Washington Craft Show Panel Discussion

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As part of the Washington Craft Show, being held at the DC Convention Center November 19 – 21, 2010, Kelly Conway, the Chrysler Museum’s Curator of Glass, will be moderating a panel discussion titled “Fresh Perspectives and Paths in Glass“.

Join sculptors Matthew Fine, Charles Savoie and Tim Tate as they discuss topics that include: how they work to break the traditional rules and perceptions; how process informs their work; collaboration vs. solitary work; finding personal narrative expressed through their work and much more.

Fresh Perspectives and Paths in Glass

Friday, November 19, 2010 1:00 PM

Washington Convention Center
The lecture room is 204A – just around the corner from the Exhibition Hall.

At the Washington Craft Show, over 190 of the nation’s top craft artists will showcase new ways to consider objects for daily or special use, home décor, or what-to-wear—from hard-edged metals, silken ceramics and lustrous woods to ultra craft couture.

Click HERE to jump to the Craft Show Website.

Michael Janis in California

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Michael Janis discussing his work.

WGS’ Michael Janis will be jetting off to sunny California to teach at the Bay Area Glass Institute (BAGI). Michael received the 2010 Saxe Fellowship for his work in glass, and he will be teaching bas relief casting and imagery in glass workshops. Click HERE to jump to BAGI’s workshop listing on its website.

The Bay Area Glass Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Art Education facility founded in 1996 to make glass art accessible to all and provide continued artistic and educational growth to artists, patrons and the community. BAGI is funded in part by the City of San Jose’s Office of Cultural Affairs and the Arts Council Silicon Valley.

Daily Art Muse on Washington Glass School

>Susan Lomuto of the Daily Art Muse Blog writes about her first take on the Washington Glass School. To get an insider’s knowledge of how a glass studio and school runs, Susan will be interning at the Glass School, and she will be writing of her experiences in her blog.

Erwin Timmers checking on work in the kiln. Photo by Susan Lomuto.


From Susan’s blog:

There are many stories at Washington Glass Studio – stories of deep roots and new growth; of illness and family; of building the kind of community you want to live in; of healing and living large with love, hard work, humor, friendship and kindness. I am eager to return and share this vibrant community of artists with you – I promise you will be inspired.

Click HERE to jump to Daily Art Muse blog.

Allegra Marquart’s Narrative Glass

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Allegra Marquart
The Deer, Mouse, Crow & Turtle
kilncast and sand carved glass 18.5″ x18.5″

Since 1976 Allegra Marquart has been a professor at Maryland Institute College of Art teaching printmaking. Allegra’s imagery continues to gain in visual complexity. Her narrative glass panels started using fables that were familiar to those who know Aesop, La Fontaine and old English rhymes, but now her stories include ones written by Kipling, Edward Lear and ones handed down through generations of American Indians. If you ask Allegra what she does she might say that she makes people stand still, think and smile. Each of these stories are enhanced with a personal drawing style and processes Allegra loves for both making etchings on paper and in the fabrication of glass panels. Allegra’s work is full of invention, humor and pain.


Allegra Marquart
The Blue Jackal
kilncast and sand carved glass 18.5″ x18.5″


From Allegra’s artist statement:

“For the over a decade my etchings have grown from my observations of city life, human foibles and old fables. About 6 years ago I experienced a kind of epiphany. My images needed to be made of glass! The glass would act as a metaphor for the transparency, fragility, strength, permanence and reflective power in all the moments I was describing. I imagined these pictures in low relief made of glass that would refer to stone carvings on columns and friezes that people in ancient times used to describe their daily life.

Allegra Marquart
The Elephant’s Trunk
kilncast and sand carved glass 18.5″ x18.5″


So sure was I of this revelation that I went to work immediately. I began with sand blasting deeply into the glass to create my first body of work in this medium that was so new to me. A class at Pilchuck with Paul Marioni taught me how sand casting could give my images even greater physicality and drama. Work at The Corning Studio and The Washington Glass School (in DC) expanded my casting experience.

Allegra is part of the faculty at the Washington Glass School, and she creates the multi-colored glass panels in the studio’s large kilns. Firing color atop color, Allegra creates a basis on which to deep sand carve her visual narratives.

Below is a glimpse into the steps she uses in the creation of the fantastic panels:

Allegra spreads out crushed colored glass (coarse frit) on top of a glass panel that has already been fired with a different color.

