COLUMBUS, Ohio — Lindsay Boyd isn’t just carving out a regular slab—she’s making what she calls a spirit slab.

What You Need To Know

  • Boyd is an alumna of Columbus College of Art and Design

  • This fall, she is planning to release a slab that highlights the beauty and history of Bowling Green State University

  • The business began 11 years ago

Boyd’s first design was an anniversary gift to her parents. They are some of the biggest Buckeye fans she knows. She picked out one of the flowers people might not notice in the Rotunda to recreate in the form of a stone slab.

What started as a gift turned into a budding business.

“My parents had it hanging in their kitchen for a while, and people would kind of come over and be like, 'that's beautiful—where did you get that?'” said Boyd. "I was like, 'oh, OK. Maybe I can start casting them and selling them.'” 

Boyd is an alum of Columbus College of Art and Design. She had the chance to dabble in all types of art forms. 

While she landed a job in graphic design, she uses some of those screen skills to run her hands-on business.

“Even though these are all carved in clay, it's still all about the composition,” said Boyd. “I need the dominant thing that really catches your eye and your needs to move through the piece.” 

Spirit Slabs started 11 years ago. Boyd releases a new collection piece every year. 

This fall, she is planning to release a slab that highlights the beauty and history of Bowling Green State University.

“After I’ve done some research, I usually have one or two buildings in mind and then I can just go check those out,” said Boyd. She does extensive research before visiting each college. The pandemic allowed her more time to travel to various cities and universities. “It gave me time to sit and come up with new ideas and new designs and I got to produce a lot of new pieces during those two years,” said Boyd. 

Her keen eye picks out parts of buildings that you might not recognize and creates her own interpretation. Each slab comes with facts and historical tidbits, redefining school spirit.

“It becomes a conversation piece in people's homes because it doesn’t just shout out what college it is, there are more details that will draw people's eyes to it, but that gives the owner the chance to explain what it's from,” said Boyd. 

Boyd said she plans on selling more of her art at the Columbus Winter Festival, until then you can find more of the art on the spirit slabs' Facebook page.