Public Spaces:
It is nearly always surprising
-- and always delightful -- to encounter stained glass in public spaces. Whether
theater, auditorium, gallery, museum, restaurant or corporate headquarters,
stained glass adds unexpected character and surprising warmth to settings
that otherwise may be stark in comparison.
Most often, stained glass projects for public spaces are quoted individually
and feature original designs, including natural, literary or musical themes,
scenics, coats of arms and other personal symbols.
When the Pitt County courthouse was moved
to its present site in 1774, the years of British rule over its New World
colony were on the wane, and eighteen years later, North Carolina would become
the new nation's twelfth state. Five stained glass windows with justice themes
were set behind the judge's bench inside the courtroom. Eventually, they were
lost to time. More than two hundred years later, Salem Stained Glass was commissioned
to design their replacements. "We didn't want anyone else to do the work,"
a Pitt County superior judge declared after reading an article about Salem
in the October, 2002 issue of Our State magazine.
"Derek McCuiston (Salem's lead artist) drew what the judge wanted,"
Salem Stained Glass's president and co-owner says, "and our client was
pleased with the results."
