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INTERVIEW: David Lee Csicsko On Designing The White House's Holiday Ornaments

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Dec 4, 2012 5:20PM

There’s a major Chicago presence to this year’s White House Holiday ornament display— glassmaker David Condon, paper artist Jami Darwin Chiang and terrarium designer Heidi Feinerman all contributed work to decorating the White House for the season.

The highlight of this year’s holiday display has to be the designs from artist David Lee Csicsko, whose best known locally for his mosaics gracing the Belmont Avenue Red/Purple/Brown Line station. Csicsko’s mosaics and stained glass artwork are also on display at Loyola University Chicago, Loyola University Nursing School, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, and various churches across the area. Csicsko contributed stained glass ornaments situated throughout the White House and 10-foot tall white Christmas trees on display in First Lady Michelle Obama’s garden.

We spoke with Csicsko about how he was tapped to participate in helping design this year’s ornaments, how long the process took, and what it was like collaborating with the White House.

Chicagoist: When did the White House contact you about creating the designs that are currently on display?

David Lee Csicsko: I designed the chapel for the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. It ís made of stained glass and mosaics. Gabrielle Martinez, from AgencyEA, saw it and contacted me. Ms. Martinez had the great vision to commission me, her agency produces the White House Christmas project. When I first heard about it, I thought, "you just asked the right guy." I have always had a passion for American Folk Art as well as early American imagery. I knew that this would be the perfect project for me.

I began working on designs in late June. I designed large stained glass windows, four feet in diameter, for the East Corridor.

The State Dinning Room is outfitted with custom made, big and small planter boxes, for topiary trees. These handsome boxes are constructed of wood, painted white and have inset ceramic tiles I designed. We also made ceramic ornaments, and stained glass medallions that hang on the topiaries, as well as the Christmas tree in the State Dinning Room.

C: And did you have to submit them to the White House for approval first?

DLC: Yes, all of the designs were presented to the First Lady for approval.

What was your opinion of working with the White House on this project?

DLC:A great honor, and a terrific opportunity.

C: Did you have a specific thematic element in mind?

DLC: I was asked to think about, traditional colors, red and green. My goal was to create festive pieces, that had a strong nod to the past but felt very today. My work is very graphic, bold and connects with the viewer.

C: How long did it take from drafting your designs to completion?

DLC: I started sketching the designs in June, then refined them on the computer. The final products were constructed by many hands around the country: A needlepoint pillow (with a stylized eagle) in Ohio; stained glass windows in Chicago; the ceramic ornaments in Oregon. The last of the windows and boxes with finished on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and driven to Washington, DC.

C: How does the White House's interior factor in your designs?

DLC: I looked at the details, fabrics, drapery, rugs in the White House. I love historic ornament, the symbol of welcome in Colonial America was the pineapple. One of the large stained glass windows features four pineapples in the design. I also studied American Folk Art, wood carved eagles, weather vanes, and historic quilts. With my teams of crafts people from all over the USA, we created a thoughtful and surprising new look that feels very Americana. I had an awesome six months, very busy.

C: What was the inspiration behind the white wooden trees in the East Garden?

DLC: I had designed similar trees for the Chicago Cultural Center's Dance Along Nutcracker, back in 2004, and they were a big hit. These are a new design and 10-feet tall, and look so perfect in the First Lady's garden. It was one of my favorite moments working at the White House, seeing the Washington Monument, and my trees together, it was truly thrilling.

C: What has been the response from the White House?

DLC: It's been great, they love it, even the military honor guards in uniform
were all saying "Good job, well done."