Good News Story: ECLC Szostalo Sculpture

August 10, 2023

Our Early Childhood Learning Center is Ready for the New School Year! We hope you had a chance to stop by our ECLC’s Open House last weekend. If you did, perhaps you noticed the bronze cast artwork greeting you in our lobby. The piece has a very interesting story! Cathy Noyes, our ECLC Director, received an email from Sr. Renita Brummer, a sister from the Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, in early February offering the bas-relief as a gift to our school. Sr. Renita had attended the listening session for All Things New here at St. Joseph back in the fall and was so moved by the feedback and support of our program voiced from parents and parishioners that she knew this piece should be given a new home with the St. Joseph ECLC. The piece was commissioned by the Franciscan Sisters in the 1980’s for their Early Childhood center in Ferguson. When the center closed, the artwork sat in storage until now! Sr. Renita was able to find the name of the artist, Wiktor Szostalo, which led to another interesting story.
Cathy reached out to Wiktor via email with a picture of the piece asking him for some background information. He was more than happy to help! The title of the piece is “Christ With Children” and is the first of four casts he had made. He noticed our piece is missing a butterfly from the girl’s hand and has offered to help us restore it to its original condition! Wiktor is originally from Poland and spends time there and at his art studio in Granite City IL. We look forward to meeting with him very soon. Please check out other works of his on his website: www.szostalosculpture.net. If you have ever visited the St. Louis Basilica on Lindell and noticed the “Angel of Harmony,” it is one of Wiktor’s religious works!