Stained Glass STEM

The school year wouldn’t be complete without one last “crazy” project, a grand finale to an already spectacular semester. This year I collaborated with sculptor Lynda Abraham and some very enthusiastic third graders to create a window installation that fills their school library with color and light. The students were charged with taking illustrative pictures to represent five different topics: School Spirit, Social Studies, Math, Reading, and Science. They also drew symbols for each of these subjects; many drew globes, or test tubes with bubbles overflowing, or their favorite books. The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss has a prominent place in the final installation, as it was deemed a class favorite. The photographs and drawings were then curated by the artists to fit within the windows and etched onto plexiglass with a laser cutter.

The final step was by far the most ambitious. The entire third grade (over 80 students!) came together to cut shapes from different colored translucent gels and attach them to the plexiglas panes. A total of 40 panes were covered with shapes in all colors, shapes, and sizes, and then put together in frames to complete each image.

Watching all of the students come together to create these beautiful works of art, seeing them help each other plan compositions of shape, and discuss color theory was what truly made this residency so successful. The students were thrilled to see their pictures and drawings hanging in the windows. The room filled with “oohs and aahs” as the first window was hung and the light passed through highlighting the school symbol of a bulldog in a rainbow of primary and secondary color. Their perseverance and team work will be forever documented by these windows that now hang permanently in the library to inspire students for years to come.