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Member's artwork commissioned for La Crosse parish

The Last Supper intarsia by Sister Shirley Wagner

Monsignor Robert Hundt of Blessed Sacrament Parish in La Crosse received a unique birthday gift this year from an anonymous friend. Monsignor is no doubt one of a very few people to receive a 12 foot by 4 1/2 foot intarsia wall-hanging of The Last Supper as a gift. The work, created by Sister Shirley Wagner, was recently hung above the fireplace in the new Blessed Sacrament social hall.

Intarsia art is a mosaic made from pieces of inlaid wood. The art form was popular in Italy in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Last Supper intarsia is made with at least eight different types of wood, including padauk, bloodwood from Africa, amaranthe, Pennsylvania cherry, curly cherry, white ash, rough cedar and aromatic cedar, which was used for the table.

Sister Shirley started the piece last September and oversaw the installation in early February. She has created three other The Last Supper intarsia wall-hangings for other Wisconsin parishes. As she viewed the final stages of the installation she said, "It is kind of spectacular, isn't it? I had to do a good job since my sisters are here in La Crosse."

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