Centuries of Stories in Stained Glass as shared by Abigail Sales, Heard-Craig Blogger

675AD marked the beginnings of an era with truly enhanced apertures. Evidence of this goes all the way back to the Roman Empire where craftsmen began making colored glass for decorative wares. But what are they exactly you might ask? Stained glass are colored glass utilized for establishing embellishing windows and other objects through which light passes. All colored glass is considered “stained,” or colored by the inclusion of several metallic oxides while it’s in a liquid state. It is a form of art found in many religious buildings and historical homes, much like those found inside the Heard Craig Center of the Arts, a historic art museum in downtown McKinney, Texas.

Stained glass gives artists the opportunity to tell a story without directly using words. They can symbolize many different events, from spiritual births to the exemplification of esteemed prophets. One of the most notable pieces of stained glass is located in Paris, France. In fact, it was used to illustrate the magnificence of Christianity and show France’s great wealth to the rest of the world. We can see many uses of stained glass all over the world, because it just gives character to any building its incorporated in.

The Heard-Craig Center for the Arts is located in downtown McKinney. It’s a historic home that was built in the 19th century. The Heard-Craig Center Art Museum incorporates countless sophisticated stained glass that creates a purpose in each one of them. The stained glass gives the home a chance to illustrate the history behind the building and that story is absorbing and fascinating to learn about. When touring the Heard-Craig Center for the Arts, one will find examples of decorative glass in almost every room in the main center. All stained glass panels were designed by Lillian Heard in partnership with the Kansas City Stained Glass company.

For more information about the stained glass windows inside the Heard-Craig Center, contact the office for a tour. 972-569-6909. Tours are $10 per person and are held Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1 PM