2013 | Washington Glass Studio

James Renwick Alliance names WGS’ Michael Janis as Distinguished Artist in Glass 2014

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Betty Py |

The James Renwick Alliance(JRA) is an independent national nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing scholarship and education on contemporary American craft.

The JRA assists the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery in adding to its permanent collection of American craft of artistic significance and superior workmanship, supports scholarly research in contemporary American craft, sponsors public educational activities, and pursues other activities in support of the studio craft movement. Each year the JRA sponsors a “Distinguished Artist Series” when craft artists prominent in their fields conduct workshops and give lectures. The lectures are co-sponsored by the JRA and the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery.

Michael Janis will talk about his work at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) in early 2014.

For the 2013/2014 season, the JRA have chosen Washington Glass School Co-Director Michael Janis as the Distinguished Artist for his glass artwork.
Michael will be giving a lecture and presentation at the Smithsonian in early 2014, with details to be finalized soon. Congratulations Michael! We look forward to posting the details.

2012/2013 JRA Distinguished Artist in Glass – Andy Paiko talks at Smithsonian. photo by Miriam Rosenthal

Posted in distinguished artist, james renwick alliance, JRA, michael janis

GlassWeekend In New Jersey Features WGS Artists

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Betty Py |

Tim Tate

The Next 50 Years Begins Now…..

25 x 14 x 8 inches, Blown and Cast Glass, Video

The biennial International Symposium and Exhibition of Contemporary Glass – GlassWeekend – is hosted by the Creative Glass Center of America at WheatonArts and the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass. GlassWeekend ’13 features the most current work of 200 professional artists working in glass making this event one of the most exciting and extensive presentations of museum quality glass vessels and sculpture ever assembled in one location. Washington Glass School’s Michael Janis and Allegra Marquart will have their artwork exhibited at Maurine Littleton Gallery. Tim Tate will be exhibiting his work at Habatat Galleries space.

Allegra Marquart

The Fisherman’s Plea

18 x18 inches, Fused and Sandcarved Glass

The Gallery Exhibition is housed in a 10,000 square foot Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center Event Center, home of the Creative Glass Center of America and the Museum of American Glass. WheatonArts is located 45 minutes from both Philadelphia and Atlantic City and less than three hours from New York City and Washington, DC.

Michael Janis

Realigning The Stars

2 Parts: 20 x 30; 20 x 10 inches, Fused Glass, Glass Powder Imagery

The weekend begins with a preview reception of the gallery exhibition on Friday evening, continues with a reception in the Museum of American Glass and dinner on Saturday evening and culminates with a private demonstration on Sunday morning by the guest demonstrating artists. In between, participants have the option of attending slide presentations from the guest artists and CGCA Fellowship artists; panels and breakout sessions with contemporary glass artists, museum curators, gallery owners and collectors; and participate in a FunRaising auction. A partial event schedule:

Thursday, June 6

The Gallery of Fine Craft Preview Reception“Creative Glass Center of America Biennial” Exhibit and Sale in The Gallery of Fine Craft.

Friday, June 7

Welcoming Remarks: Sharon Karmazin, President, CGCA; Harlan Fischer, President, AACG; Stan Epstein and Henry Wasserstein. Co-chairs GlassWeekend.

Workshop 9:45 – 10:45 “Spreading the Love: Social Networking Made Easy for Collectors and Artists.” Tim Tate and Merrily Orsini

Ice Cream Social – Presentation of the 2013 Rising Stars

Guest Artist Presentations:Beth Lipman, Davide Salvadore and Hiroshi Yamano

Silent Auction: Wearable Glass Art

Saturday, June 8

Key Note Presentation – Judith Schaechter

“Skill and De-Skilling: Does Technique Enhance or Hinder Creativity”

Panel Presentation – Andrew Page, Moderator, and WheatonArts Fellows “CGCA at 30: An Examination of the History and Future of a Career-Changing Fellowship in Glass Art”

Curator’s Program – William Warmus, Moderator

“Is There Life After 50? Exploring the Role Museums Could/Should/Will Play in the Future of Studio Glass”

WheatonArts: 1501 Glasstown Road, Millville, NJ 08332

Posted in glassweekend, millville, new jersey, wheaton, wheaton arts

American Craft Magazine Features Washington Glass School

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Chip Montague |

American Craft magazine June/July 2013

The American Craft Council(ACC) is a national, nonprofit educational organization founded with a mission to promote understanding and appreciation of contemporary American craft. Their programs include the bimonthly magazine, American Craft, annual juried shows, various workshops, seminars and conferences, and more.

