The Peer Ministry students of Hudson Catholic High School in Jersey City, have put together an incredible recreation of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper. The final captivating image is faithful to the original but instead of 13 men, it is made up of a combination of male and female students representing the school’s co-ed demographic.
We spoke to the religion teacher who coordinated the project, James Falconer, who said, "I have a friend, who runs an arts festival every Lent, in my home town of Glasgow, Scotland. As a photographer, I have contributed to the festival, Lentfest, previously. This year, I wanted to do something extra special. My students and I explored three guiding questions: What is your hope? Where do you find your hope? And, can you symbolize your hope despite what we have collectively been through in the last two years?’’In response, the students made a short video expressing their hope, and then decided to put their own spin on Da Vinci’s masterpiece. As they were working on the project, Hudson alum Larry Basinski got wind of the idea and stepped in to help create the set for the actual image. A member of the Class of 1970, Basinski remains active with the Alumni Association Hudson Catholic High School, Inc.
Basinski in turn reached out to renowned New York photographer, and Hudson Catholic alum, Jim Salzano, '69. Jim was super excited to revisit his alma mater and offered to shoot the image as a service to the Hawk community. Speaking of the students, Salzano said, "I was so inspired by them - they were so good to work with - a fantastic credit to the school.""It all moved really quickly after that and now we have this beautiful image which we think clearly says three things: The Last Supper, Hudson Catholic, and Jersey City," said Falconer.
He finished off by adding, "I am delighted with the final result. It is an incredibly powerful image, and I think the message of young people coming together as one, in spite of all that we have suffered in recent times, is self-evident. I am so grateful for the help we received to make this image, and most of all I am grateful for our students. With so much negativity out there in the world, I am proud that our students were able to come together and break bread like this to share their hope with the world."As we move towards Holy Week it is a treasure to see the young giving gifts of faith, hope and love through this image.
Well done, Hawks!