Author Archives: Michael Janis

Molly Ruppert Takes The Prize

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The Washington Project for the Arts (WPA) will name Molly Ruppert as this year’s “Alice Denney Award” for Support of Contemporary Art.

Molly Ruppert

As the director of the Warehouse, a longtime art space and theater in Mount Vernon Square, Molly has curated or juried many DC art shows over the years. Through the Warehouse Gallery, Molly has contributed much to the city. She has made strong connections in this community, and provided an arts center that has fostered an inspiring dialogue with and for contemporary emerging artists in the Nation’s Capital. The Warehouse Next Door has served as a venue for D.C. arts festivals ranging from FotoWeek to Sonic Circuits. Nowadays, the Warehouse acts primarily as a black-box theater and is home to The Passenger where Molly is co-owner with her son, Paul Ruppert.

The award will be announced on Sat, Feb 11, at the opening for Select, this year’s annual art auction. The Feb 11 opening is free and starts off at 6.00 PM.

The eighth-annual award is named after Alice Denney, a curator and founder of the Washington Project for the Arts.

The Washington Glass Studio is proud to have made the glass Alice Denney award for the WPA.

Mick Coughlan turns green under a uv light as he assembles and cold fuses the glass.

Posted in alice denney, molly ruppert, passenger, paul ruppert, select, warehouse, wpa

Melissa Stern KickStarter "Talking Cure"

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>Melissa Stern – the mixed media artist that had a residency at the Washington Glass School this past summer has a new project/exhibition that she is seeking support.

The proposed exhibition integrates mixed material sculpture, contemporary literature, and audio technology – titled the “Talking Cure,” . The exhibition is scheduled to open in Seattle in March and in New York City in 2013.

The project title, “The Talking Cure,” takes its name from Sigmund Freud’s original description of psychoanalysis. The exhibition will consist of ten of Melissa’s sculptures each accompanied by an interactive audio track created by a literary collaborator.

Says Melissa: “My sculptures will be fabricated figures combining mixed materials, found objects, deeply drawn surfaces, and an abundance of personality. Seeing and saying, thinking and talking, will cure all your problems!

I have asked ten writers- poets, novelists, screenwriters, and playwrights- to each chose a sculpture to which they relate most intimately. Each is writing his or her imagined monologue of the goings on in the sculpture’s mind. These will then be transformed into audio recordings. A QR tag will accompany each sculpture. When the viewer points a Smartphone, Blackberry or I-Phone reading device at the QR tag it will trigger audio to hear the inner voice of the sculpture.

I have long been fascinated by what goes on in people’s minds when they look at art. What stories do they tell themselves? What emotions and memories are triggered? My work has always been psychological in nature. In the past I have made shows that deal explicitly with memory, childhood and family. By definition these subjects have a strong psychological bent. I am as interested in what others think the pieces are “saying” as in what has motivated me to make them.

In this project we will have a chance to hear what others think goes on in the minds of my sculptural ‘people.‘”

Click HERE to jump to Melissa’s Kickstarter project description.

Kickstarter is an online threshold pledge system for funding creative projects.

Posted in kickstart, melissa stern

Washington Sculptors Group Lecture "The Changing Contemporary Art World"

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>Washington Sculptors Group
Talk with Tim Tate: Artist’s Covenants and Social Media
on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm

Limited to 35 participants, R.S.V.P. to programs@washingtonsculptors.org

The Washington Sculptors Group presents an informal interactive seminar/discussion with participants interested in new ways to market their art in the 21st century. Tim Tate, a sculptor extraordinaire and Fulbright Scholar, will share a wealth of his experience in building one’s name, market and career within the contemporary art world. Filled with real life examples and possibilities, this workshop may change the way participants see themselves as artists.


Click HERE to jump to East City Art blog for more info

Click here for directions:
http://g.co/maps/zakbg

The Washington Glass School is located at 3700 Otis Street, Mount Rainier, MD 20712. Visit online at http://washingtonglassschool.com/school/

Visit The Washington Sculptors Group online at www.washingtonsculptors.org or call (202) 686-8696

Posted in lecture series, Tim Tate, washington sculptors group, workshop

Ceramic Sutra at Baltimore Clayworks.

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This Saturday from 6-8 pm is the opening reception for the show “Ceramic Sutra” at Baltimore Clayworks.Ceramic superstar (and illustrious neighbor to Washington Glass School), Novie Trump, was invited to not only jury this gorgeous show of book- themed ceramic sculpture but to contribute work as well.


Artists from across the US submitted works that interpreted the book theme with wonderful imagination and creativity, making this a must-see show for 2012.


Baltimore Clayworks

5707 Smith Ave.

Baltimore, Maryland 21209
Phone: 410 578 1919

Gallery Hours: Mon–Sat, 10:00–5:00pm (Closed Sundays)

The gallery will be closed Monday, January 16 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day

For more info – click HERE

Posted in Baltimore, ceramic, clayworks, novie trump, sutra

"Our Small Rooms" at the Cafritz Arts Center Opens Tonite!

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Our Small Rooms

Michele Banks and Kendall Nordin

Two D.C. artists, Michele Banks and Kendall Nordin, focus on the delicacy and complexity of autonomic cellular processes: Banks through jewel-toned watercolors, and Nordin via a site-specific mixed-media installation.

January 12–March 9, 2012

Opening Reception: Thursday, February 9, 6–8 p.m.

Open Gallery

Cafritz Arts Center, Montgomery College

Hours: Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Location: The Open Gallery is on the ground floor of The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Arts Center located at 930 King Street on the west side of the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus. Parking is available in the West Garage, located immediately behind the center. For maps and directions, visit www.montgomerycollege.edu/maps.

