photo by: Bremen Keasey/Journal-World

“The Play of Light," a four-foot tall metal and glass sculpture of a soccer ball stands in downtown Lawrence. The sculpture was created for the World Cup by eight Van Go apprentice artists.

It’s been clear that this summer Lawrence has been having a moment.

As the Journal-World reported, Lawrence was recently named one of the top places to visit in the country by CNN, and the city has gotten international headlines about how it has welcomed the Algerian national team during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

With the spotlight on Lawrence, Kathryn Clark, the community engagement director for Van Go, said the nonprofit wanted to make sure its workers were included in the spotlight.

“We wanted the participants to feel like you are a part of this,” Clark said.

Eight of the nonprofit’s apprentice artists got to be a part of the moment by creating a four-foot tall steel and fused glass sculpture of a classic soccer ball called “The Play of Light” — currently on display outside the Carnegie building, 200 W. Ninth St. — that aims to welcome visitors to the community during the tournament.

Rick Wright, the art director at Van Go, said this piece obviously honors the unique World Cup summer, but its design was the best way to allow for the workers to collaborate on a substantial public art project.

Wright said that planning the project took the “lion’s share” of the time because the art form had a lot of logistical challenges in making sure it could come together. He said fortunately he worked with a fabricator at the nonprofit who helped figure out the mathematical calculations to ensure it could come together right.

After months of planning, Wright was able to get big clear sheets of glass from Kennedy Glass — just across the street from Van Go — for the artists to start putting together the piece. Therese McNamara, one of the artists who helped make the sculpture, said the artists got other pieces of colored glass — causing some “nicks and scrapes” — and cut them to create a sort of mosaic of the colorful hexagons.

Once the little pieces were created, the artists lined up and took turns putting the smaller pieces of glass on top of the clear sheets, according to Jubilee Jacob, another artist involved with the project. Alaric Wheeler, another artist, said each person picked a specific color of glass and “tried not to step on anyone’s toes” as they laid the glass.

Once the glass was put into place, it had to be put into a kiln to make sure it fused, a process that would take around 24 hours, Wheeler said. The whole team had to be very careful with those pieces because dropping them meant so much work would go “down the drain.”

Once the hexagons were ready, it was time to secure the glass pieces onto the metal frame. Jacob said she was partially involved in the assembly process, where she saw Wright and other people put together the panels with a piece of equipment that suctioned the glass so that it would not drop. Jacob said she was able to find the exact right color of sealant that matched the metal to help blend the parts that were welded together.

Jacob was impressed that all the glass pieces fit together perfectly, and she was impressed by the equipment to keep the glass safe.

“I didn’t know those even existed,” Jacob said.

photo by: Bremen Keasey/Journal-World

From left, Van Go apprentice artists Therese McNamara, Alaric Wheeler and Jubilee Jacob stand outside the nonprofit’s studio at 715 New Jersey St.

The three artists said one thing they appreciated about creating the sculpture was the fact they got to work alongside each other. McNamara said the artists often “kind of do their own thing,” so having everyone come together to work made it a special experience.

“It was a team effort,” McNamara said. “We got to see (it through) from start to finish.”

All of the artists who worked on the project work with Van Go through its “The Arts Train” program, which is a year-round employment program aimed at helping youth ranging from 18 to 24-years old who face barriers to education or employment. McNamara said that through the program, she has gotten a lot of opportunities to try out new things she otherwise wouldn’t have been able to do.

McNamara said working with glass is really difficult to do if you don’t have the tools or resources, but being exposed to glasswork through the sculpture project made her realize it is something she wants to continue exploring as an artist.

“This place provides that atmosphere and people who are knowledgeable about it,” McNamara said.

The creative atmosphere was also something Jacob appreciated. She said she recently moved out on her own, and she quickly learned that it can be hard as an adult to keep up with creative passions like drawing because you have to work all the time. Through working with Van Go, she still feels that inspiration.

“It makes me keep doing art and the things that I enjoy in life,” Jacob said.

Wheeler echoed how he appreciates the unique work place of Van Go that is based on creativity. He said there have been times where he wasn’t as motivated to make art, but working at the nonprofit has made him much more motivated to create. Wheeler said he doesn’t think he will have the same chance to create at other jobs, and he has “enjoyed (his) time here a lot.”

The three artists also shared they appreciated how much the organization supports them and their needs outside of the art. McNamara said “everyone in the staff is involved so deeply” in their growth as people, and they work to make sure all the artists can stay in the program.

“That is the biggest part and most important thing of Van Go,” McNamara said.

With the sculpture now on display, Wright said it is like a showcase of how they made a mark on Lawrence during this special moment. He said there is a lot of “cool stuff happening” across the city, and he is thrilled that the Van Go artists can feel like they were a part of that happen.

“There’s a lot of eyes on our community. For them to have something to say ‘We did that’ amid the excitement is awesome,” Wright said.

photo by: Bremen Keasey/Journal-World

“The Play of Light,” a four-foot tall metal and glass sculpture of a soccer ball stands near the Carnegie building, 200 W. Ninth St., in downtown Lawrence.