An Exhibition of Marian Woodcarvings by Joachim Wagner

Palestinian Mary

Joachim Wagner has lived in the United States since 1956, after fleeing the former East Germany. He received his master's degree in horticulture in 1962 from Rutger's University and pursued a career in environmental engineering for nearly thirty years. Mr. Wagner learned woodcarving as a young boy from his father, making wood-carved ornaments in his hometown of Bautzen, Germany. He, in turn, taught his own children to carve.

Since his retirement in 1989, Mr. Wagner has carved over fifty madonnas. The small madonna carvings usually take between thirty and forty hours of work. In addition to the madonnas, he also makes crêches, crosses and pine trees. He received a commission from his own parish to create a manger scene for St. James Church and was commissioned to carve a large Native American madonna for a Jersey City, New Jersey, church.

Mr. Wagner carves the madonnas as a tribute to the strength and suffering of women. He carries strong images of his experiences during and since World War II, and he sympa- thizes with the suffering he sees today, especially in the Third World countries. Articles about Mr. Wagner and his woodcarvings have been featured in the following newspapers: Our Sunday Visitor (Nov. 21, 1993); The Post-Standard, Syracuse, N.Y. (Nov. 13, 1993); The Catholic Sun, Syracuse, N.Y. (Nov. 19-25, 1992).

Mr. Wagner lives in Cazenovia, New York, with his wife, Jackie, and the two youngest of his six children.

The Syracuse Catholic Press Association published "The Faces of Mary in Our Times," a contemporary Christian art calendar for 1994. Thirteen photos of Mr. Wagner's sculptures appear in this calendar, which is available for purchase during this exhibition.

WORKS DISPLAYED

Australian Mary, 7 1/2", walnut

Bahamian Mary, 17", red elm

Chinese Mary, 11 1/2", oak

Egyptian Mary, 11", hard rock maple

Filipino Mary, 11", rock maple

Indian Mary, 8 1/2", maple

Japanese Mary, 11 1/2", rock maple

Lebanese Mary, 8", chestnut

Mexican Mary, 10", chestnut

Old English Mary, 8 1/2", beech

Palestinian Mary, 10", cherry

Peruvian Mary, 11 1/2", maple

Somalian Mary, 8", walnut

Teenage Mary, 11 1/2", maple

Vietnamese Mary, 10 1/2", rock maple

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