A Little About Us
Our History
A piece of work in progress
Kennedy's Glass Library
Sample of some of Kennedy's Work
Through the Looking Glass
Sparkling stained glass windows, colorful fused glass, unique jewelery, brightly colored mirrors and other art glass will bedazzle and inspire the beholder. What makes it more of a treat is that the working studio is right in the middle of the gallery area, so you can actually see work in progress.
Susan Kennedy Sommerfeld has maintained the studio in Billings since 1981, creating art glass that will survive generations to come. In the early 1970's, Alice Kennedy ( Susan's mother) searched stained glass studio after stained glass studio until she found the most beautiful work and the best workmanship. She walked in the door and said, "I want to study at this studio." (Alice had just retired from teaching and was ready to pursue her love of stained glass.) In 1978 when Susan was home from California, Alice passed her expert stained glass techniques on to Susan. Now, many years later, Susan has created hundreds of pieces of art glass that have enlivened churches, homes, and businesses throughout the country. Whenever they need a break from the very labor-intensive windows that she and the other artists at her studio build, they create wonderfully unique small art pieces.
Three of the other artists Susan collaborates with are Sherina McIntyre, Jean James, and Debbie Heidema. All were either Susan or Alice's students. Elizabeth Alexander is the newest addition to the studio. "It's wonderful to have such complete trust in the crew that is fabricating my designs," says Susan.
Susan enjoys working closely with her clients to assure that they will enjoy their commissioned artwork for years to come. Most of the work done in the studio is commissioned to meet the needs of a specific client. The studio also works closely with architects, builders and interior designers on a variety of projects.
Leaded glass windows are the mainstay of Kennedy's Stained Glass because they incorporate the centuries old tradition of stained glass artistry. Leaded glass provides both a structural integrity and flexibility that other techniques can't match. Incorporating the ancient aspects of glass work is only a part of the final artwork at Kennedy's Stained Glass. They are innovators in their approach to detail within their designs. Within a leaded glass design, other techniques such as etching, laminating, fusing, painting, overlays, and bevels can be used to transform this craft into an art form. Kennedy's Stained Glass prides itself in this approach to innovative detail.
Restorations and Slab Glass work are also specialized areas of stained glass work that Kennedy's Stained Glass has worked in extensively.
“It is so very fun to do all these different things with glass. It pushes your abilities each window is unique. ~Susan Kennedy
Associate Member of SGAA
The Stained Glass Association of America is a professional trade association whose membership consists of the finest architectural stained and decorative art glass artists and studios in the United States and around the world.
Staff & Bios
Susan Kennedy
Susan Kennedy Sommerfeld has maintained the studio in Billings since 1981, creating art glass that will survive generations to come. In the early 1970's, Alice Kennedy ( Susan's mother) searched stained glass studio after stained glass studio until she found the most beautiful work and the best workmanship. She walked in the door and said, "I want to study at this studio." In 1978 when Susan was home from California, Alice passed her expert stained glass techniques on to Susan. Now, many years later, Susan has created hundreds of pieces of art glass that have enlivened churches, homes, and businesses throughout the country.
Jean James
Jean James began her art career in her early twenties with her first instructor being the late Hilton Leech, a nationally recognized artist. In 1981, Jean took a beginning stained glass class with Alice Kennedy and was totally taken by the medium. From the start she felt glass was "absolute magic". A year later, Alice hired Jean to work at her glass shop in Dillon where she helped with all aspects of the business, including teaching, designing and fabrication. Jean continues to work and design for Kennedy Stained Glass and to explore silk painting in her home studio. She enjoys doing hot glass work as well as traditional flat glass.
