A traditional rosary garden typically includes stepping stones that take the place of beads, a statue of Mary, symbolic flowers and landscaping, a cross and benches. What’s unusual about this one are the large four-sided towers with colorful religious scenes on each.
Although rosary gardens are typically created with Catholics in mind, the folks at Alter are hoping that a wide variety of people in our community will find their garden a year-long refuge for reflection, prayer and tranquility.
The creative project, dedicated in the fall of 2013 to commemorate the school’s 50th anniversary, was originally the brainstorm of Alter’s longtime director of facilities, William “Billy” Schoen, who envisioned an outdoor prayer area in front of the school.
Although grass could never grow in this particular spot, the 7,500-square-foot prayer garden has blossomed — attracting everyone from neighbors to parents, students and teachers.
Coming up with the idea
After visiting a church in Chicago with his late wife, Schoen began to revise his initial thoughts about a garden and focus on the idea of a place where people could come to pray the rosary.
The special prayer focuses on the life of Christ from the Scriptures. The beads of the rosary are divided into five decades — or sections — with each decade representing an event from the life of Christ. The five events are grouped into sets of mysteries — there are four sets of “mysteries” with each reflecting an important part of Christ’s life.
Schoen’s original thought was to have metal plaques on the wall where people could pray the rosary.
Adding the art
When Alter parent and artist Suzanne Ley offered to create some original outdoor artwork for the school, Principal Lourdes Lambert put the two ideas — and the two key people — together.
“The beauty of the project was that it was such a group effort, it was so close to everyone’s heart, ” says Ley, who says Schoen gave her free reign as well as some great ideas.
Ley, who grew up in Minnesota and North Dakota, graduated from Arizona State University with a fine arts degree, studying painting and drawing. About 20 years ago, after working in the advertising world in Houston, Minneapolis and Chicago, she returned to her love of making art. Her work, often by commission, varies from portraiture to landscape and realism to abstract.
“I like to vary sizes and mediums in order to keep myself creatively challenged and interested,” says the artist who describes her paintings as “expressive realism.”
She says the art you’ll see at the Alter Rosary Garden is somewhat realistic, but also textural and linear. She said she often used friends and family as her models, although they may not recognize themselves.
“It is more conceptual than a moment in time,” says Ley. “My hope is that every time someone sees a piece, that they will delve more deeply into the concept and find something different with each viewing.”
Ley suggested that instead of plaques, giant towers be constructed that could showcase the artwork. Her husband had the idea of placing benches strategically so that visitors could sit in one of four spots and pray each of the four sets of mysteries — the Joyful, the Luminous, the Sorrowful and the Glorious.
Each of the six towers weighs more than 250 pounds and is fashioned from four welded pieces of quarter-inch aluminum. Ley began with rough sketches, then did preliminary drawings of the 20 paintings. You can view the original artwork on walls inside the school.
For the outdoor work, she said she had to find paint that could tolerate all kinds of Miami Valley weather. Each tower has been treated with four coats of automobile paint to preserve it.
“The towers were a flat canvas with no give, so I had to add my own texture to the panels using tulle, burlap and gold leaf,” Ley told a class of Alter art students when explaining her artistic process.
She said many images of the rosary are “old-fashioned” and that her idea was to bring the story to life in a more contemporary way.
In addition to the series of paintings depicting Christ’s life, the Alter garden also includes a statue of Mary imported from Italy, and a towering cross made from Ohio barn beams.
Amy Miller, the school’s director of marketing, said that one of the features she likes about the garden is that when visitors are sitting on a particular bench — such as the “Joyful” bench — those mysteries that are ‘joyful’ — The Annunciation, The Visitation, The Nativity, The Presentation in the Temple and The Finding of Jesus in the Temple — can be viewed on each of the different towers. For those joyful paintings, Ley explained, she created a sparkling texture that would glisten in the sun.
Using the garden
Father Jim Manning, president of the school, said the garden is being used in a variety of ways. In nice weather, classes are sometimes held in the garden: theology, photography and art classes have all made use of it.
“There is an older gentleman who lives in the neighborhood who walks his dog every day and stops in the garden,” he said. “We’ve been asking the teams to come back to the garden after a game — win or lose — and say a prayer. Some also gather there before a game.”
Says Manning: “It’s beautiful there and different every season.”
The Alter Prayer Garden is fully accessible and open year-round. It is located in the front of the school, 940 E. David in Kettering.
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