Students see the Blessed Mother exhibit on a recent field trip

Sam Stadler loved the vessel with the image of Jesus in the temple and described it as one of his favorite parts of scripture – “when Mary and Joseph find Jesus in the temple, he amazed even the teachers.” See more photos below.
Fifth graders from St. Pius X School went to see the Blessed Mother exhibit at the Mary and Jeff Bell Library on Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMUCC) campus on Dec. 3. Artist, Avery Rodriguez, displayed 21 porcelain vases of Mary and Jesus as part of her Bachelor of Fine Arts art show.

All the vases were either red and white or blue and white. The artist wrote that for her, the three colors represent sacrifice, purity (clay body), and grace. She wrote, “Seven of these portray the sorrow and pain Mary had to endure by continuing to love her son up to His end on earth. The other 14 refer to the approximate age Mary conceived Jesus.”

Some of the students chose a favorite vase depicting a Scripture scene. 

One fifth-grader David Hinojosa said his favorite vase was had the image of Jesus in the temple. “The detail on it is good,” he said.

Another student, Sam Stadler, also loved the vessel with Jesus in the temple and described it as one of his favorite parts of scripture – “when Mary and Joseph find Jesus in the temple, he amazed even the teachers.” 

Audrey Walters said she liked the vase depicting Mary smiling while holding baby Jesus. “It just shows that Mary loves baby Jesus a lot. It shows a lot of love in it,” she said.

Rodriguez wrote that practicing her Catholic faith and time spent working in the studio allowed her time to reflect and enjoy a meditative state of mind. “Both have given her joy and satisfaction. “They have served as vessels of love, especially my faith. I have never felt more secure and ready to face the world until I decided to have faith and trust things will work out,” she said. “This is the vessel of love I am referring to, much like the vessel of love Mary ga ve Jesus, she said. 

About this artist

Avery Rodriguez is a senior at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and a native Texan who was born and raised in Bandera. She is a self-described cradle Catholic, but later in her senior year in high school and early into college she encountered Jesus and discovered her faith.