Sinsinawa
Spectrum
A Congregation News Magazine
Innovation Meets Determination: Intarsia
by Corey Butler Jr.
Article reprinted with permission from the Faribault Daily News.
Ron Thibault has been roaming the halls of Bethlehem Academy [Faribault, MN] for more than 40 years.
Undoubtedly, his favorite place to nestle in for several hours to teach or have a few minutes to work solo on projects is his classroom in the basement of the aging building.
About 12 years ago, the industrial arts teacher reinvigorated the student body with the same fervor he holds for the rooms he occupies by creating a new class revolved around intarsia. Intarsia is the craft of using various shapes, sizes, and species of wood fitted together to create an inlaid, mosaic-like picture. “It’s kind of like art,” Thibault said. “It’s a different way of teaching.”
Students use the typical saws and tools as they would with a traditional woodworking class, but then they piece them together to create a plethora of patterns ranging from animals to religious settings to collages. Most are done with traditional woods and their original colors. Sometimes the woods will be stained or colored, Thibault said, but not usually. Thibault first became aware of the craft when looking through a magazine. “I thought gee whiz,” he said. “I thought this would be a good way to create interest in the industrial arts.”
Enrollment in his department was waning in the 1990s, Thibault said. He held a few demonstrations, and students quickly became interested in the unusual art. He said it’s been a popular choice of students the last dozen school years.
Since 1998, Thibault has created more than 150 projects. Some, like one jungle-influenced piece he submitted in the state fair which won, took more than a year to complete. “You put it together in pieces,” he said. “The word ‘patience’ is important.”
Thibault’s collection has grown so much; he said he plans to start handing them out for gifts to relatives. He rotates them at his home based on the holiday. For Easter, he puts out his Last Supper piece, which is one of his favorites. If it’s winter, he will put out his snowman and Santa Claus.
He said he enjoys passing the craft on to the students as much as he relishes doing it himself. He said students have created pieces even beyond his talent, like Bernt Halvorson’s rendition of Jesus Christ hanging on the cross. The meticulous work is worth the end result, Thibault said, and seeing the joy and discipline the students learn from it make it even more gratifying for him. “It’s a fun way to teach,” he said.