$24.95

The Last Window

When Charles J. Connick Associates of Boston closed their doors in 1986, they left a legacy of more than 15,000 stained glass windows in more than 5000 churches, libraries and other public buildings. Founded on the principles of a Medieval craft guild, this Boston studio was closely allied with Ralph Adams Cram, dean of the Gothic revival in American architecture, and in it's heyday, between 1920 and 1950, employed and trained scores of artisans. Their work can be seen from Grace Cathedral in San Francisco to St Patrick's Cathedral and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New, York; colleges including Boston University, Princeton, and Westpoint, and numerous buildings large and small all over North America. The Last Window follows the studio's final commission, a window for All Saints Church in Brookline, Massachusetts which gave Connick his first commission. The artisan's commentary establishes the historical, aesthetic, and social context in which they worked. Many examples of Connick windows are included, taking the film outside the studio to show the contrast between the workers' relationship with the art to that of the patrons and users.

The film is narrated by Jonathan Fairbanks, Curator of American Decorative Arts and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.