On The DL

Remembered Light: Glass Fragments From World War II

by Tami Fertig

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Published: Mar 26, 2008

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Artist's talk with Armelle Le Roux, Fri., March 28, 4 p.m., exhibit runs through June 15, Arthur Ross Gallery, 220 S. 34th St., 215-898-2083, upenn.edu/ARG

While stationed as a U.S. Army chaplain in WWII-era Europe, Frederick Alexander McDonald collected bits of stained glass from the broken windows of destroyed churches and synagogues. It was his little way of remembering, a private ritual he practiced in France, Germany, England and beyond. Between 1944 and 1945, he salvaged hundreds of shards, diligently mailing each one to his mother, who stuck them in a shoebox.

The fragments didn't see the light of day again until 2000, shortly before his death, when he invited French artist Armelle Le Roux to incorporate them into new stained-glass windows. The resulting works — created by Le Roux and 12 other artists — will be on display at Arthur Ross Gallery starting this Saturday.

While the windows, beautifully crafted and colorful, certainly stand on their own, it's their backstories that make them most compelling. Peter Eichhorn used glass from the Church of Our Lady in Trier, Germany, where American soldiers were sent to save works of art strewn among the rubble. Le Roux's Hitler's Berghaus contains 12 shards from the Fuhrer's country mansion in Berchtesgaden, Germany, which the artist hesitated to even touch at first. She'll discuss her decision and involvement with the project during this Friday's lecture, titled "Creation, Fabrication and Restoration: The Art of Stained Glass."

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