For more information: Call 240-567-5821 or visit www.montgomerycollege.edu/arts-tpss/exhibitions

Posted in cafritz arts center, michele banks, montgomery college

Bert Weiss’ Master Painting on Glass Class

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Led by master glass artist Bert Weiss, this three-day glass painting technique class features multiple projects designed to give the student a better understanding of glass painting and its enormous potential in fused glass. Bert’s techniques allow you to use vibrant colors without worrying about glass compatibility. The course will show you how to mix metallic oxide colorants with glass and create oil paint like-washes.

This course is suitable for all levels of experience. Students do not need to bring anything, all the tools and materials are provided for the course – just wear suitable old clothes and sturdy shoes… oh, and bring a lunch!


Bert Weiss studied traditional glass painting with Albinus Elskus and has developed and improved his techniques for the past 40 years. Bring any questions you may have had about glass fusing; within 10 minutes Bert should be able to troubleshoot! Cut off sign-up date is Jan 30, 2012.

Class 1204 – Master Class: Painting On Glass with Bert Weiss
Instructor: Bert Weiss
Dates: President’s Day Weekend – February 18, 19 & 20th, 2012
Time: 10 am – 4pm each day
Tuition: $400
Click HERE to jump to the WGS class website page.

Posted in bert weiss, fun class, master painting, paint on glass

Looking for Glass Studio Space? Here ‘Tis!

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If you have always wanted a studio space to work on your kiln-formed glass, but didn’t have room where you live, or didn’t have a huge amount to invest in a giant glass studio…..then you might like the thought of becoming one of the studio artists here.

Your table/studio space runs $275 per month, and not only do you finally have a dedicated space for you to work in, but you also join a vibrant and successful community of glass artists and opportunities.

The Washington Glass School (near the Rhode Island/ Route 1 Eastern Ave border of the District of Columbia) is now accepting applications for incubator studio spaces (available immediately).

As a studio artist – besides being part of a community, you have access to the studio’s cold shop facility and kiln firings.

Interested? Give Tim Tate a call 202-744-8222!
Or email: washglassschool@aol.com

Washington Glass School
3700 Otis Street, Mount Rainier, MD
(202) 744-8222

Posted in artist studio space, incubator, studio artist, washington glass school

The Dream is Alive in Portland, OR

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Portland – where young people go to retire – as portrayed on IFC channel.
Click on image to jump to video segment.

Opening night of “Facture” exhibit at Bullseye Gallery, Portland, OR.

Opening night photos by Robert Wade.

I am doing a couple of blog postings from Portland, Oregon – the “City of Bridges” (aka City of Roses, Stumptown, PDX or Portlandia). In town for the Bullseye Gallery talk (at the BE Resource Center) – I have a chance to look around this groovy, funky town that has quickly become one of my fav cities.

Cool things about Portland:
Powells Books: I could have spent the entire weekend roaming the aisles of this place.


Powell’s Bookstore is addictive.

Good Food: Portland has interesting zoning in the downtown that allows street food truck vendors to flourish. Many of the downtown parking lots are fringed with an amazing assortment of high quality food trucks.


A Sense of Style: Portland has this in many ways – the city has a strong hipster vibe, similar to the hippie feel of Asheville, NC – and lampooned in the TV show Portlandia. It also has the art scene that includes a strong glass presence that Bullseye Factory and Gallery bring to the town. Bullseye Gallery opened the Facture show this past week, and held a panel discussion on Sunday. Below are some shots from the opening.

Photos from the opening of Facture by Robert Wade.

Click HERE to jump to one of the media mentions of the show.

Posted in bullseye gallery, portlandhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif, portlandia, powells

Erwin Timmers featured at Smithsonian Craft Show

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“Celebrating the Creative Spirit of America“


The magnificent National Building Museum is the setting for the Smithsonian Craft Show.

Widely regarded as the country’s most prestigious juried show and sale of fine American Craft, the 2012 Smithsonian Craft Show celebrates its 30th Anniversary. Ceramics, glass, embroidery, beadwork, leather, woodwork, furniture, mixed media… if it’s considered a craft, it will be represented among the 120 hand-picked artists. Eco-artist Erwin Timmers was selected to exhibit at this year’s show – one of the 120 from the field of 1300 artist applicants.


photo credits for Erwin Timmers glass rubberband sculptures: Pete Duvall/anythingphoto.net

Erwin Timmers has been working on some new sculptural forms made from cast recycled glass. His work is informed with both wit and beauty, and his glass artwork celebrates the richness of shape, texture and translucency of glass.

Be sure to see Erwin’s bold new colors and forms being created from recycled material – as featured in the Washington Post’s Magazine article that came out this summer. Click HERE to jump to the Washington Post article online.

Smithsonian Craft Show, April 19-22, 2012

National Building Museum, 401 F St NW, Washington, DC 20001

Click HERE to jump to the Smithsonian Craft Show website.

Posted in erwin timmers, national building museum, smithsonian craft show

Best Wishes for 2012

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>Tim Tate’s New Orleans AIDS Memorial is the fitting image to illustrate the Best Wishes for 2012
In the artwork cast glass family and friends that are no longer with us keep protective watch.
 Installation artist and architect Ira Tattelman recently was in New Orleans and sent the photo below where the flowers were placed to honor the loved ones.


“Guardian Wall” – New Orleans AIDS Memorial
Designed by Tim Tate

Photo: Ira Tattelman

May All Stay Safe & Be Surrounded With Loved Ones in 2012!

Posted in aids monument, ira tattleman, louisianna, new orleans, Tim Tate