Young designer creates chancel furnishings for Arlington church

On Sunday, May 27, the First United Methodist Church of Arlington Heights dedicated its new chancel furnishings — communion table, baptismal font, pulpit, and candlesticks — during the 9:30 a.m. worship celebration.

Sara Reich, a native of Arlington Heights and lifelong member of First United Methodist Church, graduated from Ball State University in Indiana in May of 2011 with degrees in architectural design and in interior design. She is currently an assistant designer at Style1519.

Just as Sara graduated, her church embarked on a major renovation project that included its sanctuary. The Building Committee challenged Sara to design new chancel furnishings that would be in themselves sacred art. She was delighted with the invitation.

Sara believes that design is the blending of a vision with the existing, creating a statement in reference to what is already there. In the broadest sense, this means the meshing of a client's design dream with nature, but in this smaller scale design, it was about creating pieces that spoke to what a church is while blending the furniture design with the existing space.

The pieces were designed to be statements on their own, but to still give way to the beautiful window behind the chancel. This was accomplished by the visual airiness of the design.

By being able to see through the links and legs of the furnishings, the pieces begin to blend in and become a part of the window, but the solid horizontal lines, given by elements like the dark metal or the table top edge, give the pieces their own life and visual weight on the chancel.

On all the pieces, the legs are references to the rib-like arches of the sanctuary, a reference in themselves to the ribs of an inverted boat. The metal links symbolize the individuals in a church and how they are linked together in Christ and the church community.

Without the support of that community, a baptism, communion, or even a sermon would not have any power and meaning, thus the links are placed to “support” the font's bowl, the table top, and the top of the pulpit. All United Methodist Churches celebrate the “connection” they have with one another.

While all of the pieces are beautiful, the font is Sara's favorite piece because of the design behind it. The font is an oval so that the piece fits easily in the intersection of the two aisles, without interrupting the walking pathway. This way a child can now be baptized in the middle of the congregation.

The handmade, blue glass bowl ties the piece to the stained glass window behind the new chancel. The bowl is elevated so that, as the glass bowl is filled, the water will run over the edges into the catch basin below. Then, as the pastor dips a hand into the water to bless the child, water again will move and fall over the edges of the bowl.

All of this movement symbolizes the idea of being baptized in “living water”; water that gives us new life in the tradition of baptism.

Sara searched for local artisans to fabricate the pieces, choosing furniture maker Justin Oliver and glass artist Sharon Gilbert to bring her designs to life.

Oliver was born and raised in England, where he graduated from the UK's University College of Suffolk's Fine Furniture program with distinction. He then did apprenticeships with some of England's finest cabinet and furniture makers, including the chair maker to the Royal Family. One of Justin's chairs can be found in Westminster Abbey.

Justin and his wife moved to Chicago in 2008, and since then, Justin has provided work to some of Chicagoland's finest design houses and architects, including Maxine Snider, Kara Mann Design, Suzanne Lovell Inc. (Chicago and New York), Gary Lee Partners, and Leo Style Designs.

His commercial experience includes contemporary modern furniture, antique reproduction and restoration, and chair making. His work can be viewed on his website, www.justin-oliver.com.

Gilbert is the owner and head artist at Talisman Glass in Chicago. Her education in the art began at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where she received a bachelor's degree in graphic arts.

From there, Sharon went on to study glass as a material more in depth at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina, Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle, and at the University of Illinois. She rounded out her education with a graduate degree in sculpture at the Ohio University.

After finishing her education, Sharon was co-owner of Arkivit, Inc. She then founded Talisman Glass, one location in Oregon and one in Chicago. Over the years Sharon's work has won many awards and recognitions. Visit her website to see both pictures of her work, as well as the list of the many honors she has received, at www.talismanglass.com.

This was Sara's first commission after graduation.

“I'm honored to have been asked to design something so meaningful for a community that has been so meaningful to me.

“These pieces are more than just a job or furniture to me. It's my way of trying to give back to the church that has done so much for me over the years. This project has opened so many new doors for me and taught me so much. I'm truly blessed.”

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