The June/July 2013 issue of American Craft Magazine showcases the cast glass work being made for the U.S. Library of Congress Adams Building. Julie K. Hanus – American Craft’s senior editor and Perry A. Price – the ACC’s director of education had come to the school in April and made a report on the process and the artists involved.

From the magazine: The original doors were designed in 1939 by Lee Lawrie, the sculptor whose Atlas graces Rockefeller Center. They’re massive bronze works, depicting 13 mythological and historical figures of language and learning. Over time, they had begun to fail, straining at the hinges, and didn’t meet modern building codes. Rather than altering the historic doors to address these issues, the Architect of the Capitol made a bold decision; in addition to conserving the Lawrie doors, they would reinterpret these unique Adams Building features in glass.

Jeff Wallin and Ray Ahlgren of Fireart Glass in Portland, OR casting the glass panels. Photo by Charlie Lieberman

Review of each of the LOC cast glass panels with the Architect of the Capitol. L-R Paul Zimmerman/HITT Contracting, William Warmus/Art critic, Tim Tate, Michael Janis, Kevin Hildebrand/AOC, Erwin Timmers.

The doors began installation in the spring of 2013 and the entry areas began to transform.

From the interior of East facing building lobby.

The exterior of the first set of six pairs of doors.

The magazine will be on the stands soon – and is online right now! – Click HERE to jump to the American Craft Council website.

Washington Glass Studio team L-R Tim Tate, Sean Hennessey, Michael Janis, Audrey Wilson, Erwin Timmers

Posted in AOC, architect of the capitol, architectural application glass, erwin timmers, jeff wallin, kiln fused glass, library of congress, LOC, michael janis, ray ahlgren, sean hennessey, Tim Tate

Tim Tate & Chris Baer Venice Biennale Exhibit Opens Tonight!

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Chip Montague |

WGS Projects presents Tangents, a show featuring works by artists Christopher Baer and Tim Tate. These 2 artists represent a study in contrasts; yet invite investigation into the complicity of their work. Their work is tangential, yet parallel….both looking deeply below the surface. This compelling show will take place on the 4th floor of the Palazzo Bembo during the Venice Biennale. Opening May 29 through Nov. 24th, 2013; Opening Reception Weds May 29th, 6 – 9pm,Venice, Italy

Left, Christopher Baer; Right, Tim Tate

Christopher Baer

Working between two studios in Washington D.C. and rural Virginia, contemporary artist Christopher Baer is known for his highly expressive, large-scale mixed-media paintings. His works offer the viewer a glimpse into their process, with previous layers and gestural brushstrokes visible beneath the surface. Baer emphasizes the boundaries of the canvas by delineating a band along the edge of each painting; each consecutive layer of paint retreats further and further from the border, revealing earlier incarnations of the work. His long-term series Palisades, named after the part of D.C. where he lives, is a joyful exploration of color, brushwork and line.

Tim Tate

Tim Tate is a Washington, DC native, and has been working with glass as a sculptural medium for the past 25 years. Co-Founder of the Washington Glass School, Tim’s work is in the permanent collections of a number of museums, including the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery and the Mint Museum. He was awarded the title of “Rising Star of the 21st Century” from the Museum of American Glass and was also the recipient of the 2009 Virginia Groot Foundation International award for sculpture. His work has been exhibited at many museums, including the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. He was a 2012 Fulbright Scholar recipient at Sunderland University in England. Working in both video and glass, he is one of the leading artists in the field working with cross over mixed media.

Posted in christopher baer, tangents, Tim Tate, venice biennale, wgs projects

Working in the Studio – Commissioned Artwork for Healthcare Facility Lobby

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Chip Montague |

The Washington Glass Studio is working on a commissioned artwork for Kaiser Permanente’s new Largo Medical Center. Audrey Wilson has been a busy girl – chopping up glass components for the art. We will post photos of the finished work.

Colorful glass being readied for a commissioned work to be installed in the lobby of Kaiser Permanente’s updated state-of-the-art multi-specialty facility in Largo, MD.

Posted in Uncategorized

Memorial Day – Glass Soldiers

Posted on May 26, 2013 by Michael Janis |

Celebrating our freedom and remembering those who fought to honor it.

Western Military Academy- Detail of stained glass Iwo Jima panel in the Western Military Memorial Chapel (Alton, IL) dedicated to Frank M. Henderson, WMA’13, who retired as Commandant of Cadets in 1945.

