and install the windows in a remarkably brief period of time. Bucky Stein says, he, along with Frank Block, John Ledbetter and Craig Samet, members of the congregation, instigated the idea. “The old windows were leaking, decrepit and needed to be replaced,” says Stein, a retired businessman. “It was the perfect timing for us to propose to the rabbi stained-glass windows.” Block, Samet and Stein sought out artists to make their vision a reality. They met with Dr. Amy Kirschke, chair of art history at UNCW, who then connected them with assistant professor of studio art Pam Toll and associate professor of graphic design Ned Irvine. “I wanted to contribute something to the community,” Toll says. “The project was a deeply meaningful and spiritual experience.” The men knew they had the right artist when they saw Toll’s initial drawings. “Pam gave us something that we thought about deeply but couldn’t put down on paper,” Stein says. “She gave us designs that were subtle, but impactful.” The project began in March 2014 and the team was quick to gain a sense of what the windows would look like from Irvine’s computer graphics. He rendered the synagogue’s interior, allowing Toll to implement and change her ideas in real-time. Finally, the designs were sent to a North Carolina fabricator. Stein was anxious to see results. He and Kirschke traveled to Statesville Glass Company where they were amazed by what they saw. In just eight months, the windows were finished and installed in time for the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. Toll was surprised to see her drawings in such an enormous, tactile form. “I’m used to having my paintings and art be so small,” she says. “Here they are, 14 feet tall and 4 feet wide.” B’nai’sTrees of Life Stained glass windows designed by local artist Pam Toll grace the B’nai Israel Congregation on Chestnut Street in Wilmington. 17 www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM
December 2104
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