What Makes a Window of the Month? Occasionally, people will ask us how we come to choose the windows that we feature as windows of the month on our website. Often volunteer census takers or church members wonder why their windows have not been featured, or if they will be featured at all. The "window of the month" feature of our website began in 1997 as a simple means of showcasing a few of our thousands of images of stained glass windows and has since grown into a favorite destination on our website for our supporters. Because we have stained glass windows documented all over the state of Michigan in well over 1,000 churches, synagogues, homes and public buildings, the simple fact is that we will never be able to feature them all. Our goal has therefore always been to showcase the great diversity that exists in Michigan's stained glass treasures and thereby dispel any preconceived notions about stained glass that our web visitors may have.

Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Cedar. F. X. Zettler Company, Munich, Germany, ca. 1922.

Geography: The Great Lakes in Glass Michigan is a large state with surprising examples of stained glass in every region. Although it would be very easy to limit ourselves to the stained glass of Michigan's larger, more affluent cities, it would not reflect the information our volunteer census takers have provided us from all over the state, which has revealed an impressive diversity of stained glass in even some of our smaller, more remote communities.

Tuscola County Courthouse, Caro. Detroit Stained Glass Works, ca. 1933.

Ironwood Memorial Building, Ironwood. Mosaic Art Shop of Minneapolis, 1922.

Stained Glass: Not Just For Churches Although it is true that the majority of Michigan's documented stained glass is in places of worship, it still surprises some people to see the wonderful representation of stained glass we have shown in non-religious settings. Some of our most interesting windows in Michigan have been found in government buildings, libraries, homes and elsewhere. We have featured historical scenes, literary windows and non-representational stained glass, as well a variety of windows with scriptural themes. As for the religious stained glass we do show, we make every effort to represent the variety of denominations that exists around the state.

Life After Tiffany It is important for us at the Michigan Stained Glass Census to educate our audience about the artists and studios that have created this art and often go unrecognized. We try to feature a variety of studios that have significance for their contribution to the development of the art form, and also show a wide range of styles and techniques over time. It is especially important that we honor the work of Michigan's stained glass artists and studios, from the Detroit Stained Glass Works (1861-1970) up to artists and studios that are still currently active. Also, we do appreciate your desire to see Tiffany windows and we are happy to regularly feature windows by the Tiffany Studios, of which Michigan has an impressive assortment.

Temple Emanuel, Grand Rapids. Louis C. Tiffany Studios of New York, 1926.

Kalamazoo Public Library, Kalamazoo. Jamie Rife/Chinablue Glassworks, Hamilton, MI, 1993.

MYTH: Only Old Stained Glass Matters We often get asked by prospective volunteers if we are interested in learning about new stained glass. Of course we are! Not only are we interested in older stained glass in Michigan's historic buildings, but we also want to know about and feature new architectural stained glass by contemporary artists and studios. If you know of such stained glass and are interested in registering it, please contact us.

Quality of Archival Materials and Images Our 1100+ and growing file archive comes to us almost entirely through volunteer census takers. Our ability to feature windows often depends on the quality of the images and information that our volunteers provide to us, in addition to all of the factors mentioned above. If you are concerned about any aspect of the archival materials you are submitting, please feel free to contact us and we will be happy to work with you.

Metropolitan United Methodist Church, Detroit. Willet Stained Glass Studios, Philadelphia, 1938.

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The Michigan Stained Glass Census is supported in part by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs