Monthly Archives: July 2025

Washington Glass School Artists Featured in “The Art of the Art Clinic Online” Exhibition at Glen Echo Park

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This Friday, August 1, The Art of the Art Clinic Online opens at Glen Echo Park’s Popcorn Gallery, showcasing an impressive lineup of over 30 artists from the DC-area Art Clinic Online (ACO) community—including Washington Glass School artists Erwin Timmers, Tim Tate, and Michael Janis.

Presented as part of Glen Echo’s First Friday Art Walk (6–8 PM), this group exhibition runs through September 28 and offers a compelling glimpse into the diversity of creative voices shaping the region.

📍 Popcorn Gallery
Glen Echo Park
7300 MacArthur Blvd, Glen Echo, MD
Free + open to the public

Founded in 2020, ACO has become a vibrant platform for community, conversation, and exchange among artists throughout the DMV. Every other Saturday, the group hosts online sessions where a featured artist presents their work and engages in lively dialogue with participants. The program’s inclusive spirit and broad range of voices are central to its mission—and now, those connections come off-screen and into the gallery space.

The Art of the Art Clinic Online is a reflection of the many practices and perspectives nurtured through ACO’s ongoing work, and we’re proud to see WGS artists included in this thoughtful and energetic survey.

Participating Artists Include:
Blair Anderson, Maremi Andreozzi, Sondra Arkin, Julia Bloom, F. Lenox Campello, Eric Celarier, Aishwariya Chandrasekar, Schroeder Cherry, Jeffery Everett, Kate Fleming, Erin Fostel, Barbara Epstein Gruber, Ric Garcia, Sarah Jamison, Michael Janis, Robert Knudsen, Christine Lashley, Kyujin Lee, Laurel Lukaszewski, Akemi Maegawa, Dana Jeri Maier, Lindsay Mueller, Cory Oberndorfer, David Page, Erin Raedeke, Ephraim Rubenstein, Nicole M. Santiago, Tim Tate, Valerie Theberge, Erwin Timmers, Bennett Vadnais, Steve Wanna, Dawn Whitmore, and Andrew Wodzianski.

Make time to visit Glen Echo Park this summer—you’ll find a rich cross-section of the region’s creative talent and a strong sense of community threaded through every work on view.

Posted in glen echo, j jordan bruns | Tagged , , ,

A Litany for Survival @ Transformer Gallery

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Featuring Artists from the “Exercises for Emerging Artists” Program – E22: Glass for Social Justice

Washington Glass School is hosted this year’s Exercises for Emerging Artists program with Transformer DC – and the resulting exhibition, A Litany for Survival, opens July 26, 2025 at Transformer Gallery.

Now in its 22nd year, Transformer’s Exercises for Emerging Artists is a landmark mentorship program designed to support DC-based emerging artists at pivotal moments in their creative and professional development. Each year focuses on a different discipline, and for 2025, the spotlight is on glass as a medium for social justice.

E22: Glass for Social Justice brings together four powerful voices in the DMV art scene — Arden Colley, C.S. Corbin, Tina Villadolid, and Nilou Kazemzadeh — for an intensive four-month residency of glassmaking and critique sessions, hosted here at the Washington Glass School. Under the lead mentorship of WGS co-founder Tim Tate, the participating artists explored deep relief dry plaster casting techniques in glass — a kiln-forming process that allows for nuanced, sculptural impressions rich in symbolism and narrative.

The exhibition’s title, A Litany for Survival, is drawn from the celebrated poem by Audre Lorde and sets the tone for the work on view: pieces that disrupt dominant narratives, honor resilience, and speak to the layered complexities of identity, memory, and activism. As the artists write in a shared statement:

“Translucent, metamorphic, solid yet fragile, glass speaks to the fluidity and complexity of our self-determination… So it is better to speak / remembering / we were never meant to survive.”

This year’s program was coordinated by Camille DeSanto, Exhibitions & Programs Coordinator at Transformer, with guest mentorship from an exceptional group of artists and curators including Therman Statom, Diana Baird N’Diaye, Cheryl Derricotte, Joyce Scott, Jabari Owens-Bailey, Jennifer Scanlan, and Geoffrey Bowton.

Founded in 2001, the Washington Glass School continues to champion community-based glass education, expanding the boundaries of what glass art can be. Said Tate: “I have learned that glass can shatter silence, that castings can hold history, and that the hands that make are also hands that heal. This knowledge rewired my spirit — I began to see my art as a tool, not just for expression, but for disruption, truth, and change.” We are honored to collaborate with Transformer to help shape the next generation of artists pushing the medium forward.

Exhibition Details:

A Litany for Survival
Part of Transformer’s E22: Glass for Social Justice
🗓 July 26 – September 6, 2025
📍Transformer Gallery, 1404 P Street NW, Washington, DC

Don’t miss this powerful and timely exhibition. Visit transformerdc.org for more info.

Posted in cast glass, Tim Tate, washington glass school | Tagged , ,

Washington Glass School Artists Shine in Contemporary Art Exhibits

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The Washington Glass School is thrilled to celebrate the achievements of two of our talented resident artists, April Shelford and Kate Barfield, whose works have been selected for prestigious contemporary art exhibitions. Their unique glass artworks showcase the innovative spirit and technical mastery that define our studio’s creative community.

Artist: Kate Barfield; “Tribute to Ms. Mailou Jones”, Fused Glass, steel, wood; Photo Credit: Pete Duvall

Kate Barfield’s Vibrant Works at “The Power of Color” Exhibition

Kate Barfield’s captivating glass pieces, Tribute to Ms. Lois Mailou Jones and Rejoice Wind Up Bird, have been selected for the upcoming The Power of Color exhibition, sponsored by MD Fine Arts at the Circle Gallery in Annapolis, Maryland. This show highlights the dynamic use of color in contemporary art, and Kate’s work perfectly embodies this theme. Her piece Tribute to Ms. Lois Mailou Jones pays homage to the renowned Black DC painter, capturing the angular shapes, curves, and vibrant “POW!” of color that defined Jones’ work. Rejoice Wind Up Bird further showcases Kate’s ability to infuse glass with narrative depth and vivid expression. We invite you to visit the Circle Gallery to experience these stunning works in person and see how Kate’s artistry transforms glass into a powerful storytelling medium.  MFA’S Circle Gallery from July 30th – August 23rd, 2025

Artist: April Shelford; “To Monet”, Fused Glass; Photo Credit: Pete Duvall 

April Shelford’s To Monet in “A Sense of Place” Online Exhibition

April Shelford’s evocative piece To Monet has been selected for the A Sense of Place online exhibition, launched on July 7, 2025, by the Contemporary Glass Society (CGS), the UK’s foremost organization supporting glass artists. This global celebration of glass art features 77 international artists, each exploring how glass captures personal and cultural connections to place. April’s To Monet reflects her signature focus on color and pattern, inspired by her meticulous attention to detail and questing curiosity. Her fused glass work, reminiscent of the historian’s craft, assembles diverse elements into a cohesive and meaningful whole, evoking a profound sense of place. This online exhibition offers a unique opportunity to explore April’s work alongside other visionary glass artists from around the world. Visit the CGS website to immerse yourself in this remarkable showcase.

Celebrating Our Artists’ Vision and Craft

Both Kate and April exemplify the Washington Glass School’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of glass as a medium for contemporary art. Their selections for these prestigious exhibitions highlight their individual talents and the vibrant creative energy fostered at our studio. We are incredibly proud of their contributions to the global glass art community and invite you to join us in celebrating their achievements.

Stay tuned for more updates on our artists’ exhibitions and events, and visit the Washington Glass School to discover the transformative power of glass art!

Posted in april shelford, kate barfield | Tagged , ,

FACE TO FACE: The Language of Faces

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Dean Allison cast glass, Michael Janis sgraffito glass artwork

Join the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass (AACG) on Friday, July 11, at 1pm Eastern time when they present Face to Face: The Language of Faces & Figurative Work. Aaron Schey of Habatat Galleries will facilitate a discussion about faces in work and figurative work with artists Dean Allison and Michael Janis. The program will include a presentation by each artist, followed by an in-depth question & answer session with the artists discussing their work and how the public responds to faces and figurative work versus abstract art.

Through glass powder portraits and cast glass sculpture, we explore how faces reveal what we hide and reflect who we truly are. Fired. Fractured. Fused. Every face tells a story.

🗓️ Friday, July 11, 2025 at 1PM Eastern time

Join the AACG to register for the talk: https://contempglass.org/membership/join-now

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