Prepping the kiln for another long panel to be loaded for fusing.


After the panel is fired, annealed and cooled, Allegra covers the glass with a thick vinyl resist.

Allegra transfers and draws her imagery onto the resist, later cutting away the elements to be exposed to a deep sand blast session.


The panel is then carved with a force fed media (deep sand blasted) that cuts through the various color layers of glass.
Allegra will repeat the process on both the front and back of a panel, allowing the mix of light and color to work with her imagery.


The SOFA Chicago Art Expo will feature Allegra’s work at Maurine Littleton Gallery‘ space (#720).

Click HERE to jump to Allegra Marquart’s website.

Recycled Glass Art in Space City

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Eco artist Erwin Timmers just returned from spreading the word about fusing recycled glass into artwork at Houston, TX’ Hot Glass Houston studios.

The workshop was great fun, the class was enthusiastic and the facilities were first rate. Erwin said that he is looking forward to returning to H-Town (especially if its a cold winter).

Student working with recycled window glass.

Recycled glass after firing.

Washington Glass School Goes to SOFA Chicago

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SOFA Chicago at Navy Pier

S.O.F.A. Chicago 2010
Chicago’s historic Navy Pier is THE place to be for art from Nov. 5 – Sunday, Nov. 7, 2010. Chicago’s much-anticipated art fair, the 17th Annual International Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair: SOFA CHICAGO 2010 will feature 80 art galleries and dealers from 10 countries. It promises to be an exciting weekend of discovery and collecting for Chicago’s impassioned art audience and for the crowd of national and international attendees. WGS’ Michael Janis and Allegra Marquart will be featured at Maurine Littleton Gallery’s booth (#720), and Tim Tate will be have a major showcase with Marc Petrovic at Habatat Galleries’ space (#1200).

SOFA Chicago Navy Pier Festival Hall 600 E. Grand Ave., Chicago, IL 60611


Allegra Marquart The Fox and The Crow


Tim Tate The Seven Waking Dreams Of Man



Michael Janis Somewhere I Have Never Traveled (detail)

JRA Hosts "Media Day"

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The James Renwick Alliance is hosting an exciting new program series titled “Media Days”. The six craft media (metal, clay, wood, glass, fiber and jewelry) each have an in-depth educational experience consisting of a visit to four venues to learn about studio glass artists, collectors, a gallery and museum collections.

October 23 is Media Day: Glass

Event Led by: Tim Tate and David Montague.

The journey to discover glass on October 23 starts at the Washington Glass School. The day will continue with a discussion with Jerry and Gwen Paulson; following a ‘dutch treat’ lunch in Alexandria, VA at 1 p.m., participants will move to the Renwick Gallery to visit with glass collectors Paul and Elmerina Parkman. The day will conclude at the fabulous Maurine Littleton Gallery.

Cost: $25 ($15 voluntary contribution to the James Renwick Alliance).

Transportation to each venue is the responsibility of each participant.

RSVP by Thursday, October 21st, James Renwick Alliance

301.907.3888 or admin@jra.org

Bourgeon On Tim Tate

>The online arts magazine Bourgeon has a great article about Tim Tate and the Washington Glass School. The magazine article’s highlights include Tim’s achievements and plans for the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Washington Glass School and his thoughts about the tremendous changes that are remaking the art world landscape. Tim talks of how the artist’s career path has changed, and how he has succeeded – indeed thrives, within the current technological and social interactive changes going on.

“in the late 1980’s, the art world presented a hugely different terrain than it does today. In those days, there was one primary path. An emerging artist would try to be noticed by a local gallery, which, if the artist were lucky, would represent him/her in that geographic region. Ideally, one would find several different galleries in different regions, striving for a New York gallery one day. If a gallery had contacts with a museum curator, perhaps it could get them to notice your work. The art world was full of gate-keepers – gallerists, curators, writers –all dominated by a small number of very knowledgeable people who had their own stable of familiar and talented artists. It was very tough to be noticed from the outside.”
“Utilizing Facebook has been a big change, and a big ally, in my work. It started, as all good Facebook stories begin, with [a posting of] a video of a cat playing the piano. … 24 hours later, I was in a show at the Museum Of Art and Design in NYC called “Dead or Alive” with Damien Hirst and Nick Cave.”

For the full article
click HERE.