Edna the Glass Artist

Wabash Walls Art. Beginning in 1915 at the age of 28, accomplished artist Edna Browning Ruby of Lafayette began working in stained glass. Her efforts captured national attention, meriting the “America’s Outstanding Businesswoman” award from the National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs in 1928. When she died in 1937, Ruby was believed to be the only woman in the U.S. who designed, built, and installed stained glass.⁠ ⁠ Her work still illuminates Lafayette’s Stidham United Methodist Church, including a stunning half-segmental dome. Hawaii-based artist, Grace The Streets channeled Edna through his reimagined portrait of the local glass artist. using the transparency and gradients with spray paint as Edna once did with shards of glass. You can find this tribute mural in the Jefferson Neighborhood where Edna once lived in Lafayette, IN. Find Grace’s mural at 1201 Cincinnati Street Lafayette, IN.