Author Archives: Michael Janis

Craft Will Save The World: Renwick Gallery’s 40 Under 40

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Stephanie Liner, Momentos of a Doomed Construct (installation detail), 2012, plywood, foam, Dacron, cotton, adhesive, live model

The Smithsonian Renwick Gallery’s Craft Futures: 40 Under 40 exhibit has just opened this week (on exhibit now thru February 3, 2013), and it is a must-see show! Nicholas Bell, the Curator of American Craft organized the exhibition which features forty artists born since 1972 – the year the Smithsonian established the Renwick Gallery. Evolving notions of craft within traditional media such as ceramics and glass, as well as in fields such as industrial design, installation art, fashion design, and mathematics are explored.

General view of gallery space – Artwork in foreground: Marc Maiorana, Renwick Gate, 2011, iron

Artwork in the exhibition was created since Sept. 11, 2001 and this new work reflects the changed world that exists today, one which poses new challenges and considerations for artists. Nicholas Bell talked about the work and the selection process at a noon lecture on Friday, July 20, outlining some concepts that included  underlying themes that could be seen within the works – including postmodernism, environmental and economic issues, and how the explosion in craft is based on a desire by artisans to try and fix the world via the process of creation. There was also mention of a topic at Nicolas’ talk that I want to investigate more: the ‘sloppy craft movement’ (!) – but that is for a later blog posting.

Some of the standout works seen at the opening nite include:

Stephanie Liner, Momentos of a Doomed Construct (installation detail), 2012, plywood, foam, Dacron, cotton, adhesive, live model.

Stephanie combines clothing and furniture forms into Fabergé egg-like armatures that are as fascinating as they are unnerving. It’s a rare opportunity to see them as they’re intended, with living, breathing (beautiful) woman inside of the bubble, gazing back at you.

Andy Paiko, Spinning Wheel, 2007, blown glass, cocobolo, steel, brass, leather

Great to see Matt Szösz and his inflated fused glass. Matt was recently awarded the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Grant. 

Korean born Bohyun Yoondescribes his work titled “Glass Tube”.
Opening nights are about networking. Above left image in center: Chris Rifkin, Fuller Craft Museum’s board chairman and Right rear image: Perry Price, Director of Education at American Craft Council.

Cristina Córdova, Dulce, 2011, ceramic, paper
Mia Pearlman’s paper works dominate one of the gallery spaces with massive installations and a video.

Olek, Knitting is for Pussies,2005-2011, mixed media, 100% acrylic yarn, live models
Detail from Olek’s ‘Knitting is For Pussies’ installation and of ‘yarn-bombed’ tricycle parked in front of Renwick Museum on Opening Nite.
The opening night gala was a spectacular event – very much with a retro art-happening vibe.

The fun, audacity, interesting & provoking attitudes of the show make it a winner and it should be added to one’s list of gallery/museum to-do lists for Washington, DC this year. Click HERE to jump to the Smithsonian Renwick Gallery website.

Posted in 40 under 40, american craft, craft futures, DC, matthew szosz, nicolas bell, renwick gallery, smithsonian

Time Machine – back to 2007!

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Using the power of Peabody‘s Wayback Machine, we can have a look in at what happened at Washington Glass School before there was a blog. 

CamOcağı 

In August of 2007, Tim Tate and I went off to Istanbul, Turkey for teaching stint at the international glass school – “The Glass Furnace” – (Cam Ocağı in Turkish). The facility is located in Öğümce’de Beykoz – out in the countryside, working from the Riva Glass Furnace on the banks of the Cyagiz Deregi, near the Black Sea. 
Also teaching there during the same session was Richard Jolley, who was teaching a glass blowing course. Although located a few hours from Istanbul’s city center, we went into town at every opportunity – and we were able to hit some of the cultural spots.

Tim Tate and Richard Jolley at the Blue Mosque

The school’s mission includes the interaction that would be established between the Turkish and foreign students at the camp, and the students from our class was multi-national with students from Greece, Armenia, Australia, Turkey, and the USA. The class was designed to be a mix of kiln casting in dry plaster, as well as working with my scraffito technique. Five years later, we look back at the adventure on the Bosphorus.

