"Before the Looking Glass" is influenced by the women of Harvard University's Observatory, whose use of glass plates in the nineteenth century transformed light into data and laid the foundation for mapping the night sky. Their meticulous, often overlooked labor established glass as a crucial tool in astronomy alongside its use in telescopes. This stained glass piece exists in conversation with that history and with the astronomical work of Rachel Bezanson using the Hubble Space Telescope and her research team at UNCOVER (Ultra-deep NIRCam and NIRSpec Observations Before the Epoch of Reionization). Bezanson's photography of stars and galaxies relies on the accumulation of hundreds of images to chart the universe. Using her imagery as a visual foundation, I translated astronomical data into a physical form. The work incorporates recycled pieces of glass graciously donated by a local Pittsburgh glass artist, Tina Bugielski, alongside newly purchased panes, allowing materials with their own histories to coexist within the composition. By working in glass, I aimed to connect historical and modern methods of seeing, honoring the women who shaped astronomy and the ongoing efforts of scientists to make the vastness of space more accessible to the everyday person. 

Kate Eriksson is a Swedish American artist working across physical and digital mediums, with a strong focus on material experimentation. Her first experience with glass is becoming an exciting expansion inn her studio practice. She is pursuing an undergraduate dual degree in digital narrative and interactive design (DNID) and studio arts at the University of Pittsburgh. She is working toward a career in graphic design and user interface design, where her interest in visual communication and accessible design are foundations in her work. Introduced to art by her late grandmother, Kate's practice began as a personal connection and a way to process emotion. Over time, it has evolved into an exploration of memory and personal history, often expressed through layered compositions that combine traditional media with found objects, texture, and color.