Knightly News

The Lewis Family Memorial Chapel of the Good Shepherd has inspired generations of Episcopal students and continues to do so today. Recently, students in the Upper School Art and Religion course created drawings inspired by the A. Hays Town designed structure. Students spent a beautiful fall afternoon studying the exterior after learning about stained glass, buttresses and Gothic influences.  

“Religion and art have always gone hand in hand,” says art teacher Veronica Hallock. When designing the new course, she introduced architectural concepts and explained how they impact the feel of a space. She points out that cathedrals and places of worship are built with intention and what is referred to as sacred geometry. She says architects often design to bring in as much light as possible with a goal of meeting the needs of the rituals and activities conducted within. This intention creates a sense of wonder and awe for congregants. “I think they’re very powerful structures,” says Hallock.

A Language Spoken All Around Us

Hallock sees the art in religion as a language that is spoken all around us. In the course, she introduces the commonalities and differences in the artistic languages of major religions. She also highlights symmetry and iconography, as well as the reverence that these concepts evoke.

The new course has been well-received by students. “My biggest takeaway from this course so far has been that all art has a history, even the unlikely ones, such as Gargoyles or architecture,” says freshman Carolena Duncan. “My favorite assignment has probably been carving our grotesques, which are similar to gargoyles.” Carolena looks forward to learning more about architecture and the art of Gothic Europe. 

From Stained Glass to Relics

The Art and Religion course covers a wide range of artistic concepts. In addition to capturing the chapel’s exterior through drawing, students also created grotesques and manuscripts after discussing the importance of book binding in religion. Students selected a saint to study and digitally designed a stained glass window depicting the person. Working with Dr. Jeff McLean in the FRAME Lab, students laser cut the window frames and “leaded” portions. Afterward, they poured UV resin into the frames to serve as the “glass” elements. As the course unfolds, students will study relics and reliquaries and design an object that represents something about themselves. Hallock hopes to create a pilgrimage-inspired experience on campus through which students travel to discover the relics.

As the class continues to develop, Hallock hopes students continue tapping into their creativity regardless of their artistic experience or skills. Carolena says that before enrolling in the course, she considered herself artistic, and the course has already helped her skills evolve. “I feel I have been able to learn new techniques and step out of my comfort zone and use materials I’m often not prone to using,” she says. “I feel I’ve grown as an artist.”

The Lewis Family Memorial Chapel of the Good Shepherd has inspired generations. Check out a previous Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans article highlighting the space here.

STEAM Knight Art

Join Hallock at STEAM Knight on November 13th to learn how to create a keychain similar to the Art and Religion stained glass windows. 

Thursday, November 13th
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Families will participate in activities in the QUEST Center in Foster Hall, the quad and the Academic Commons. Look for Hallock and the arts crew in the Commons.

The Episcopal School of Baton Rouge 2025-2026 application is now available! ​For more information on the application process, to schedule a tour, or learn more about the private school, contact us at [email protected] or 225-755-2685.