Artist Eirini Matinopoulou works in the kilns.
Eirini and her brother Adam Matinopoulou, Sertac Alpaslan, Tommie Rush and Ipek Kosova chill at the agora.
English, while the official language for the school was not always the option. We had to learn some handy Armenian phrases for the class. “Me Ara” was constantly exclaimed.
We were often able to have dinner along the river .
Turkish glass and mosaic artist Oguzhan Tugral (Oz) and his family visit. Oz had taken Tim and I around Istanbul and introduced us to renown Turkish painter, architect and miniaturist Nusret Çolpan, where we visited his studio in the city.
Turkish artist Nusret Çolpan came to The Glass Factory to see if he was able to work his artwork in glass.
While transiting the River Riva, little fish jumped into the boat to join the gang.

Semrin Korkmaz shows Tim Tate and me the sights of Istanbul.

Looking out from within the Hagia Sophia towards the Süleymaniye Mosque. 

For more photos – click HERE to jump to the Flicker set of photos from ‘back in the day, including shots from the Istanbul student show taken at the end of the course!

Posted in cam ocagi, istanbul, richard jolley, the glass furnace

Craft Futures 40 Under 40 at Smithsonian Renwick

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40 under 40:Craft Futures features forty artists born since 1972, the year the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s contemporary craft and decorative arts program was established at its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery. 

Opening July 20, 2012, the exhibition investigates evolving notions of craft within traditional media such as ceramics and metalwork, as well as in fields as varied as sculpture, industrial design, installation art, fashion design, sustainable manufacturing, and mathematics. The range of disciplines represented illustrates new avenues for the handmade in contemporary culture.

Matthew Szösz, b. 1974

All of the artworks selected for display in the exhibition were created since Sept. 11, 2001. This new work reflects the changed world that exists today, which poses new challenges and considerations for artists. These 40 artists are united by philosophies for living differently in modern society with an emphasis on sustainability, a return to valuing the hand-made and what it means to live in a state of persistent conflict and unease.

Nicholas R. Bell, The Fleur and Charles Bresler Curator of American Craft and Decorative Art at the Renwick Gallery, organized the exhibition. The museum hopes to acquire works by every artist featured in the exhibition to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the Renwick Gallery. 

Matthew Szosz Untitled (Inflatable no.46p)
Matthew demo’d his technique at the Washington Glass School – click HERE to jump to description and video.

Click HERE to jump to the list of the youngsters in the show.

40 under 40: Craft Futures July 20, 2012 – February 3, 2013
1st floor, Renwick Gallery (Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street N.W.) Washington, DC


Posted in 40 under 40, american craft, C Matthew Szosz, craft futures, fleur bresler, matthew szosz, nicholas bell, renwick gallery, smithsonian

JRA Announces "Masters Of Medium"

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 The James Renwick Alliance has announced the winners of their “Master of the Medium” award for 2013. The Masters of the Medium award recognizes artists of consummate craftsmanship who have contributed to and influenced their chosen fields. The Masters of the Medium awards were initiated in 1997 on the occasion of the fifteenth anniversary of the James Renwick Alliance and the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Renwick Gallery. The Masters of the Medium Awards are given biennially in odd numbered years. 
The 2013 winners are:

Glass– Paul Stankard

Paul J. Stankard “integrates mysticism with botanical realism giving the glass organic credibility”.  His work celebrates the beauty of nature on an intimate level.  His work is in 38 museum collections, five books and documentaries are published about his work, has been shown in too many exhibitions to count.  He has helped advance flame working by teaching at seven master classes, including in Japan and Scotland.  He supports the Creative Glass Center of America as a board member since its founding in 1983 and as president for three years.

