SOFA Chicago Preview : Works By Washington Glass School Artists

SOFA 2018: Discovering New Concepts of Innovation and Design
Chicago, Illinois (November 1 – November 4, 2018) – This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Sculpture Objects Functional Art and Design (SOFA) Fair in Chicago, which takes place at the landmark Navy Pier.

Laura Beth Konopinski, "Beneath your walls the rubble exposed", mixed media glass, Alida Anderson Art Project, booth #A39. photo by Pete Duvall.

Laura Beth Konopinski, “Beneath your walls the rubble exposed”, mixed media glass, Alida Anderson Art Projects, booth #A39. (photo by Pete Duvall)

Washington Glass School artists Laura Beth Konopinski, Tim Tate and Michael Janis will have their new works featured at the critically acclaimed expo. The Chicago-based art expo is traditionally dedicated to three-dimensional art and design.

Tim Tate, Mrs. Dalloway : Morning and Mrs Dalloway : Evening, 32"dia each.

Tim Tate, Mrs. Dalloway : Morning (L) & Mrs Dalloway : Evening (R), 32″dia each. Habatat Galleries booth #A25

Michigan’s Habatat Galleries will feature new works by Tim Tate and Michael Janis, in their space #A25. Tim’s new infinity mirrors have become much more sculptural and dynamic – they must be seen in person to experience the reflected themes of empowerment and hope.

Tim Tate, "I Stand With My Sisters", mixed media, LED, glass. Habatat Galleries booth #A25. photo by Pete Duvall

Tim Tate, “I Stand With My Sisters”, mixed media, LED, glass. Habatat Galleries booth #A25. (photo by Pete Duvall)

Michael Janis has been creating a new series that will debut at the Chicago SOFA art fair, where his realistic imagery is offset with color and abstracted forms. His work can be seen also at Habatat Galleries space, #A25. Michael’s work will also be in a special exhibit at the fair: Intersection: Art & Life that features works by artists featured in a new book by Kevin Wallace, director of California’s Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts. His book explores the historical parallels between art and life, with the arts playing a central role in exploring identity, spirituality, our relationship with the environment and developing technologies.

Michael Janis, "In My Dreams", fused glass, 12" x 16", Habatat Galleries booth #A25. photo by Pete Duvall

Michael Janis, “In My Dreams”, fused glass, 12″ x 16″, Habatat Galleries booth #A25. (photo by Pete Duvall)

Michael Janis, "Forever", "Talk to Me", "Forever", 12" x 16" each. Habatat Galleries booth #A25. (photo by Pete Duvall).

Michael Janis, “Forever”, “Talk to Me”, “Forever”, 12″ x 16″ each. Habatat Galleries booth #A25. (photos by Pete Duvall).

Laura Beth Konopinski will be showing her new narrative mixed media sculptures. After a successful exhibit at the Art Miami Fairs last year, she has been creating new works that have already received critical acclaim. Laura Beth can be found at Alida Anderson Art Projects space, #A39 

SOFA Opens to eager crowds

Each year, SOFA Chicago opens to eager crowds!

Location: SOFA CHICAGO
Address: Navy Pier, Festival Hall
600 E. Grand, Entrance 2
Chicago, IL 60611

sofa.2018

MOCO Outstanding Artist Erwin Timmers Saves The Day! Mark Your Calendars!

Erwin Timmers - artist/father/superhero. And now Montgomery County Outstanding Artist.

Erwin Timmers – artist/father/superhero. And now Montgomery County Outstanding Artist. (photo by Pete Duvall)

Next Monday – October 29, 2018, @ 7:00 pm, Maryland’s Montgomery County will honor Washington Glass School’s Erwin Timmers as MOCO’s Outstanding Artist. The County Executive’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts & Humanities are the most prestigious honors conferred by Montgomery County on individual artists, scholars, organizations and cultural patrons.

Registration to the event is Free and Open to All – CLICK HERE. 

Montgomery County Executive’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities
Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center, Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus
7995 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20910

IWU Wakeley Gallery Features Narrative Glass in “Strata” Exhibition

With a gallery opening that works well with the Chicago SOFA audience, Illinois Wesleyan University’s Ames School of Art will feature the work of glass artists Lindy Ihrman and Leslie Speicher.

On Thursday, Nov. 1 at 1:30 p.m., Ihrman and Speicher will visit Illinois Wesleyan for a reception and artist talk on their exhibit “Strata,” which uses kiln-formed glass to create a sense of narrative through imagery and juxtaposition.

Lindy Ihrman, " Transcend", digital photography, enamel and kiln cast glass; 15 x 9 x 2½ inches.

Lindy Ihrman, ” Transcend”, digital photography, enamel and kiln cast glass; 15 x 9 x 2½ inches.

Ihrman’s distinctive art style blends layers of glass sheets and digital imagery to create three-dimensional pieces that generally seek to convey a story. A glass artist from West Michigan for over fifteen years, she has had her work featured in exhibitions throughout the U.S. and Britain. Ihrman said of her works in the show “I have always been interested in how we connect with the natural world around us.  My sculptures draw the viewer in to a particular story where light and dark, now and then, time and space are all unfolding.”

Chicago-based glass artist Leslie Speicher is notable for her distinct emphasis on color, form and texture when handcrafting her pieces. She also runs her own art studio, Chicago Glass Collective, which offers workshops, lectures and studio space for both beginning and experienced artists to improve their skills within a community. Prior to opening her studio in 2012, Speicher taught 3D Design at the University of Miami and glassmaking at the Cleveland Institute of Art.

Leslie Speicher, " Districts, Demographics and Algorithms", fused glass

Leslie Speicher, “Districts, Demographics and Algorithms”, fused glass

Speicher’s work in this exhibit focuses on the function as well as the perception of networks grids and boundaries in everyday life. Using her hometown of Chicago as the basis of her series, she examines the system of gerrymandering (the practice of manipulating the boundaries of an area) by creating transparent layered glass maps and graphs made with fused glass and stringers. Her panels strive to examine and dissect they systems that distort and affect the concept of “one person, one vote”.

STRATA
The Merwin & Wakely Galleries at Illinois Wesleyan University Ames School of Art
6 Ames Plaza West
Bloomington, Illinois  61701
Gallery Hours: Monday – Friday: 12 – 4 pm Tuesday evening: 7 – 9 pm • Saturday and Sunday: 1 – 4 pm