SAINT JOHN — A New Brunswick artist is doing what she can to preserve pieces of history in her work. Built on one of the highest points in the city, the Gothic Arches was a landmark in Saint John’s south end for more than 140 years. The historic church stood vacant and dilapidated for years, with several failed attempts to redevelop the building. Last fall, when the Gothic Arches was set to be demolished, artist Vicky Walker was able to save pieces of the building’s stained glass. “A lot of people really care about these buildings, there's a lot of memories,” says Walker. "I mean, we just walked in and looked at each other and said, ‘We're gonna need a bigger chisel,’ because these weren't in wood, they were in stone.” Since then, Walker has been working with the remnants from the gothic arches, creating stained-glass jewelry. Judith Meinert lived near the church when she was young. “People have a lot of memories of that old building and that was my first church community,” says Meinert. Now, Meinert carries a piece of the building with her, thanks to Walker and her stained-glass jewelry. Walker says saving a piece of history came naturally to her. “I think it's intuitive to every artist to want to commemorate, you know, something that a lot of talent and craftsmanship went into like 140 years ago,” says Walker. “I just hope that I give the material the respect it deserves.”
