Hope & Healing Exhibition at Montpelier Arts Center

The Annual Prince George’s County Juried Exhibition, now in its 34th year, draws on the vast core of visual artists that live, work, or maintain a studio in Prince George’s County. This exhibition also serves to foster an inclusive spirit among the participating artists as well as showcase their talents, skills, and diverse use of mediums. This year’s exhibit is themed “Hope & Healing”, presenting works that reflect and symbolize what connects us as people and what gives faith and optimism for the future of our society.

Washington Glass School is so proud of Resident artist April Shelford – whose work titled “Summer” was selected for the exhibition.

April Shelford, “Summer”, 2022, kilncast glass, steel. Photo by Pete Duvall.

34TH ANNUAL PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY JURIED EXHIBITION

November 2, 2022-January 6, 2023

Public Reception : Sunday, November 6, 3-5 pm

Montpelier Arts Center

9652 Muirkirk Road

Laurel, MD 20708

Rockville, MD Artists & Makers Studios To Showcase Works By Erwin Timmers & Artists of the Washington Glass School

Artists & Makers Studios on Parklawn Drive in Rockville will welcome artist Erwin Timmers along with Artists of the Washington Glass School for the exhibit “A Show of Hands”. The November 4th First Friday evening opening will run from 5pm – 9pm.

Erwin Timmers, “In Case of Emergency”; 2022, cast recycled glass, steel. Photo by Pete Duvall.

Erwin Timmers is the Co-founder and Director of the Washington Glass School. His work references sociological and environmental issues of concern to him, primarily how we, as a society, consume and discard precious resources. For this topic, the choice of materials becomes a more important discussion, so Erwin endeavors to use recycled materials to express concepts and ideas of recycling and use of the environment. Recycled glass is difficult to use, so he has had to develop new and experimental techniques to exploit the characteristics of this material. A Show of Hands explores personal and cultural traits as they relate to present day social trends. Technological “advances” have changed the landscape in human interaction, and social media focuses on aspects of cultural loss, fake news, mass manipulation, and diversion and division. This series is about the expression of nonverbal and abstract themes like trust, communication, and connection. Erwin’s portfolio showcases the possibility and beauty of recycled material, while encouraging the viewer to consider his or her environmental impact.

Erwin Timmers “A Show of Hands”
Featuring Artists of the Washington Glass School

Opening Reception
5:00 PM – 9:00 PM, Friday, November 4th, 2022

Artists & Makers Studios
11810 Parklawn Drive, Suite 210
Rockville, MD 20852

Artist Discussion with Erwin Timmers – November 12th, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Exhibits for Erwin Timmers, the Resident Artists, and Gallery 209 will run from November 1st through November 22nd. Viewing hours are 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Monday-Saturday, and Sundays by chance or appointment.

Artists & Makers Studios on Parklawn Drive in Rockville, established in October 2014 by artist and arts community builder Judith HeartSong, is a 13,000 sq. ft. facility is home to 87 artists, and 80 student artists. A&M Studios is dedicated to providing a supportive and vibrant environment for artists to realize their creative goals – through studio practice, collaboration, education, opportunities, networking and connecting with the community beyond.

MPA ArtReach features works in Continuum Exhibit

McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) fall 2022 exhibition, Continuum: Artists Teaching Artists, runs thru November 10, 2022. The invitational exhibition highlights work by artists who give significant time to teaching, mentoring, and community building, while continuing to sustain and develop strong and innovative personal bodies of work. Continuum includes the work of artists and educators from most of the area colleges and universities, including George Mason University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Northern Virginia Community College, the University of Maryland, the Maryland Institute College of Art and the Washington Glass School. All of the participants are as dedicated to their on-going artistic practice as they are to their students, and vice versa.

One of the center’s programs is Art Reach- MPA’s highly successful educational outreach program for local preschool, elementary, middle, and high school students, as well as senior citizens.

MPA’s Sharon Fishel describes Michael Janis’ art to 2nd Story’s Culmore Safe Youth Project.

MPA’s ArtReach recently visited West Springfield Elementary, to share the current exhibition, Continuum: Artists Teaching Artists. After seeing Michael Janis’ art installation titled “How We Take Care of Each Other” the kindergarten classes were inspired by the work and created their own art installation together as a classroom community. They used markers to trace their hands using favorite colors and then drew images of things or people that inspire us to care for one another. The kids became communicators when they shared their art pieces with classroom peers and collaborators when they combined the works together to make an art installation on paper.

West Springfield Elementary kindergarten class riffs off Michael Janis’ artwork.

Continuum featured artists include: David Carlson, Patrick Craig, Robert Devers, Kate Fitzpatrick, Helen Frederick, Janis Goodman, Rene Gower, Michael Janis, Maria Karametou, Steven Prince, John Ruppert, Foon Sham, Judy Southerland, Tim Tate, Erwin Timmers, Stephanie Williams, Sue Wrbican, and Peter Winant.

1234 Ingleside Avenue
McLean, VA 22101
703-790-1953

NCAGG “The Magic of Glass” Exhibit

The National Capital Art Glass Guild (NCAGG) presents “The Magic of Glass” at Bethesdaʼs Gallery B from Nov 11 – Dec 3. The exhibit showcases Guild membersʼ work including mosaic, fused, stained, and blown glass. NCAGG is proud to be supporting the United Nations General Assemblyʼs designation of 2022 as The International Year of Glass for the essential role glass has played in our world.

The opening reception will be Friday, Nov 11, from 6 pm – 8 pm for a first look at this exhibit, which will be held at Gallery B, 7700 Wisconsin Ave., Suite E, Bethesda, MD 20814. Mark your calendar!

Washington Glass School is so proud of Resident Artist Kate Barfield for having two pieces accepted into NCAGG’s show at Gallery B.  This exhibit was very competitive with entries from across the US. Made as a tribute to the Black DC painter, Ms. Mailou Jones, the artist said…” I wanted to capture her angular shapes, curves & POW! Of color into glass”.

Kate Barfield “Tribute to Ms. Lois Mailou Jones“, kilnformed glass, steel, wood.

According to NCAGG President, Tamah Graber, “NCAGG is excited to be exhibiting in Bethesdaʼs vibrant arts community at beautiful, light-filled Gallery B. Glass is a powerful medium that lends itself to a variety of
shapes, forms, and functions, and we are delighted to share the wonders of glass with Gallery B visitors.”

Kate Barfield “Urban Season”, kilnformed glass, steel.

Kate Barfield said of “Urban Season” : “This cast glass circle has a bird nesting in urban rubble.  It focuses on the interface of the natural world and ours — as well as our sense of time.” Urban Season was selected for the 2021 Glass National Exhibition.

The National Capital Art Glass Guild (NCAGG) was founded in 1978 as a community of artisans working in stained glass and has grown over the years to include all forms of glass art. Through meetings, workshops,
presentations, and exhibits, the NCAGG provides a forum for the exchange of ideas and experiences and promotes glass as an art form.

The National Capital Art Glass Guild (NCAGG) presents “The Magic of Glass” at Bethesdaʼs Gallery B.

Nov 11 – Dec 3. Opening reception in conjunction with the Bethesda Urban Partnershipʼs Art Walk on Friday, Nov 11, 2022, from 6 pm – 8 pm.

General exhibit hours: Fridays 2 pm – 8 pm; Saturdays 12 pm – 6 pm; Sundays 11am – 4 pm.
Gallery B, 7700 Wisconsin Ave., Suite E, Bethesda, MD 20814.

For more information, please see www.ncagg.org
For more information: NCAGG Marketing Sarah Pick sarahpick648@gmail.com) 410-707-2543 or Betsy Mead (egmead@gmail.com)

Tim Tate: Reflections on Studio Practice

Glass Sculptor and Artist Tim Tate looks back on 20 years of creating a community. He recently put together some of his observations on well, how did we get here?

Artist Tim Tate

“I had been raised in a household filled with craft materials. I rarely saw my mother’s hands empty, always creating something. I inherited this love. I spent my early adult years being trained in the methods revolving around studio glass while attending the 2 weeks to 2-month workshops of Penland, Pilchuck, Corning, Pittsburg, etc. (I had no money to attend grad school …though I yearned for Cranbrook). These years of varied workshops and practitioners was the perfect way to obtain a broad outlook on the entire field. We founded the Washington Glass School in 2001 with very specific goals. Let me see if I can make this clear.

Tim Tate & Joyce Scott work on a new collaborative sculpture at the Washington Glass School.

