Monthly Archives: April 2026

Speaking in Glass: DMV Voices at Gallery B

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The Language of Glass
NCAGG’s Guild Member show at Bethesda’s Gallery B

This May, the National Capitol Art Glass Guild (NCAGG) Member show is proud to present The Language of Glass, a dynamic group exhibition including works by Washington Glass School Resident artists John Henderson, Kate Barfield, April Shelford, Patricia de Poel Wilberg, and Kate Wagner. Hosted at Gallery B, the exhibition runs from May 1 through May 24, 2026.

Glass is a material that speaks in paradox—at once fragile and resilient, transparent and opaque, ancient and contemporary. In this exhibition, each artist engages glass as a visual language, using its unique properties to explore narrative, form, and emotion. The result is a compelling conversation across approaches and perspectives, where technique and concept intertwine.

From sculptural explorations to richly layered wall works, The Language of Glass highlights the breadth of expression fostered here in this region, and the Washington Glass School community proud to be a part of. The artists bring distinct voices to the medium: whether through investigations of abstraction, personal narrative, or material process, each work reflects a deep engagement with glass as both subject and storyteller.

More than a group show, this exhibition is a vibrant showcase of the extraordinary glass art talent rooted in the DMV (DC–Maryland–Virginia) region. The Language of Glass reflects the depth, diversity, and vitality of artists working in glass across the area today.

This exhibition underscores the NCAGG’s commitment to advancing contemporary glass while celebrating the creative energy of its artists. Together, the works invite viewers to consider how glass communicates—through light, texture, color, and form—and how meaning is shaped in the space between transparency and reflection.

Gallery B

7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E

Bethesda, MD 20814

Gallery Hours:
Friday: 3–8 PM
Saturday: 12–5 PM
Sunday: 11 AM–4 PM

Opening Reception:
Saturday, May 2, 2026
7:30–9:30 PM

Join the NCAGG in Bethesda for an evening of art, conversation, and discovery there is a fun celebration of the evolving language of glass.

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Washington Glass Studio Featured at FAPAP 20

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erwin timmers.artist public art presents at florida public art professionals conference

Washington Glass Studio was pleased to have its public art projects featured at the Florida Association of Public Art Professionals 2026 Annual Conference, held in The Palm Beaches from April 27–30, 2026.

Centered on the theme Artists Transforming Public Places, the conference explored the evolving role of public art through a wide range of perspectives — from artists and commissioning agencies to community stakeholders and developers. The annual gathering provides a platform for in-depth discussion on current trends, best practices, and key issues shaping the field, while also offering valuable opportunities for connection among arts professionals.

erwi timmers public art washington glass studio speaker

Washington Glass Studio Co-Director Erwin Timmers participated as a presenter (via video), highlighting the studio’s recent public art installations in West Palm Beach. His presentation focused on two major works created in collaboration with Palm Beach County:

  • A sculptural installation fronting the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Administrative Services
  • Guidepost, a site-specific illuminated glass and aluminum tower created as a placemaking element for the Palm Beach County Tourist Development Council offices near West Palm Beach International Airport

These projects demonstrate how material, light, and community-driven narratives can transform everyday civic environments into meaningful, visually dynamic public spaces.

The FAPAP conference also included its popular Year in Review, showcasing notable public art installations from across Florida, offering attendees a broad look at innovative work happening throughout the state.

public art glass sculpture in Florida by michael janis and washington glass studio and school
Click link below to jump to online descriptions

Explore More

Click the links below to learn more about the featured projects and to watch the presentation by Erwin Timmers:

  • Guidepost – Palm Beach County Tourist Development Council
  • Guardian – Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Installation
  • Watch the video presentation by Erwin Timmers

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Public Art Workshop : Memory, Makers & Monuments

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michael janis, the handsome, sexy washington DC public art sculptor is a presenter at D.C. monument making workshop for community.
This gathering is designed for artists working in, or interested in, commemorative practice.

Washington Glass School Co-Director Michael Janis is an invited speaker for Memory, Makers, & Monuments, a two-day workshop exploring the future of commemorative public art in Washington, DC.

