The Daily Mining Gazette - Published: Saturday, April 14, 2007 Print Article | Close Window Through a glass, artly Grad student researches stained glass in Calumet CAPTION: Daily Mining Gazette/Jane Nordberg Jim Rudkin sits underneath the historic awning at Shute’s bar on Sixth Street in Calumet on Wednesday. Rudkin, an MTU graduate student, is researching stained glass in the area. By Jane Nordberg, DMG Writer CALUMET — The stained glass awning at Shute’s Bar in Calumet has been photographed so many times, the owners put it on a postcard for sale to tourists. A remnant of glory days past, the exquisitely-crafted canopy has hung over the bar for the better part of 100 years, prompting many discussions of its origin. As beautiful as it is, as historic as it is, and although it’s a great conversation piece, Jim Rudkin says it’s so much more. “Even in a frontier area, the piece harkens back to roots in Boston, and shows the popularity of European influences,” Rudkin said, viewing the awning from the back room of Shute’s Wednesday afternoon. Rudkin, a graduate student in Michigan Tech University’s industrial archeology program, is working on a master’s thesis project that focuses on stained glass made during the mining era’s heyday, specifically looking at the four areas of business, residential, sacred and mining company-owned buildings. “I want to look at what stained glass says culturally about an area, its people and the value those people placed on it,” he said. A native of the Detroit area, Rudkin studied seamanship in Key West before changing his parachute and earning a B.A. in art history at Kent State, with an accompanying B.F.A. in glass. “I’m an art blower, I’ve sculpted in glass, and Kent State has one of the only glass programs in the country,” he said. “I just have this passion for glass. It always draws me back.” Rudkin’s original master’s degree plan had him researching glass from L’Anse to Copper Harbor, but he soon realized that was too unwieldy a task with his limited financial and time constraints. He soon narrowed his focus to Calumet and Laurium, where he has found overwhelming resources and support. “The people here are wonderful and very welcoming,” he said. “I get a lot of leads from just listening to their stories.” Most of the research done on stained glass has centered on churches, he said, while he is intrigued by how glass also ended up in more secular venues. “I’m curious about the purpose of putting some of these windows in what we would consider pretty modest homes,” he said. “Was it done to balance the needs of light and privacy, or used more as a status marker to set people apart from their neighbors?” Once a carefully-guarded secret amongst craftsmen, stained glass became mass-merchandised and less influential over time, he said, available for purchase through the Sears catalog in 1902. “That could explain why so many people’s homes have identical windows,” he said. Another possibility could be a traveling glass salesman who came through the area, as others did selling asbestos siding. More elaborate pieces, he said, were likely produced by craftsmen at studios in Milwaukee and Chicago and then shipped to the Copper Country by rail. Windows at St. Paul’s the Apostle Church, for instance, were done by the Ford Bros. in Milwaukee, while he suspects Shute’s awning to be the product of the Millett Co. in Chicago. “Its shape is very unique, and the colors and features are typical of Millet work,” he said, citing the awning’s ivy motif and multicolored faceted gems. Rudkin’s research, which he admits is just in the infancy stage, will include reviewing historical documents as well as current site visits. For each location, he fills out a survey, noting the glass shape, color, distinguishing features and construction techniques used. He then takes color digital and film photographs, as well as detailed black and white shots. “I like to have some good documentation to save some of the history of the piece,” he said. “It is so sad the amount of stained glass that has already left the area.” What hasn’t left, however, are the tall tales the glass has left behind. “I’m including oral histories from people who have anything to share about the history of these pieces, whether they’re true or not,” he said. “It will add a little color to the thesis.” Jane Nordberg can be reached at jnordberg@mininggazette.com