Robert Kelleher
UrbanPromise Academy
New Jersey's state ornaments were designed by high school students at UrbanPromise Ministries' high school (UrbanPromise Academy) in Camden, NJ. UPA is a private, Christian high school that began in 1997. In order to represent the cultural and religious diversity of New Jersey and in the city of Camden, students worked with themes of stained glass, universal symbols of peace, and symbols of spirituality from many cultures and religions. Students studied the "Peace Window" by Marc Chagall, a stained glass artwork, housed at the United Nations World Headquarters. Students were ambitious and creative in making their ornaments and brought with them an amazing curiosity and openness about cultural and spiritual diversity. Tissue paper was overlaid on the globes and, after the young artists were finished with their artwork, they weather proofed the bulbs.