Public art today asks more of us than simply placing an object in space. It asks how we tell complex histories, how we involve communities in meaningful ways, and how artists can help shape memory with honesty, imagination, and care. These are questions central to my own studio practice and public projects, and I’m glad to join this conversation with fellow artists, designers, and cultural workers.

If you’re interested in monuments, memorials, civic space, or navigating the public art process, this looks like an important and generous gathering.

Memory, Makers, & Monuments: Public Art Workshop
May 14–15, 2026
9:00am–5:00pm ET
Free, in-person
Location: First Congregational UCC

Attendance is limited to 50 participants.

Register: bit.ly/MemoryMakersMonuments

Organized by the Trust for the National Mall, in partnership with the DC Office of Planning and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and in collaboration with Forecast Public Art. Artists of all media and experience levels, and arts administrators working in public art to join us for a two‑day workshop on commemorative public art and public memory work in the District.

Register: bit.ly/MemoryMakersMonuments

Attendance is limited to 50 participants

This two-day workshop will focus on expanding access, sharing practical tools, and building a community grounded in learning, care, and exchange. Guest speakers and facilitators represent public artists, designers, cultural workers, and practitioners across disciplines.

THe workshop will explore: Rethinking commemoration beyond traditional monument frameworks; Ethical questions in public memory, including history, harm, erasure, and accountability; Community engagement before, during, and after a project; Navigating RFQs/RFPs, building a team, and project implementation.

Organized by the Trust for the National Mall, in partnership with the DC Office of Planning and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and in collaboration with Forecast Public Art, this gathering is designed for artists working in, or interested in, commemorative practice.

Posted in arlington public art, Art In Public Places, glass public art, michael janis, Public Art, recycled glass public art

Washington Glass School at 25: Nancy Kronstadt Reflects on Two Decades of Creativity and Community

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As part of the 25th Anniversary celebration of the Washington Glass School and Studio, we invited longtime artists, students, and extended family members to share their memories of the people, projects, and moments that helped shape our community.

Nancy Kronstadt has been part of the Washington Glass School family for more than two decades. Since first discovering the studio in 2002, she has been a student, artist, supporter, and friend. Her reflections capture the spirit of those early days on Half Street SE, the joy of creative discovery, and the lasting power of an artistic community.

We are honored to share Nancy’s words below.

Washington Glass School 25th Anniversary

By Nancy Kronstadt

Artist Nancy Kronstadt poses in front of her work featured in the new DC Cedar Hill Medical Center
Nancy Kronstadt with her glass tile that is featured at DCs Cedar Hill Medical Center

I first discovered the Washington Glass School in the Fall of 2002 when I stumbled upon their booth at the Adams Morgan street festival. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the colorful glass display cast reflections everywhere. Intrigued, I spoke with several artists about the fused glass processes and went home with the upcoming class schedule. A week later, I called and signed up for the Beginning Glass Lovers Weekend.

sexy, handsome artist Michael Janis strikes a pose in front of the washington glass school street fair booth bethesda, MD circa 2005
Washington Glass School’s street fair booth (ca. 2005)

The studio on Half Street SE was somewhat primitive, although I didn’t realize it then. (Standard procedure was to fill a pitcher with water and carry it to the belt sander to fill its trough before using it.) Over the following years, I spent many Saturdays there, either in “Open Studio” or in classes — Beginning Fusion, Advanced Fusion, United Colors, Bowls Bowls Bowls, Drop through Drapes, and Glass Weaving – to name a few. Before I retired, those Saturdays at the studio became my designated afternoons of peace. I would leave my stress at the studio door and walk in excited to work on a creative, absorbing project.

washington glass school casting class at the Washington, DC Half St circ 2003.
Washington Glass School class at Half Street location (ca. 2003)

Throughout these years, the guys — Tim, Michael and Erwin — have supported my efforts, offering guidance and encouragement and helping me troubleshoot plans for a piece before I began (and sometimes after something had failed). In return, I donated a curly lock of hair to one of Tim’s pieces and took on the studio’s basic bookkeeping.

