During the 2022 Nursing Research Symposium, Parkview leaders honored professionals who ask questions and uncover findings that can help improve their field. And while their efforts garnered them attention, so did the awards they were presented. Symposium organizers invited Danielle Payne, BSBio, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, clinical nurse researcher and program coordinator, Nursing Research & Professional Practice, Parkview Health, to create the unique glass sculptures handed out to the winners. We wanted to know more about Danielle’s craft and how she started working in the artform.
How would you describe your form of art?
I am a glass artist who works with many different types of glass, but my glass blowing experience is limited to glass ornaments and lampworking (melting glass with torches instead of a furnace). My work is primarily in stained glass, glass fusing and abrasive carving (a form of sandblasting used to carve glass). The research awards we presented at this year’s Nursing Research Symposium were fused glass sculptures.
How did you start working with glass?
I’ve been working in glass for 30 years. I learned how to do stained glass at a local business in the early ‘90s and developed advanced glasswork skills in Lansing, Michigan, and Corning in New York. I progressed to fused glass about 20 years ago.
This all started as a hobby while I worked for American Red Cross Blood Services and Tissues Services as a medical laboratory scientist and quality control specialist. I took the opportunity to open a glass art studio named GlassLink in 2002 in Fort Wayne when my medical division was moved to Wisconsin. GlassLink sold glass supplies, finished art and offered classes in stained glass, fusing, lampworking (bead making with torches) and some limited glass blowing. In 2007, I started a branch business for glass awards named GlassLink Awards. Both of these businesses were based in a storefront on Noble Drive. I closed the storefront in 2014 but continued the business at my home until this year. I still have a personal studio at home with all the equipment I need to continue working in glass.
How did you become involved in the Nursing Research Symposium awards?
I went back to school in 2015 and obtained a BSN in 2017 and MSN in 2020. I have been a clinical nurse researcher and program coordinator for Parkview Nursing Research since 2019. I was on the planning committee for the 2022 Nursing Research Symposium, and when we started discussing an awards ceremony for research conducted by Parkview nurses, I volunteered to create the sculptures. Nursing Research sponsored the awards.
How many awards did you make?
We awarded:
- First Published Research – Chest Tube Dressings/A Comparative Evaluation of Chest Tube Insertion Site Dressings: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Michelle Wood
- Most Viewed Publication in Parkview Repository – Evaluation of prone positioning in non-intubated patients on improvement in oxygenation, Michele Kadenko-Monirian
- Most Innovative Research – Postoperative Vital Signs: Traditional Versus Evidence Based, Linda Otis
- Most Improved Clinical Outcomes – Evaluation of prone positioning in non-intubated patients on improvement in oxygenation, Michele Kadenko-Monirian
- Nursing Researcher of the Year – Jan Powers
How did you come up with the final design of the awards?
I presented a few ideas, and the committee chose what I call a handkerchief vase for the award. It is either a circle or square of sheet glass, usually used for creating stained glass windows. I heat them over a stainless-steel form in a glass kiln. When the kiln reaches 1200 degrees F, the glass softens (not melts) and drapes over the mold, creating gentle folds in the glass. The kiln and glass really do all the work after I program the kiln. The kiln takes about 8-10 hours before the vases are ready. The glass drapes the same way a handkerchief would if you picked it up from the center of the square of fabric, hence the name “handkerchief vase.”
Congratulations to all of the Nursing Research Symposium winners, who will enjoy this hand-crafted piece of art as a reminder of their efforts for years to come.
