Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum - Illuminated Art: Stained Glass Reimagined with Rita Shimelfarb

Is traditional stained glass a fading art—or is it poised for a powerful reawakening?

This program explores the dramatic crossroads facing stained glass today: a craft lovingly carried by aging practitioners, dwindling educational pathways, and material scarcity—yet simultaneously undergoing a renaissance driven by visionary artists and advocates.

Through a deep dive into the challenges, transformations, and emerging voices in contemporary pictorial stained glass, this program repositions the medium not as relic or craft alone, but as an autonomous art form rich with narrative power, technical virtuosity, and transcendent light.

Anchored in both the UK and US contexts, and culminating in a call to action for museums, galleries, and institutions to recognize and uplift stained glass as fine art, this presentation offers both critique and hope—a true artist’s journey from survival to creative sovereignty.

Mesa Arts Center, owned and operated by the City of Mesa, is a unique, architecturally stunning, international award winning facility located in the heart of downtown Mesa. Arizona's largest arts center is home to four theaters, five art galleries, and 14 art studios.

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