St. Paul’s Chapel and University Student Center
St. Paul’s Chapel serves the Catholic student population of the University of Wisconsin, Madison. The new chapel and Catholic Student Center replace brutalist architecture on the same site. The new St. Paul’s was more than a decade in the making. When the architectural form was established by Matthew Alderman and RDG Planning & Design, EverGreene was invited to develop and implement a comprehensive liturgical artistry program.
The artwork was realized in a variety of media. The central aisle features bas-relief panels designed, and hand-sculpted in EverGreene’s studio depicting scenes from the life of Christ on one side and life of Paul on the other. Each scene is flanked by peacocks (representing immortality) and invites students to contemplate the ways in which The Apostle consented to let Christ live in him, and how they are called to do the same. Mosaic portraits of saints designed by EverGreene and crafted in Italy adorn the arcade. Large-scale, hand-painted figurative murals and non-figurative works including patterns, text, and decorative finishes, designed and created by EverGreene support the architecture and the liturgy.
