Sarah Hall (glass artist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sarah Hall
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| Born | December 9, 1951 |
| Education | Sheridan College, Swansea College of Art, Apprenticeship with Lawrence Lee, ARCA |
| Known for | Stained Glass artist, Solar Glass artist, Architectural Art Glass artist |
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Notable work
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'Lux Gloria'- Cathedral of the Holy Family, 'Waterglass' - Harbourfront Centre, 'Lux Nova' - Regent College, UBC, 'Wisdom Windows' - Massey College, U of T. |
| Movement | Artists In Stained Glass, Canada |
Sarah Hall is a famous stained glass artist from Canada. She is known around the world for her huge art glass projects and special solar glass designs. You can find her amazing work in churches, schools, and other public buildings in Canada, the US, and Europe.
For the past ten years, Sarah Hall has been a leader in making architectural glass. She combines beautiful art glass with new ideas for green buildings and glass that is safe for birds. In 2019, she was given the Order of Canada for her important work and new ideas in this field.
Contents
Sarah Hall's Early Life and Training
Growing Up and Finding Her Passion
Sarah Hall was born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1951. She grew up in a town called Dundas, near a beautiful ravine. The nature around her, especially the Niagara Escarpment, really inspired her art.
Sarah dreamed of becoming a stained glass artist from a young age. When she was nine, her dad was helping to design their family church. Sarah went with him to look at different churches. That's when she decided that making stained glass windows would be her life's work. In the 1960s and 70s, there were no stained glass classes in Canada. So, Sarah spent several years in Alberta, taking photos of old "ghost towns" for the Provincial Archives of Alberta.
Learning Her Craft
In 1974, Sarah started at Sheridan College, where she could finally take a stained glass class. She then wanted to find a full-time program. She went to the Architectural Glass Department at Swansea College of Art in Wales, UK. After getting her diploma, she worked with Lawrence Lee, a master glass artist in London. Sarah also spent a year in Jerusalem, learning old Middle Eastern glass techniques, especially how to use gold leaf.
Sarah Hall's Career in Art Glass
Starting Her Own Studio
In 1980, Sarah Hall opened her own stained glass studio in Toronto. She started in a small storefront. Later, she moved to a bigger space where she shared a floor with other glass artists and photographers. One of her first supporters was June Callwood, who asked Sarah to create art for Jessie’s Centre. In these early years, Sarah made many projects using traditional stained glass methods, including glass painting and silver stain.
Expanding Her Techniques
By 1990, Sarah had so many projects that she needed an even bigger studio. She moved to a 3000-square-foot space in an old factory in Toronto. Here, she set up a full design and creation studio. She had several helpers, and they started using new glass techniques. These included large murals with gold leaf (like for the Scotia Plaza building), reverse glass painting, sandblasting, and glass etching with special acids.
As her projects grew even larger, Sarah began working with studios in Germany. By 2003, most of her big works were made there under her artistic guidance at Glasmalerei Peters GmbH in Paderborn, Germany.
Pioneering Solar Glass Art
In 2004, Sarah received a special award to research how to add photovoltaic technology (solar power) to her art glass. This led to a deeper partnership with the German studio. The first project showing this new solar glass was "Northern Light" in 2005.
In 2008, Sarah and architect Clive Grout won an award for "Lux Nova." This was their solar art glass project at Regent College, UBC. A Canadian musician even wrote music for "Lux Nova"!
An important person who helped Sarah with her solar work was a scientist named Ursula Franklin. This led to the "Wisdom Windows" project at Massey College, which honored important women. Sarah also completed a project called "Leaves of Light" at York University and the "Waterglass" solar art walls at Harbourfront Centre.
Her biggest solar project is the huge "Lux Gloria" windows at The Cathedral of the Holy Family in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Saskatoon gets a lot of sunshine! With over a thousand solar cells, these windows actually help power the building. During this time, Sarah also created art using other techniques like glass mosaic, appliqué, screen-printing, and fused glass.
Solving Environmental Problems with Art
In her newest work, Sarah continues to find new ways to help with environmental issues. She is bringing the latest solar technology into buildings. She is also working to stop birds from crashing into windows. This problem causes millions of bird deaths each year. Sarah is working with scientists to create new patterns and surfaces on architectural glass. These designs will warn birds away and collect energy from the sun at the same time.
Throughout her career, Sarah Hall has wanted to make human environments better through art glass. She has found creative ways to solve big problems while keeping her art beautiful. She helps us find ways to use more clean energy and live in better harmony with nature.
A Selection of Solar Works
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Lux Gloria, Cathedral of the Holy Family, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (2011)
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Lux Nova, Regent College, UBC, Vancouver (2007)
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Waterglass, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, Ontario (2011)
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Diagram on Hall's Solar Art Project at Grass Valley Elementary School (2009)
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Leaves of Light, York University, Toronto, Ontario (2011)
Awards and Recognition
Sarah Hall's work has won many international awards for amazing Liturgical art. In 2002, she became a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Art. In 2019, Sarah Hall was given the Order of Canada. This was to recognize her lifelong work as an architectural glass artist and her new technical ideas.
In 2017, the glass studio at Sheridan College started the Sarah Hall Glass Library. Sarah donated over 300 glass samples to the college's glass program. Students and the public can use this collection to learn more about glass.
In 2018, all the project records from Sarah Hall Studio were added to the Baldwin Collection of Canadiana at the Toronto Reference Library.
Books and Articles by Sarah Hall
Sarah Hall has written or helped write three books:
- The Color of Light (1999) is a guide for people who want to order stained glass.
- Windows on our Soul; A Spiritual Excavation (2007, with Bob Shantz) is about Sarah's windows inspired by early Christian art.
- Transfiguring Prairie Skies: Stained Glass at Cathedral of the Holy Family (2012, with Donald Bolen) tells the story of the huge stained glass windows at the Cathedral of the Holy Family in Saskatoon.
Sarah has also written many articles for magazines like Glass Art Magazine. She writes about the art of stained glass, how to order it, the creative process, and practical tips for designing and making architectural glass art.