Jewelry/Metal – Bruce Metcalf

“Jewelry is interesting because it is one of the last portable art forms.  Carried on the body, jewelry intrudes into public space at the same time it represents the persona of the wearer.  The more unusual the ornament, the more disturbing the intrusion, and the more radical the representation.  Wearing my jewelry requires either a great sense of adventure, or a total disregard for potential ostracism.” – Excerpt from Artist Statement, 1991



Wood – William Hunter

William Hunter masterfully turns and disc cuts wood to create precise and polished spirals and helixes which open up the vessel with contrast between inside and outside, shadow and light, matter and empty space. He  rewards us with unique and innovative vessels and sculptural forms.  His work is in 23 museum collections, featured in 28 books of sculpture and woodturning, and has been shown in over 60 exhibitions. 

Fiber – Mary Giles

Mary Giles resides in St. Croix, Minnesota.  In the early 1980’s she participated in shows with other influential basket artists. She creates mixed – media coiled baskets that are very sculptural in nature. Her choice of fine waxed linen and metal attached shapes go far beyond the traditional basket. The forms take on a surprise element. She says this about her work, “Today, I am very concerned about the environment and try to capture the forms, textures and light found in nature.”

Clay – Adrian Saxe

Adrian Saxe, a Guggenheim Fellowship recipient, has been named, “the most significant ceramic artist of his generation” by L.A.critic, Chris Knight.  A California artist and influential teacher for more than 30 years – another critic sums up his work thus,” Saxe is a virtuoso…spectacularly skilled”.  His ornate, and humorous vessels make reference to traditional vessels and become objects of rare originality and beauty at the same time.  

The winners will receive their awards during Spring Craft Weekend, April 5 to 7, 2013.

Posted in james renwick alliance, JRA, masters of medium, spring craft weekend

Emotional Leak

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The UK has some great glass artists – ones that are moving narrative or content driven glass forward. Erin Dickson and Jeffrey Sarmiento are two such artists, and they had collaborated on this work titled “Emotional Leak”. Both artists work out of England’s University of Sunderland, and with access to waterjet cutters, have exploited that resource to their artistic end. From Erin’s artist statement: “my works takes on…the intersection of glass and architecture. As an architect by training, and more recently a glass designer, I use my own experience to evaluate how glass can be manipulated to suit both intentions. When glass is used in architecture, it is too often viewed as a separate component passed to glass ‘specialists’ or artists for manipulation, it is allowed to become a dissected part of the building. My aim is to remove glass from being just a ‘window’ and enable it to become an architectural design element of its own. My work looks at non-traditional methods of using space and light, using glass to manipulate a viewer’s experience of place.”

 Dickson/Sarmeinto, Emotional Leak, 2011: waterjet cut glass with steel and rubber base about 9.5 x 4 x 4 ft 
Below is a video of the construction of Emotional Leak – 

Emotional Leak Construction from Sarmiento Glass on Vimeo.

Posted in architecture, content driven glass, erin dickson, jeffrey sarmiento, narrative glass, uk, university of sunderland, waterjet cut fused glass

In The Studio, Casting Some Flowers

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Gaffer Glass Crystal casting billets being set out for  kiln firing into lost wax molds.

It is great to see Robert Kincheloe working from the Washington Glass Studio, making some lost wax components. Here are some photos of Rob at work, creating many little flowers in the lost wax process.

Rob makes new elements by pouring melted wax into the silicone rubber  forms and letting the was set.
After the wax sets up, Rob pours a plaster/silica mix around and after the plaster hardens, he melts out the wax. The forms are then cleaned and glass is placed into the reservoir and are shown here inside the kiln, awaiting their fate once the kiln heats up.
Rob recounts his adventures & triumphs at Artomatic.

Posted in gaffer glass, lost wax process

New Technologies In Glass

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Vanessa Cutler’s new book: New Technologies in Glass is a vital text for any glass artist wishing to expand their toolkit and challenge the possibilities of the medium

The world of the glass artist is changing. Emerging technology for the cutting, engraving, and printing of glass is opening doors for those who want to work more quickly, more accurately, at larger scales and in multiples, and is stretching the boundaries of innovation.


