The key personnel for the Washington Glass Studio have many years of combined experience with glass, steel, sculpture, architecture, lighting and public art installation. This includes education, creating and collaborating on public and private art projects. Much of the expertise involving advancements in sculptural design and theory, technological improvements and installation procedures is continually refined and kept as state-of-the-art as the work is developed and shared between the two entities of the Washington Glass School and the Washington Glass Studio.
Management and Creative Team
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 award for sculpture. His work has been shown at the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Fuller Museum, the Asheville Art Museum and the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. He is a 2012 Fulbright Scholar recipient.
Erwin Timmers is Co-founder and Director of the Washington Glass School and one of the DC area’s leading ‘eco-artists’. Recycling, waste, the environment and how they relate to society are recurring themes in his work – and Erwin has developed a number of courses that integrate his environmental ethos into the classroom. Erwin is currently working with architects and designers on a number of “green” projects. His work in sustainable design can be seen in some of the large public art projects he has completed, including an award winning project for the EPA headquarters in Washington, DC, and the public artwork for a new LEED certified Safeway supermarket in Bethesda, MD. The Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (AHCMC) honored Erwin in 2018 with a County Executive’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts as “Outstanding Artist”.
Michael Janis developed a focus on kiln-glass after working for twenty years as an architect in the United States and Australia. Now Co-director and Director of Public Art and Architecture of the Washington Glass Studio, Michael brings his background in the built environment to the studio projects. He also has taught at the Penland School of Crafts, California’s Bay Area Glass Institute, and The Glass Furnace (Istanbul, Turkey). His work has been shown at major galleries and art fairs and is included in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. In 2011, Michael mounted a solo exhibition at the Fuller Craft Museum (Massachusetts). In 2012, was named a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Sunderland in the UK. He is a Resident Artist of the Institute of International for Research of Glass (IIRG). The James Renwick Alliance named Michael a “Distinguished Artist in Glass” and he has lectured about his work at the Smithsonian American Art Museum . In 2016, The DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities (DCCAH) awarded Michael Janis the 31st Annual Mayor’s Arts Award for “Excellence in the Arts”.The Mayor’s Arts Awards are the most prestigious honors conferred by the city on individual artists, teachers, nonprofit organizations, and patrons of the arts.
Jennifer Lindstrom holds a master’s degree in education from the University of Maryland – College Park. After working as an instructor at the Washington Glass School, she completed a woodworking concentration at the Penland School of Craft. Her elegant and disciplined aesthetic in glass was featured in the Washington Post’s Style Section. A College Park resident, she has also run in 7 marathons and served as president of the DC Rollergirls flat track roller derby league. Jennifer identifies as a biracial, gay woman, and transracial adoptee.