Al Henrion my Mentor and Friend!

The summer of Al was not at all what I thought it would be. A year and a half ago I heard Al Henrion, the stained glass teacher at Central, say that he had a glass business of his own. He said sometimes he got behind on the orders he received because it was just him working. He was not advertising, just talking, but a little switch went on in the back of my head. I asked Al later that same day if I could intern with him over the summer in a years time. The short answer is that he said yes and I learned many things I did not know before.

At first I thought the summer would mostly be consumed with stained glasswork at Al’s studio in Pinconning, Michigan. It was not. The first five weeks of summer where spent finishing up Central Christian College’s new Art Lab, that I affectionately call “The AL”. This was my favorite part of the summer. Al is essentially a jack-of-all- trades and he taught me a plethora of skills involved in construction and the finishing of a building.

            I learned how to wire outlets and switches, cut/put up dry wall, plaster walls, and lay carpet. I cut trim for doorways, windows, floors and ceilings and painted a cement floor. I also became a true master of painting walls and staining wood. The entire experience was rewarding and taught me more than I could have imagined. Al is a great tutor. He would patiently show me how to, efficiently, do a job and then would leave me to my work. It was exactly the kind of work environment I like to be in.

            It was a blessing to have a mentor who took pride in the work being done. Al would always make sure a job was done to the best possible measure and he really enjoyed doing a good job. That sort of example rubbed off on me. Working with Al on that building gave me more Central pride than the previous two school years put together. I love that I can now say I helped finish that building, that even when I graduate I can come back and see my handiwork put to good use. One of the main factors that pushed me to be careful and precise was thinking of students, like Mayuko Shono, using the building. I really wanted it to be nice for her and others. Central has a cool history of its students and alumni continuing to support the school and I am really glad I could continue that history.

            The rest of the summer was devoted to glass projects, both warm and cool, in Michigan. Warm glass being glass that is fused in a kiln and cool being normal stained glass. I had the privilege of taking my best friend Jessica Massie (an alumnus of Central) with me. Al and Jody, his wife, treated us like royalty. We had full run of the glass studio and it was a blast making projects. Glass can be tedious sometimes, but the finished product is worth it. The most useful part of the summer, to me, was going to the art shows were Al and Jody sell their glass. Watching and helping with that process helped me to realize that glass will probably not be a career for me. I love it, but I am not a savvy enough businessperson to make it a career.

            The summer was exceedingly interesting, fun, and challenging. Al is interested in making this same sort of experience open to future Central students who are looking for an art internship. I would recommend it. There are few opportunities that will be as much fun and instructive as a summer with Al and Jody Henrion.

By Kathryn Lott