The Washington Glass School was first introduced to Vanessa Cutler’s waterjet glass artwork in the groundbreaking “Glass 3” exhibit held in Georgetown in 2008 with artists from the UK, Washington, DC and Toledo, OH. The art critic of DCist wrote of her work “Some of the artists are actually experts in glass theory with Ph.Ds and have developed techniques that not only create beautiful art, but have revolutionized architecture and other uses for the medium. Vanessa Cutler is one of those artists. She uses waterjet technology to create pitch-perfect cuts and holes in glass.”

Dr Vanessa Cutler is a Research Co-ordinator at the Welsh School of Architectural Glass, Swansea Metropolitan University, as well as a lecturer, craftsman, designer, consultant, recognised glass artist and authority on waterjet cutting of glass, and she has presented papers in Europe, UKand Americaon creative applications of using such technology for the creative and industrial sector. 

Spinal Wave – Waterjet cut & kiln-formed float glass 
Detail – Spinal Wave

Dr Cutler’s new book  “New Technologies in Glass” is now out . Using straightforward language, she introduces the digital tools that are becoming an essential part of an artist’s toolkit, and describes the application of new technologies, from cutting and engraving machinery to rapid prototyping.

Dr Cutler loves glass. Here she smooches with her work exhibited at Chicago SOFA’s  BIGG (Breakthru  Ideas in Global Glass), 2009.

Vanessa trained in Architectural Stained Glass at the UK’s Swansea Institute and completed a Masters at University of Wolverhampton, before setting set up a studio undertaking a variety of commissions ranging from church restoration to contemporary interiors. In 2000 she moved to Sunderland, Englandto undertake research looking at creative uses of waterjet cutting. Vanessa was until recently an architectural glass artist living and working in, the North East employed as a Research Fellow at the University of Sunderland, completing her PhD in 2006. She now lectures at Swansea School of Architectural Glass, Swansea Metropolitan University, Swansea Wales.

Click HERE to jump to the publisher info about the book.

Posted in bigg, emerging technology, glass three, new technologies in glass, vanessa cutler

Magically Suspicious Opens @ School 33 Art Center

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Robert Kincheloe’s interactive sculpture “Aether – The Magical Element” has motion sensors that activate various components integrated into the different pieces. 

Our imaginations question what we see with our eyes, and in turn, our eyes question what we think we perceive. We want to be deceived. We time travel through life, drifting in a vast sea of information and distractions, searching for the spectacular, the mysterious, and the hidden. 


Baltimore’s School 33 Art Center presents “Magically Suspicious,” a group exhibition curated by Adam Lister on Friday, June 8 through Saturday, August 18, 2012, designed to confound and amaze.

Detail of “Wind” – the sensors start up fans within the piece and blow out at the viewer.

The exhibit features artwork, such as drawings, paintings, photography, installation and sculptures that draws connections between process-based art, abstraction, and the desire to explore the curious and the unknown. Robert Kincheloe’s newest interactive mixed media sculpture is a standout. His torchworked glass interactive sculptures invite investigation. 

Exhibiting artists include John M. Adams, Amy Boone Mccreesh, Remmi Brant, Mei Mei Chang, Bobby Coleman, Bonnie Crawford Kotula, Jamin, Robert Kincheloe, Adam Lister, Greg Minah, Marilyn Minter, Stephanie Rivers, Phillip Scarpone and Willie Wayne Smith. 

Detail of Robert Kincheloe’s “Fire” plasma charged torchworked glass sculpture – put your  hand to the glass and watch the charge move towards your fingertips.

Magically Suspicious
Opening reception  Saturday, July 7, 2012 from 3pm to 6pm. 
School 33 Art Center, a facility managed by the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts, 
1427 Light Street, Baltimore, MD.
Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 6pm.

Posted in adam lister, Baltimore, interactive, plasma, robert kincheloe, sculpture

Recruiting for PhD in Glass and Ceramics

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Prof Petrie outlines the benefits of advanced degrees in the arts offered by the University of Sunderland.

