Benton Harbor teen found purpose, confidence through stained glass art

Michigan Public | By Stateside Staff

Published January 8, 2019 at 4:28 PM EST

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The first story in our Creating Connection series featuring Otis Cornelius and Lynne Clayton.

Stateside is featuring intimate, first-person stories about the power of art in a new series called Creating Connection Michigan. Over the next five Tuesdays, you'll hear from Michiganders across the state about how local art programs have changed their lives.

We begin the series with Otis Cornelius, a student at Fired Up, a Benton Harbor glassworking program, and Lynne Clayton, the executive director at Water Street Glassworks.

Listen above to hear how Cornelius came to join Fired Up, and how the program benefits the community as well as the kids who get involved.

MCACA Creating Connections // Glassworks // Benton Harbor, MI // Otis from Long Haul Productions on Vimeo.

You can find a full transcript of the segment here.

The Creating Connection Michigan series was produced by Elizabeth Meister and Dan Collison at Long Haul Productions and funded by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.This post was written by Stateside production assistant Sarah Leeson.

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Cornelius said that the program at Water Street Glassworks didn't just make him a better artist, it also taught him "to be a better person."

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At Water Street Glassworks, the Fired Up program doesn't just teach students how to work with glass, it also aims to "teach kids how to run a business [and] how to work with the public," said Executive Director Lynne Clayton.

Long Haul Productions /

Cornelius uses colorful pieces of glass (like those pictured here) to make stained glass art.

Long Haul Productions /

Cornelius created this image of a raven as an homage to his favorite poet, Edgar Allen Poe.

Long Haul Productions /