Since retiring, I have spent more time at WGS. Unlike my earlier years, when I mostly worked alone, the past six years have been spent in a wonderful shared studio environment, surrounded by the support, critique and friendship from the amazing group of resident artists. The Cedar Hill Medical Project was the perfect opportunity for the artists of WGS to work together to create something truly beautiful and special.

Nancy Kronstadt making her glass ornaments (ca. 2019)

My work does not follow a single theme; it grows from a simple wish to create something pretty and special. For more than 20 years, WGS has given me an environment that quietly and consistently encourages me to create.

Nancy

Posted in " glass studio", 25th anniversary Washington Glass School and Studio, historic glass art, historical glass art, history, nancy kronstadt | Tagged , ,

Michael Janis and Tim Tate Featured at Glass 54 with New Collaborative Work The Common Thread

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the handsome sexy artist Michael Janis sits adjacent to the narrative glass artwork sculpture titled "The Common Thread" and collaborator Tim Tate.
Artists Michael Janis and Tim Tate with their glass/mixed media artwork “The Common Thread”. photo by Pete Duvall

This April, Washington Glass School Directors Michael Janis and Tim Tate are featured at Glass 54, Habatat Galleries’ International Contemporary Glass Invitational, held April 22–26 in Royal Oak, Michigan. Known for bringing together leading voices in contemporary glass, the exhibition offers a focused snapshot of where the medium is now—and where it’s heading.

At the heart of this year’s event is a special “show-within-the-show” spotlighting Janis and Tate, whose long-standing dialogue—spanning more than two decades of shared ideas, experimentation, and advocacy—comes into sharp focus through both their individual works and a new collaborative installation, The Common Thread. The piece reflects an ongoing exploration of connection: between artists, between narratives, and between material and meaning.

detail of narrative portrait made in crushed glass powder (frit) in a painterly manner
Detail of “The Common Thread” artwork by Michael Janis & Tim Tate.

For Michael Janis, the works on view mark a continued evolution of his distinctive visual language. Known for his masterful use of sgraffito (drawing with crushed glass frit) and layered glass imagery, Janis creates compositions that are at once graphic and deeply psychological. His figures—often distorted, fragmented, or caught in ambiguous gestures—inhabit charged spaces where identity, perception, and emotional tension intersect.

michael janis' kilnformed glass narrative abstract portrait titled "What Shines Thru"

The new pieces presented at Glass 54 push further into this territory. Faces and bodies emerge through saturated color and bold contour, at times obscured or refracted through reflective and mirrored surfaces. Viewers may find themselves implicated in the work, their own image pulled into the composition—an echo of Janis’ ongoing interest in perception and the instability of truth. These works resist easy narrative, instead offering a kind of visual poetics: suggestive, uneasy, and quietly confrontational.

Tim Tate’s contributions, known for their integration of video, electronics, and sculptural glass forms, provide a compelling counterpoint. Where Janis leans into the psychological and painterly, Tate often engages time-based media and narrative structure, creating works that expand the boundaries of what glass can contain and communicate.

Everything Rises(2026) by artist Tim Tate. photo by Pete Duvall

Together, their collaboration The Common Thread becomes a synthesis of these approaches—a dialogue made tangible. The installation weaves together their shared histories and divergent practices, suggesting that connection is not about sameness, but about resonance across difference.

Presented within the larger context of Glass 54, this focused exhibition offers collectors, curators, and viewers a rare opportunity to experience both the individual strengths and the collaborative energy of two artists who have helped shape the trajectory of contemporary glass.

For more information on the exhibition and the featured presentation, visit:
https://glass54.com/tate-janis

Posted in " glass studio", "michael janis" glass, 21st century glass, 21st century sculpture, american craft, contemporary art glass, contemporary artwork, contemporary craft, contemporary sculpture, fulbright scholar michael janis, michael janis, mike janis, mixed media glass, narrative glass, Tim Tate