Posted in Uncategorized

GlassWeekend 2013 June 7- 9 at WheatonArts

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Betty Py |

Since 1985, GlassWeekend has brought together the world’s leading glass artists, collectors, galleries, and museum curators for a three-day weekend of exhibitions, lectures, hands-on glassmaking, artists, demonstrations and social events. GlassWeekend ’13, on June 7, 8 & 9, promises to be among the very best, with many new activities designed to be fun, inspiring, and informative. Demos by guest artists Beth Lipman, Davide Salvadore and Hiroshi Yamana are reason enough to make a great show, but combined with Judith Schaechter as the keynote speaker… makes this a not-to-miss event!

Davide Salvadore

GlassWeekend is held at Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center, home of the Creative Glass Center of America (CGCA) and the Museum of American Glass.

Everlast Blown by Slate Grove, sculpted and fabricated glass, stainless steel and laces

Vanessa Cutler’s work in Creative Glass Center Alumni Biennial Exhibit.

In between, participants have the option of attending slide presentations from the guest artists and CGCA Fellowship artists; panels and breakout sessions with contemporary glass artists, museum curators, gallery owners and collectors; and participate in a FunRaising auction that directly benefits the CGCA Fellowship Program and the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass (AACG) educational efforts. At GlassWeekend ‘13 highlights the work of young and talented artists. GlassWeekend ‘13 Rising Stars are sponsored by contemporary glass groups from around the country. This year’s artists:

Dean Allison

Amber Cowan

Michael Crowder

Andrew Erdos

Slate Grove

Benjamin Johnson

Carmen Lozar

Harry Pollitt

For a list of galleries showing at Wheaton GlassWeekend, click HERE

WheatonArts 1501 Glasstown Road, Millville, NJ 08332

Posted in Uncategorized

Tim Tate at Katzen Arts Center

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Michael Janis |

Still from “I Was Not In My Right Mind”

Tim Tate: Sleepwalker

Video show at American University’s Katzen Arts Center – June 15 to Aug 15, 2013 featuring collaborations with Pete Duvall and Richard A. Schellenberg.

Tim Tate is Washington’s best known contemporary glass artist, but his latest work has moved toward video installations. Rich in symbol, metaphor, movement, and mystery, videos, like dreams, enable us to participate in another reality and, through that participation, to be transformed. Hidden within is the latent content which will give the viewer an understanding of what is happening in the mind of a dreamer. For the Katzen project, Tim is working with collaborators Pete Duvall and Richard Schellenberg (both of whom he met through Artomatic).

Pete Duvall

Additional Events: Gallery Talk: Sleep Walker with artist Tim Tate August 10, 4 pm.
The American University Museum is open from Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. The Museum will be closed on July 4 in honor of Independence Day.

Richard Schellenberg

American University Museum Admission is free 202-885-1300 museum@american.edu http://www.american.edu/cas/museum/
AU Katzen Arts Center
4400 Massachusetts Ave NW
Washington, DC 20016

Posted in American University, Katzen Center, pete duvall, richard schellenberg, sleepwalker, Tim Tate

William Warmus Lecture at the Museum of Glass

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Michael Janis |

William Warmus speaking at Takoma’s Museum of Glass

Art Historian William Warmus had a fascinating lecture this past Saturday at the Takoma (Washington) Museum of Glass. His talk was titled “The True History of Glass?”. In his talk, William touched on alternate histories of, and futures for, glass as an art form, concluding that we may sometimes need to forget the truth if we want to advance the art.

Tim Tate and Glass Secessionism merits inclusion in the True History of Glass. The recording of the lecture is online – click HERE.

In his discussion, William talked about the condensed version of the American Studio Glass Movement, and some of the precursors to the accepted version of glass history. He also gave a shout out to Washington Glass School‘s Professor Tate, the “Glass Secessionism” discussions and the Washington Glass School in his museum talk.
To jump to the online recording of the lecture – click HERE.

Posted in museum of glass, takoma, washington, william warmus

The DC5 in St Pete

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Chip Montague |

The “DC5” glass art exhibit – now thru June.

The “DC Five” – (WGS artists Sean Hennessey, Michael Janis, Allegra Marquart, Tim Tate and Erwin Timmers) exhibit of glass artwork at Florida’s Duncan McClellan Gallery in St Petersburg opened with a great reception!
Weren’t able to fly down to sunny Florida? Here are some shots of the show, and of the St Petersburg Museum of Fine Art lecture by Sean Hennessey and Tim Tate on their glass artwork.