Stained Glass Illustrates ‘Simpsons’

When Morgan Spurlock was commissioned by Fox to make “The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!” he faced the immense task of gathering Simpsons references from around the world. (Note: the film is neither in 3-D, nor on ice).

In September, an assistant of Spurlock’s came across the stained glass work of Joseph Cavalieri online, and she called him that the same day to arrange an interview.

This is how his panel, “The Countryman and the Serpent” (2009) — featuring Bart, “astro-Maggies” and a small, dead Ned Flanders — came to have a moment in the film.

“They filmed over two hours of footage at my studio, all resulting in a cameo shot of my work,” says Cavalieri, who uses the facilities at UrbanGlass in Fort Greene to fire pieces too large for his home studio. “I am very excited to have my stained glass work flashed around the U.S. and globally!”

The cameo is just a few seconds, but it’s there, at the 2:44 mark. And considering that references to 21 years of the uber-popular show were boiled down to a film running less than an hour, inclusion in any manner is a source of pride.

“Two excellent events have happened since filming,” says Cavalieri. “Morgan Spurlock bought one of my panels, and a current Simpsons writer, from L.A., bought a panel as well. ‘Il Momento Della Morte’ [featuring Bart and Lisa on a cross] now lives the offices where the Simpsons episodes are written.”

Cavalieri says he was first drawn to the Simpsons characters as subjects because of how they represent America, and also how they are drawn so simply, but with so much personality. Further, he says it was a perfect fit because TV and stained glass are both back-lit, and because both the Simpsons’ “madcap family” and church windows tell a story.

“The general public only sees stained glass when in church,” he says. “My challenge is to bring this awesome medieval technique out of the church and into people’s homes, for a new glass renaissance that everyone can relate to.”

Cavalieri, who once called both Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights home, now lives on the Lower East Side. Beginning Jan. 19, he will have a month-long solo show at THINK Coffee (1 Bleecker St.), where some of his Simpsons work can be seen.