Jesus and Mary [in prayer], to call on them for help at any moment, and they also have all the saints as friends. I’ve always kept a rosary by my bed, and I have crucifixes in the living room and bedrooms. My prayer is always, ‘God, help me be a light. Help me do what is pleasing to you.’ That’s always my prayer to God, and so I have hope.” †