Kevin Petrie, Leader of the UK University of Sunderland’s Glass & Ceramics program is in the US this week for the Toledo GAS Conference, popped into the Glass School for a quick visit. Kevin met with Washington Glass School instructors and artists, talking about the UK’s “Distance Education program”.  Kevin’s mission from the University is to get more PhD glass artists out there, and he will be talking at the Conference’s Tech Booth #17.

Erwin Timmers talks of sustainable design in glass to Prof Petrie.
Erwin talks of his process to create his colorful forms.

Posted in glass and ceramic, kevin petrie, mfa, PhD Glass, university of sunderland

"Elements of 21st Century Reliquaries" Sculpture Class

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A reliquary is a receptacle for keeping and displaying sacred objects (relics). In Victorian times, bell jars (cylindrical glass vessels with a rounded top and an open base) were used to protect and display fragile objects.

The artwork reliquaries of ceramic sculptor Novie Trump and mixed media sculptor Tim Tate are filled with meaning, symbolism, and are powerfully evocative. Both artists work seem inspired by an almost obsessive sense of remembrance.

One might ask: How do they make such introspective & complex works – and more importantly, how are their processes applicable for other artists looking to reference our need to create spaces for the things we hold dear?

The two DC area superstar sculptors have teamed up to teach a special sculpture class – Elements of 21st Century Reliquaries.

Novie draws on her archeology training as she creates ceramic houses, books, birds, boats and reliquaries, many that look as though they might have been unearthed on an archeological dig. She explores ideas of nest/hive/home over and over in the work. 

“…I often use archetypal symbols taken from ancient myths and tales. These iconic images take many forms: the bird as harbinger and messenger, bones as touchstones of quiet power, the forest as a threshold to the unknown. These symbols are used to express such universal human experiences as love, loss, fear, death, courage and transformation.” Novie Trump


Mixed media/video artist Tim Tate uses blown glass jars to capture universal emotions and experiences with haunting video reliquaries that push the boundaries between fine art and fine craft. Tim’s sculptures ask you to surrender your guarded self and feel the range of emotions that they provoke.

“Revelation — and in some cases self-revelation, is the underlying theme of my electronic reliquaries. But the important revelations here are in the viewer’s response to my hybrid art form and its conceptual nature.  I try to bare everything — the guts of my materials and my inner thoughts — in deceptively simple narrative videos set into specimen jars. These works are phylacteries of sorts, the transparent reliquaries in which bits of saints’ bones or hair — relics — are displayed. In many cultures and religions, relics are believed to have magical or spiritual powers, especially for healing. My relics are temporal, sounds and moving images formally enshrined, encapsulating experiences like cultural specimens. And perhaps, to the contemporary soul, they are no less reliquaries than those containing the bones of a saint.” Tim Tate

Class 1304 – Elements of 21st Century Reliquaries

Reliquaries with internal healing objects have been important cultural objects for centuries. They have been made with a wide variety of materials. But what makes a reliquary in the 21st century? What elements can go inside? Which materials seem most appropriate in modern times? In this class we will utilize clay and glass to explore current concepts in reliquary forms. This class will be split between a clay and kiln cast glass studio, allowing each participant the use of both materials and many techniques. There will be a wine and cheese reception at the end of this workshop to allow friends to see the work in a professional setting.

Instructor Tim Tate, Novie Trump
Dates Sat/Suns in July/Aug (July 14,15,21,22,28,Aug 4,11)
Time 1pm to 5pm
$600

Interested? Click HERE to jump to the Washington Glass School online schedule.


Novie Trump is a sculptor whose work is in public and private collections throughout the United States and Europe. Her ceramic sculpture has been selected for juried and invitational exhibitions and has been featured in books and publications. She is the founder and director of Flux Studios, a studio in Mount Rainier, MD 



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 the recipient of the 2009 Virginia Groot Foundation award for sculpture. He is a 2012 Fulbright Scholar recipient and was Artist-In-Residence at the Institute for International Glass Research (IIRG) in the UK.

Posted in 21st century sculpture, dc art class, novie trump, reliquary, Tim Tate, washington glass school