My story

My name is Andrew Kosorok, and I am a Christian stained glass artist and teacher, seeking to build bridges of peaceful understanding among neighbors of different faiths. In the US we are blessed with freedom of faith, but sometimes poor information and fear overcome our natural inclination to be civil to each other. This is especially true I find with how people treat Muslims and Islam.

I first started learning about Islam shortly after the nightmare of 9/11. It was frightening how quickly media attention and public opinion turned against one of the many faiths sheltered in this country of freedoms. I had known Muslims as friends and neighbors, and realized I had no idea what they truly believed – but I knew unreasoned bigotry is never justifiable.

So I determined to learn. Contacting Muslims and religious scholars from around the world via email, I quickly learned that Islam is not a monolith of faith but is a rich tapestry of rainbow hues, all growing from an initial revelation given fourteen hundred years ago to an honorable man when he plead with God to show him how to make peace among his neighbors.

The answer to this simple prayer ushered in years of miraculous revelation culminating in the Qur’an, and what became the most literate and educated religion in the history of the planet was started by a man who never learned to read or write himself – Muhammad. I discovered that Muslims love their children, ache to come to heaven with their families, and hold those who heal and teach in an almost mystical esteem. Horrible things happen in the name of religion all around the world, and I learned this has nothing to do with the actual teachings of a faith I grew to admire. How could I share – me, a Christian – the beauty I was discovering in this world religion?

As an artist I find that art speaks a language beyond words, and people find themselves reacting to beauty they experience before they respond to words of reason. As I began building art to share what I found, I also learned I discover more through studying and appreciating the art of my neighbors, and using glass sculptures for my reaction felt to be the best medium for the subject.

This process has not converted me to Islam - I very much remain a Christian, and I am not seeking to “Christianize” this other faith. Rather, I find that honestly and earnestly seeking understanding for my fellow “Children of the Book” has deepened and enriched my own beliefs even as I gain appreciation for my neighbors. And those who view the work are wonderfully affected in much the same way.

Sharing Islam through the 99 Most Beautiful Names of God

Drawing on my experience as an artist, educator, and interfaith minister, I am exploring Islam through art - and sharing what I find across the world. The glass sculpures are explorations of the 99 Most Beautiful Names of God in the Islamic tradition, Names which serve to guide the faithful in becoming better people - similar to the Christian Beatitudes.

As the sculptures are completed, they are exhibited in traditional galleries and other settings and provide a beautiful backdrop for communication among very different people. As visitors view the displays, everchanging and unique as new sculptures are finished, fascination turns to respectful curiousity, then blossoms into a desire to understand and appreciate each other.

At the displays, Christians raised to hate Muslims open their hearts to their neighbors, and Muslims feeling constantly defensive realize their neighbors are fellow beings of faith. Neighbors have a right not to be afraid of each other, and these sculptures are providing a concrete catalyst for this change to happen. As the sculptures are completed and shown, the impact expands: more people want to listen to their neighbors of other faiths, more people are grateful to find their neighbors care about them, and more people find the exhibits give them the courage to undertake their own constructive, peacebuilding projects.

What goes into each Name sculpture

For each Name sculpture I interview Imams, Shaykhs, and Mawlanas, laity and scholars, and Muslims practicing the many beautiful hues of Islam here and around the world.  Combining this with my own study of the Qur'an, finding fair parallels in other scriptures, and inviting the Spirit to guide me as I build something I pray is appropriate to what I discover, I produce work for displays which invite neighbors to learn about each other as they see the beauty I find. 

Each sculpture costs approximately $500 in materials and takes between 100 and 150 hours to build. Drawing on several Muslim resources for each Name, I prayerfully meditate on what the Name means and how It applies to me. I feel drawn to particular patterns, shapes, and ideas as I look for fair parallels within my own beliefs, and prayerfully ask for guidance as I begin sketching. When the designs for each piece feel right, then I begin the sculptures.

The glass I use is German New Antique, known for its clarity and purity. The shapes for the individual pieces are derived through the use of a straightedge and compass, and holes are drilled along the edge for later assembly. The glass is hand ground along the edges so the angled pieces will fit snuggly together, and the pieces are etched with designs inspired by traditional Islamic patterns found around the world.

The glass is painted with a special pigment mixture I developed to suggest watercolor and book illumination, then each piece is fired in a kiln to about 1400 degrees. The paint colors are blue, green, red, and yellow, symbolic both in Islamic art as well as being spiritually significant in traditional Christian art. Finally, these pieces are tied together with hemp using medieval bookbinding knots, as a symbol of the ever-present influence of the Qur’an. And sometimes items relating to the particular Name are suspended inside the sculpture.

As with the vibrant richness of faith expressed in all the hues of Islam, the displays of 99 Names sculptures are each unique, and not everyone can attend each exhibit. So the books were begun to both catalog the ongoing 99 Names Project and make the sculptures easily accessible to anyone. In addition to photos of each work, I have included short descriptions which express my understanding of each Name.

Names 1-25 finished, 26-50 next

The first 25 are complete and have been documented in a book now on Amazon.com, 99 Names 1 to 25:  A Christian's Exploration of the Names of God from the Qur'an.  After cutting the glass for many of the next set of 25, I now need $7500 to finish this group and publish the next book in the series documenting the sculptures for the Beautiful Names 26 through 50.  

Click here to learn more about the first set of Names in detail.

Rewards for supporting the project

I am very grateful for all the support I have been receiving for this project and want to share back in whatever small ways I can. Check out the pictures below and descriptions on the right side. Feel free to contact me at the99NamesProject@gmail.com with any questions!

My prayer

My prayer is that those who experience the work also feel a desire to begin projects with similar goals - finding points of beauty and commonality between disparate faiths so we grow closer together as communities, and share in building a brighter and safer future for our children.

Please help me continue on this project as I finish this next grouping, and help me move closer to my dream of displaying sculptures from the series in 99 cities and the US and the world, inviting neighbors to become closer friends through sharing appreciation for one of the things most precious to us, our faith.