A view of the back of “The Glass Parrot,” stained glass and mosaic artist Judy Kean’s contribution to this year’s GuitarMania. (Photos courtesy of Judy Kean)

Local glass artist turns talents to designing guitar
By Ben Saylor
Insights
Published July 25, 2007

Judy Kean is the first to admit she doesn’t really know a lot about guitars.

But that didn’t stop her from participating in United Way’s GuitarMania, a community art project which has raised $1.5 million for the United Way and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s education fund. Companies or individuals sponsor the guitars. Local artists and some celebrity artists design the oversized Fender Stratocaster guitars, which are displayed throughout the Cleveland area until November, when the guitars will be sold at a gala auction. Sometimes sponsors purchase them for permanent display at their business.

Kean, a stained glass and mosaic artist who has been working in the medium since 1984, said that although she knows very little about guitars, she liked the idea of creating public art for the United Way. In addition, she had previously created a normal-sized stained glass guitar for another art show and had enjoyed that project. The United Way had heard about that project and asked Kean to submit a design for this year’s show.

“I just did it because I wanted to try something new,” Kean said of the original guitar. She said stained glass guitars are a good “eye magnet” and attract the attention of people who might not otherwise stop by her table at shows.

A call for artists is the beginning of the GuitarMania process, Kean said. Artists then submit drawings, which are reviewed by a jury, who then select designs to display at the Galleria downtown, where sponsors can select the design they would like to back. Kean’s sponsor is the William and Pamela Summers family.

The process of creating her guitar, called “The Glass Parrot,” took her about five weeks, Kean said, and cost approximately $850, of which $100 was out-of-pocket expenses. Kean said five of this year’s guitars are done with glass, and the rest are painted. The ones that are painted can be done in a matter of days, she said.

“It’s [my guitar] a little more intense than the normal guitar,” Kean said. Several individuals and groups helped the artist. Home Depot contributed grout and adhesive, and the Wobblefoot Gallery on Mars Avenue in Lakewood provided space for Kean to create the guitar. In addition, Franklin Art Glass in Columbus, the only Ohio wholesaler for stained glass, helped Kean get materials together. Finally, Dussault Movers in Lakewood picked up the guitar and transported it downtown for free.

The guitar, located near the courthouse and Browns Stadium, is number 34 on the exhibit guide.

“It’s a great location for it,” Kean said.

Kean’s art keeps her busy. In addition to contributing to art galleries and shows (Kean said she participates in 16 juried shows a year), Kean teaches at several locations, including Lakeside (where she founded an art center), Chagrin Falls Valley Art Center, the Wobblefoot Gallery and out of her own home in Avon Lake, where she has lived for the past four years. Before that, she lived in Rocky River for 20 years, she said. She also brings her work to the North Union Farmers’ Market at Crocker Park. And on top of all that, Kean does work in restoration and repair of stained glass.

Her work was recently shown at the St. John West Shore Hospital Festival of the Arts July 13-15. However, an accident on Sunday morning damaged some of her work at the festival, and as a result Kean has had to cancel some upcoming shows. Her next show will be Aug. 19 at the Fourth Annual Warehouse District Street Festival in Cleveland.

“This isn’t a hobby; it’s a job,” Kean said.

Her interests aren’t limited to art, either: She and her husband, Lester, own an alpaca farm in Litchfield, Ohio. More information about that venture can be found at www.theprideoftheandes.net. Kean’s own Web site is www.theglassstudio.info.

Overall, “They always say you have to do something you love,” Kean said.

Those interested in learning more about Kean and her work can contact the artist at (440) 823-7406 or by e-mailing her at theglassstudio@yahoo.com.