Stephan Wanger and Guinness World Records certifier Mike Janela
Fire that claimed lives of Bead Town artist and his daughter remains a puzzle
Contributed By:The 411 News
Arica Buchanan worked with Stephan Wanger on Guinness World Record
Unofficially, murder-suicide is being reported as the cause of deaths of Stephan Wanger and his 5-year-old daughter Stazia. Their bodies were recovered after a July 5th fire at their south side Chicago home in the 1600 block of California.
Wanger became known in northwest Indiana as the artist behind Bead Town, murals created from recycled New Orleans Mardi Gras beads. In 2017, his mural “Life in the French Quarter” set a Guinness World Record as the World’s Largest Bead Mural. Wanger crafted the mural at the Gary Area Career Center, aided by students and volunteers. Nearly 10 million beads were used.
This summer, a new Bead Town mural “Along the South Shore” was on display at the Indiana Welcome Center in Hammond. That exhibit closed following news of Wanger’s death.
Arica Buchanan worked with Wanger on both, but devoted most of her time on the world record project in Gary. “I worked on the opening of the Hammond exhibit. Stephan asked me to head the board of his non-profit, but couldn’t because I work fulltime.”
From details pieced together by friends of Stephan and his wife Stacey, Buchanan said, “I know there was an argument. Stacey left the house to clear the air and cool off.” One of those friends sent her a photo of Stacey, in anguish, as firefighters fought the blaze.
“If Stephan caused the fire and Stazia’s death, he must have snapped,” Buchanan said. “Just the day before, his Facebook page had pictures of them at the beach. My heart is so heavy. People were calling me and I didn’t know what to tell them. I can’t understand how Stephan could do such a selfish act and take his daughter’s life.”
Buchanan joined the Career Center project as a volunteer in November 2015. It came to be nearly a daily task. At the end of her workday in Chicago, she came to the Career Center to do bead work and take students home who volunteered after school. At the 2017 Guinness ceremony she explained one of her roles, “I pick them up, get them breakfast on weekends and take them home. And I fuss at them, too. That’s why I’m the mom of Bead Town.”
What drove her attachment? Buchanan said, “It was the process. It was so beautiful, working with scraps of wood, recycled beads and transforming them into works of art.” And she saw Stephan’s passion to teach and include others. “I learned so much from him. I learned to believe more in myself.”
Just two weeks ago, Buchanan worked on her 2nd Guinness World Record. The University of Chicago Medicine and the WNBA’s Chicago Sky set a record for the World’s Largest Basketball Clinic in a single venue, breaking the previous record by the NBA’s Kevin Durant last year.
GoFundMe campaigns have been set up to raise funds for Stacey Herbert and Stazia Herbert. Buchanan said Stacey, a professional makeup artist in the film industry was left with nothing.
A July 27 memorial for Stazia will be held in Chicago. Another memorial for Stazia will be held in Sliddell, LA, the home of Stacey’s family.
Officials in Chicago have not yet reported their findings from the fire investigation.
Buchanan paints Stazia’s nails
Stephan Wanger and Guinness World Record certifier Mike Janela
Story Posted:07/19/2018
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