Douglas Phillips (designer) facts for kids
Douglas Phillips (born in 1922, died in 1995) was an amazing American artist. He was famous for creating beautiful stained glass. In 1952, he started his own company called the Phillips Stained Glass Studio. He is thought to be the only African American artist to own and run a stained glass studio for many years, from 1952 to 1995.
Early Life and Learning
Douglas Phillips was born in a town called Farrell, Pennsylvania, in 1922. When he was in high school, he studied fine art at the John Huntington Polytechnic Institute. He also took classes at the Institute of Art in Cleveland.
During World War II, Phillips served in the United States Army for three years. He spent more than two of those years in the Pacific Ocean area. After the war, he worked as a commercial artist for a few years. Then, he went to Syracuse University and earned his degree in 1950. He focused on drawing portraits and illustrations.
His Art Career
After finishing college, Phillips joined a studio called Ecclesiastical Arts. This studio, run by Rudolf Sandon, made art for churches. Even though Phillips hadn't studied stained glass before, he learned many special ways to work with glass there.
In 1952, he opened his own studio. An experienced stained glass artist named Louis Buser helped him get started. By the mid-1950s, Phillips Stained Glass Studio became well-known. They were famous for fixing old stained glass art so it looked like new, museum-quality pieces. They also received many special orders, called commissions, to create new stained glass for churches. These churches were in Ohio and other cities across the United States.
Phillips also worked as a designer for General Electric. He helped create the first lighting systems for stained glass that didn't have windows behind them. He also designed many of General Electric's famous holiday light displays at Nela Park.
Phillips was a member of important groups like the Stained Glass Association of America. He even wrote a part of their technical manual about how to light stained glass.
Besides making hundreds of pieces for churches, Phillips also showed his stained glass art. He displayed his work at the Cleveland Museum of Art's yearly exhibition. In 1952, he won first prize in the glass category. In 1957, his artwork called "Ichthus" also won an award.
In 1971, the famous Ebony magazine wrote an article about Phillips and his amazing career.
Selected Works
Here are some places where you can find Douglas Phillips's stained glass art:
- Barberton Citizens Hospital Chapel - Cleveland, Ohio
- Austin Memorial Chapel of Windermere Methodist Church - East Cleveland, Ohio
- Lutheran Home - Westlake, Ohio
- St. Joseph Riverside Hospital - Warren, Ohio (This building is no longer used.)
- Bethel AME Church - Little Rock, Arkansas
- Holy Trinity Lutheran Church - Sharon, Pennsylvania
- Crusader Chapel of the Church of St Mary the Virgin - Little Easton, Essex, England
