3-25-2024 4:51am

150TH MURAL PROJECT

Jeff Barto Editor

Come Together—NDP's 150th Anniversary Community Mural

By NDP

Notre Dame Preparatory School’s 150th Anniversary Community Mural Project has combined creativity and community spirit in both design and execution. It is a testament to the NDP community and how a group of individuals with specific talents and gifts comes together unified by God’s love and a common purpose to change the world. From the guest artists who have been creating tiles to the school’s dedicated maintenance crew who have carefully installed each panel, the mural has been a true community effort.

“I'm so happy to be a part of celebrating our 150th birthday by participating in the Mural Project,” said Ginna Alderman '81, NDP alumna and school counselor, who completed not one, but two panels. “It felt like a wonderful way to combine my love of my school with the joy of being creative. I'd like to think this mural is a perfect metaphor for our school, combining differences to make something beautiful.”

Located in the Knott Performing Arts Center, the 150th Anniversary Community Mural is comprised of 148, 12-inch by 12-inch tiles. Guest artists from across the NDP community—students, faculty, staff, alumnae, parents, Board members, and friends—each recreated a portion of a larger picture in any medium they desired. Materials used have ranged from pastel to glass, and techniques have included painting, needlepoint, crochet, and beadwork, just to name a few.

“The mural will be an awesome reminder of this celebration of 150 years of NDP for years to come," said Christian Leitch '93, Middle Level Art teacher and project coordinator. "I can imagine the next big anniversary celebration and the planning committee looking back at the mural with fondness. I feel blessed to have been involved in this project. I love NDP and I think the image truly shows how special our institution is. We are blessed to be here…right here, right now.”

To date, more than half of the panels have been installed. The unveiling of the completed mural is on April 25, 2024, at the Upper Level Arts & STEAM Night when the final iconic NDP image will be revealed.

Below, we invite you to listen to some of our guest artists discussing how they were inspired to create their tiles. Additionally, The Catholic Review recently published a story about the Anniversary Mural. Read the article here.