AKRON, Ohio — A restored Tiffany stained-glass window damaged in a fire at the historic St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Akron is the centerpiece of a new exhibition at the Akron Art Museum.
Transfiguration: Rachel Libeskind and the Tiffany window opens Saturday, Jan. 31 and runs through July 5.
The Transfiguration window was originally conceived by Frederick Wilson, a leading designer at Tiffany Studios, and donated to St. Paul's by Charles B. and Mary J. Raymond in 1917.
More than 100 years later, in 2018, a massive fire heavily damaged the church and left a coat of silt on the brilliant window that has Jesus Christ in the center of it.
The window was cleaned and restored by Whitney Stained Glass Studio in Cleveland. Lights were added behind the exhibition to simulate what it would have felt like in the Episcopal church, with light streaming through the windows.
"This idea of kind of a larger story, or narrative related to this— the fire, the kind of rebirth of this piece within the museum, I think is very meaningful," said Jenny Gerow, the museum's chief curator. "It's a many-layered exhibition, but I think the hope is that you are transfixed by the transfiguration."
Libeskind, a multidisciplinary artist who examines how history is shaped and how images retain their power across time, also uses the chrysalis as a metaphor for the display.
The chrysalis is the mysterious process by which a caterpillar dissolves completely before emerging as a butterfly.
"In the Victorian era, that was used as a metaphor to explain Christ's transfiguration. To a certain extent, she wanted to allow for that to be seen on the walls and in conversation with Jesus's transformation," Gerow said.
Developer Tony Troppe is focused on trying to transform what's left of the church more than seven years after the massive fire.
"It becomes our opportunity to convert this iconic architecture, this landmark, and bring it back to life with an adaptive reuse that's going to continue to serve our community," Troppe said.
Troppe would like to turn the building into "a knowledge center" and build laboratories for innovation and inventions.
However, the city has raised blight, nuisance and safety concerns. Mos of the roof is gone and there is worry of potential further collapse.
Last September, the city's Vacant Commercial or Industrial Buildings Appeals Board called the building "a nuisance" and ruled that the building be demolished, citing several factors, including unprotected exposure and a lack of maintenance.
City officials said demolition remains enforceable, but Akron is giving Troppe a chance to submit a "rehabilitation proposal" by mid-February, which he intends to do.
"We have great folks working on the project with the city. This is not a fight. This is collaboration," Troppe said.
Those interested in checking out the new exhibition can visit the Akron Art Museum Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
