Artist Carol Geary, aka Caroling, conceived, built, and completed this incredible stained glass dome, entitled Wholeo Dome (pronounced “Holy O”), in 1974. When creating the piece, Caroling said, “I wanted not to look at a window, but to be in a window.” So, many trials and shattered pieces of glass later, the 14-foot wide, 7-foot tall dome was constructed.
According to the artist's website, it is “a hemisphere made of leaded glass panels supported by a geodesic aluminum frame. The antique handblown glass pieces have sometimes been stained, painted, and fired in a kiln or etched in acid to reveal layered colors. The glass is put together with strips of lead to form panels of various shapes and sizes. The average panel is three feet across.”
Now, after more than twenty years in storage, the complicated and beautiful structure has been installed and made accessible for visitors at The Farm School in Summertown, Tennessee. Guests can enter the sculpture and surround themselves with the vibrations of colorful light that stream in through the stained glass.
