St. Maximilian Kolbe, Saint of Auschwitz 

Rachel Moore  graduated in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in English Language & Literature and minors in Philosophy and Theology & Religious Studies. She was a proud Writing Center Undergraduate Tutor and the recipient of the 2017 H. Edward Cain Prize for Outstanding Graduating Senior in English. St. Maximilian Kolbe, Saint of Auschwitz is an original mixed media gouache painting sealed with resin on 5X7 inch wooden panel lined with gold leaf edging. The serene expression on St. Maximilian's gaunt face contrasts with the stark barbed wire archway and and hand-pressed blood-red mosaic details, which frame the saint's figure in the iconographic tradition. This painting exists in conversation with Rachel's original poem "Two Crowns," a haunting and hopeful elegy inspired by the heroic martyrdom of St. Maximilian Kolbe. Rachel's painting was on gallery display during Verses at Nightfall, a poetry reading hosted by the Joie de Vivre print journal of art, culture, and letters for South Louisiana.