Spokane Stained Glass and Spokane Civic Theatre Unveil Collaborative Art Installation Alongside Production of “Jagged Little Pill”
“Peace Be With You, Now More Than Ever” – An Installation Focusing on Healing and Reflection in Spaces We Hold Sacred
About The Installation
In a brief but resonant exchange within “Jagged Little Pill,” a character asks, “A peace sign? What year is it?” answered simply with “We need it now more than ever.” It is from that urgency that this installation was born. The show wrestles openly with identity, addiction, belonging, and the systems that shape who feels seen and who does not. It also places sacred imagery in tension, a mother in crisis turning to a place of worship for solace, while many in the audience may carry their own complicated or painful relationships with those same spaces. “Peace Be With You, Now More Than Ever” intentionally bridges the theatre and the sacred. Rather than presenting saints as distant figures, the installation positions each visitor as worthy of reflection, voice, and presence. It acknowledges that for some, places of worship have been sources of comfort, and for others, places of harm; it creates room for both truths to exist without judgment. This is not a religious or exclusive space, but a reclaimed one. A space for pause, for recognition, for quiet healing. A space that affirms: you are welcome here, you are part of this story, and your presence matters, now more than ever.
The Medium And The Message
The installation features original stained glass work by Spokane Stained Glass, a medium long associated with sacred architecture and transcendent light. Here, that tradition is reimagined, not as a window into doctrine, but as an open threshold into shared human experience. Visitors are invited to write their reflections, hopes, dreams, or prayers for peace, within themselves, their community, and the spaces they hold sacred. These reflections will be submitted anonymously into a designated receiving box. Each week throughout the production, the collected cards are displayed throughout Spokane Civic Theatre,
allowing the installation to grow and change as more voices are added. As the run continues, the space becomes a living, evolving expression of the community itself, shaped by those who enter it and choose to leave something behind.
In Their Own Words
“Making art during uncertain times isn’t an escape from what’s happening in the world, it’s a response to it. Creativity has always been how people find their way back to each other. It reminds us that beauty is still possible, that connection is still possible, and that we are still capable of making something meaningful together. That belief is what gets us into the studio. That belief is what this piece is built on.”
– Alex Brannin, Lead Artist, Spokane Stained Glass
“What drew me to this project was the idea that art can hold contradiction gently. People walk into theatres and into sanctuaries carrying so much. This installation doesn’t ask them to set any of that down, it asks them to bring it in, to be witnessed, and to witness others. That’s a rare and necessary thing.”
– Colleen Kirsten, Lead Artist, Spokane Stained Glass
“Spokane Civic Theatre has always believed that theatre is more than what happens on stage, it’s the community that is built when people come together to rehearse, to learn, to share, to perform and to appreciate. This collaboration with Spokane Stained Glass is an extension of that sharing and gives everyone an opportunity to reflect on their role in shaping community and what their participation means for themself and for others. We’re proud to be part of it.”
– Peter Rossing, Production Director, Spokane Civic Theatre