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In 2001, St. Joseph Parish added a unique piece of artwork to the entranceway of the church entitled "Joseph & The Children" by world famous sculptor Joseph Turkaly. The relief art depicts Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, working as a carpenter with three children, one of which is obviously Jesus as a boy. Not only does it hold particular meaning to St. Joseph Parish because it depicts its patron saint, but the inclusion of children represents the community's special fondness toward its school.
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August 4/5, 2001 Dedication
The art piece was dedicated at Masses the weekend of August 4/5, 2001, by Fr. Tom McCarthy, Pastor.
Mounted in the covered entranceway in an alcove designed for the piece, "Joseph & The Children" is dedicated to the memory of parishioner Linda Kulka, who tragically died in an automobile accident on March 2, 1999.
The brick entranceway with two alcove areas was a project taken on by St. Joseph's Garden Club. The construction was overseen by parishioner Austin Heritage with help from area craftsman and many volunteers.
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Meet the Artist Event
On October 7, 2001, Mr. Turkaly met with parishioners to talk about the piece and answer questions on how it was created. During his presentation, he described the painstaking process he went through to make this one-of-a-kind art piece for St. Joseph Parish.
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First, he drew a sketch of the idea presented to him by Father Thomas McCarthy (pastor of St. Joseph's Sept. 1, 1994 to July 31, 2003). After the drawing was approved, Turkaly made a clay model. A mold was then constructed with a process involving a thin rubber layer and several other layers. A substance called winterstone was poured into the mold, then allowed to cure, creating a very durable work of art that will withstand the test of time. With the assistance of his youngest of six sons, Tom, Turkaly then removed the outer layers to reveal the finished product. A coating of a special material was applied to create a patina similar to the greenish-blue color of aged copper. Then "Joseph & The Children" was attached to a black background for its final presentation at the parish.
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About The Artist
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Turkaly, a quiet-spoken man, has been an artist since he was a boy growing up in Croatia. Learning his trade literally at his father's knee, the modest craftsman feels he was born to be an artist. He is known for his sculpture and religious painting, and has worked at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, with Ivan Mestrovic, one of Croatia's great sculptors, creating the 18-foot bronze statue of Moses in front of the university's library. His 9-foot figure of George Washington stands outside a Masonic lodge in Buffalo, NY, and two, 7-foot marble statues - Our Lady of Peace and Our Lady of Bistrica - are on display at the National Shrine in Washington, D.C. Other works of art he has created are on display at the Croatian Cultural Center, at several Catholic churches in the Cleveland area, and in public and private collections throughout the United States, Canada, Italy, Croatia and Argentina. Turkaly was a resident artist at Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills from 1969 through 1991 and has seven works of art on display there.
To learn more about this talented artist,
please visit www.turkalyart.com.
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Joseph Turkaly died July 3, 2007,
leaving his wife of 47 years, Julia,
sons Anthony, Andrew, John,
Thomas, Peter, Paul,
and four grandchildren.
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