1). We wanted to be something other than a traditional studio glass shop. From the beginning we realized we wanted a much broader approach; something that reflected the mission of education centers like the Crucible in Oakland and Penland in NC. We embraced mixed media work from the beginning with varied classes in kiln formed glass, steel, electronics, encaustics, etc. Our idea was not to in any way denigrate the rich history of studio glass, but to live just outside of those confines to see what would happen. To step slightly away from the 20th century.

Tim Tate
Tim Tate “We Rose Up”, 2017, Cast objects, mirrors, and LED’s, 32 × 32 × 4 in.

2). As a gay man in glass, it was apparent that diversity was sorely lacking in every way in the glass world. So we did outreach and advertised our classes in many publications that went to diverse populations, rather than wait for these populations to approach us. This worked very well. Even now we go to the Facebook pages of different neighborhoods to show our class schedules.

Einar and Jamex de la Torre at Washington Glass School 2015
The Brothers De La Torre visit the Washington Glass School in 2015.

3). We have embraced social media in every way possible, from individual and school Facebook and Instagram pages (where we post regularly) to administering a Facebook discussion group. This group is called “21st Century Glass/Conversations and Images/Glass Secessionism” and maintain over 8000 members from 97 countries.

With William Warmus we came up with the original concept of “Glass Secessionism”…to step slightly away from the recognized canon of 20th century glass and to create as much dialog and critical analysis as possible. There have been over 1.5 million words written and over thousands of images shared on this page focusing almost entirely on that theme.

In 2008, Artomatic held an international glass show.

4). We participated in many local shows here in the DC area, such as the spectacular Art-O-Matic show that truly put us on the map. We also curated many shows over the years to include local emerging artists. I have served on a dozen boards and juried dozens of shows and grant applications to stay in the loop and form a community bond. There are 3 Co-Directors here, all sharing a similar mission….to create a large regional, national and international community to foster new growth within our field.

2009 Glass Workshop at Washington Glass School. L-R Cheryl P Derricotte, David Cook, Nicole Puzan.

5). Our first class was on Sept. 13, 2001…. a difficult day in history to start anything being right after 9/11. We thought no one would even attend the first classes. But we discovered something else….no one cancelled. It appeared that while the purchase of art slowed to a trickle around the country, the creation of art thrived. Our first class was filled with artists who wanted to make narrative work about the devastation of that event. From that moment on we embraced narrative work with all our hearts. Works about political events, social injustices and inequalities were common within our sculptural classes, and certainly in my own works. We have now been in operation over 20 years, with over 6000 students. 60% of those were and are women, we have a large population of BIPoC students and we have worked with hundreds of LGTBQ students. We are so very proud of this fact.

My purpose for serving on boards right now is to focus on the building of communities as an artistic practice. I want to take a slight step away from academia as these institutions can become elitist, and I want to be non-elitist as we have been from the beginning. I also like regional boards that focus in the mid-Atlantic.

My personal practice had been deeply imbedded in the world of glass galleries and museums, though frequently as an outsider. I have stepped away from this in the last few months. I have moved towards the fine art world once again, as I had started there. It feels great to go back to my roots, surrounded by a community that reaches far beyond anything we ever anticipated.” – Tim Tate, October, 2022

MPA Exhibit “Continuum: Artists Teaching Artists” Opens

MPA’s Sharon Fishel talks to a group from Second Story’s Culmore Safe Youth Project.

McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) exhibit: “Continuum: Artists Teaching Artists” features works by each of the Washington Glass School’s Co-Directors.

The exhibit, which opened Sept. 16 and runs through Nov. 10, features a dizzying array of artworks created by 18 educators from local colleges and teaching institutes, including George Mason University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Northern Virginia Community College, University of Maryland, Maryland Institute College of Art and Washington Glass School.

Read the Sun Gazette story on the works- click HERE

An Artist Talk is planned for Thursday, October 13, 2022 at 7:00PM. Click HERE to register for this free talk!

About MPA
McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) is one of the mid-Atlantic region’s most respected contemporary visual arts organizations. MPA provides high-quality art exhibitions showcasing the work of established and emerging artists, educational programs, art classes, MPAartfest, summer art camps, and ArtReach, an award-winning program serving students in grades K – 12, seniors, and individuals with special needs. For more information, visit www.mpaart.org