( PHOTOGRAPHY BY WOLF MATTHEWSON )
Snapshot : Stained Glass at the Former St . Mark ’ s Church
In 2014 , Hadley Arnold and her husband , Peter , purchased the former St . Mark ’ s Church in Warren with plans to turn it into a home . A mainstay of the seaside neighborhood for nearly two centuries , the Episcopal church had closed in 2010 and was facing an uncertain future . As they began the painstaking process of transforming the Greek Revival structure into a residence , Arnold made a startling discovery : There , in one of the high frames flanking the church ’ s walls , was a stained-glass window showing Jesus speaking with three biblical women , all of them — Christ and his counterparts — depicted as people of color . “ It was so abundantly apparent that this was an object designed to speak to a full spectrum of humanity rather than a narrow slice ,” Arnold says . A stained-glass scholar confirmed the pigments were original to the piece , created in 1877 by artist Henry Sharp , and not the result of changes over the years . Adding to its curiosity , the window was dedicated in memory of two women , both members of the slave-trading DeWolf family , whose opinions on their family ’ s inhumane industry have been blurred by time . Since then , Arnold has devoted herself to sharing the window ’ s story through public meetings and forums . Far from offering easy answers , the window has sparked conversation about what it means to be seen and drawn reactions from viewers who have traditionally found themselves left out of Western religious art . “ We ’ ve had people walk up to that window and say , ‘ I see myself in them ,’” Arnold says . She hopes to find the window a home in a museum or academic institution that can further uncover its mysteries and preserve its message for years to come . — LAUREN CLEM
128 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l JUNE 2023