Author Archives: Michael Janis

Audrey Wilson’s Work Selected for Midwest Exhibit

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Recognizing the best from the Midwest, 28 glass artworks from 21 glass artists have been selected for this year’s Indiana Glass Arts Alliance (IGAA) annual exhibition.  Titled “GATHERING: Contemporary Glass from the Heartland,” the exhibition will open Oct. 19 at the Indiana University Kokomo Art Gallery and continue through Dec. 7. The exhibition is open to the public.

Audrey Wilson

This is the first time the IGAA has opened the exhibition to glass artists outside Indiana. 

Nearly 150 applications, from 48 glass artists in six states, were reviewed by a two-member jury panel.  Tom Riley, who for 30 years has owned Riley Galleries, in Cleveland, Ohio along with glass artist and director of the glass program at Kent State University, Sean Mercer, collaborated on selecting artwork for the exhibition.  The IGAA offers $2500 in total cash awards, and the Best in Show Award recipient will additionally receive the opportunity to be exhibited at Riley Galleries.

Indiana has one of the longest and most storied histories of glassmaking in the U.S., and it is appropriate that this year’s exhibition is in Kokomo, where Hoosier glassmaking began in 1888. 

The Indiana University Kokomo Art Gallery is located at 2300 South Washington Street, in Kokomo, Indiana.   Gallery hours are Tue. and Thu., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Wed., 10 a.m.- 8 p.m.; and Sat., noon – 4 p.m. 

Audrey Wilson

 WGS’ Audrey Wilson (a native of Ohio) has two works selected to be included in what promises to be a great show.

ARTISTS WHOSE WORK WILL BE EXHIBITED

Tom Armbruster, Hudson, OH; Cortney Boyd, Carbondale, IL; Mathilde Brown Swanson, Des Moines; IA; Domenico Cavallaro, Cuyahoga Falls, OH; Steven Ciezki, Calumet City, IL; Cecile Derel, Chicago, IL; Davin Ebanks, Anderson, IN; Robert Geyer, Portage, OH; Francine Gourguechon, Chicago, IL; Jennifer Halvorson, Muncie, IN; Justin Kern, Muncie, IN; Sungsoo Kim, Kent, OH; Melissa Kistler, Indianapolis, IN; Joanna Manousis, Columbus, OH; Emily McBride, Louisville, KY; Matthew Paskiet, Holland, OH; Charlyn Reynolds, Elgin, IL; Kenny Sprinkle, Camby, IN; Timothy Stover, Kent, OH; Zac Weinberg, Columbus, OH; Audrey Wilson, Mt. Rainier, MD.

Congratulations Audrey!

Posted in audrey wilson, gathering, heartland, IGAA, Indiana, kokomo, tom riley

Time To Get (Glass) Schooled! Free Lecture on the History of Studio Glass

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The Washington Glass School Presents a free lecture titled ” What Came Before / A Slide History Of The Studio Glass Movement.” The talk will be a broad international survey focusing on the early days of studio glass work.

Who was there, what they did, and why; in the US and abroad; male and female artists; people you may never have heard about!   

Perfect for Glass Seccessionistas who want to learn a bit of glass history that isn’t just about the biggest names – this is a great chance to get the overview of the medium and provide new insights!

Lecturer : Debra Ruzinsky 

When : Saturday,October 5th  

From:1 pm

Cost : Free of charge…RSVP to: washglassschool@aol.com
Where: Washington Glass School
             3700 Otis Street, Mount Rainier, MD 20712

Debra Ruzinsky received her BA in Design from the University of California at Los Angeles, and her MFA in Glass Sculpture from RIT. She has been working in glass since 1982. She serves on the publications committee of the Glass Art Society, and was Visiting Asst. Professor of Glass at RIT for the 2008-2009 academic calendar year. Her work is part of the collection of the Seto City Museum in Seto, Japan, and the Glasmuseet Ebeltoft in Denmark, as well as the RIT Wallace Library Collection.

Posted in "glass secessionism", debra ruzinsky, history, lecture, studio glass movement

Jewel Box Gallery Artist Reception Tonight!

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The Jewel Box Pop Up Gallery is month-long exhibition featuring the work of 18 DC area artists.  Located in a former jewelry store, the expansive space will serve as an excellent temporary gallery showcasing a wide variety of styles and media.

Erin Atognoli

 List of artists showing at the Jewel Box:

 Erin Antognoli

Alan Binstock

Jo Ann Block

Stephen Boocks

Matt Carl

Alex Chiou

Kathy Hart

Joe Hicks

Tom Hill

Emily Hoxworth

David Hubbard

J’Nell Jordan

Ani Kasten

Courtnye Koivisto

Lisa Rosenstein

Casey Snyder

Jeffrey Trueblood

Laurie Tylec

Stephen Boocks

The Jewel Box is located at 3108 Queens Chapel Road in Hyattsville, MD (at the intersection where 34th Street in Mount Rainier becomes Chillum Road) in a strip mall with ample parking. The West Hyattsville Metro is a 15 minute walk away. 

Opening Reception is Thursday, September 5th from 7-9pm. The gallery will be open Thursdays and Fridays from 7-9pm and Saturdays from 1-5pm throughout the month of September.  


Art Lives Here and The Shops at Queens Chillum teamed up to launch a series of placemaking events that showcase the talents of Gateway Arts District artists in a multi-use shopping center located in Hyattsville, MD and on the border of Mount Rainier. The Shops at Queens Chillum are funding these programs and events, which directly support local artists. Jewel Box (Pop-Up) Gallery; designed and curated by John Paradiso and Tim McLoraine.

Posted in Uncategorized

10 years ago….I walked into Washington Glass School

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The Washington Glass School was located on Half Street, SE from 2003 to 2005. It was part of the Washington Sculpture Center until the area was all claimed as part of the Washington National’s baseball stadium. Not the poshest part of town back then.

I am interjecting a bit of personal story into the blog – in January of 2003, my wife and I moved to the USA after living 10 years in Australia, initially staying with my sister-in-law’s family out in suburban Virginia. I wanted to educate myself to become a glass artist, and had been commuting from my Alexandria, to Baltimore, MD to blow glass. Without a car, this got old fast – real fast. In September of 2003, the second “Warm Glass Conference” was held in Arlington, VA, and since I planned on attending the seminars, I visited a number of the DC area glass facilities to see what glass courses were available locally. At the time, Washington Glass School was part of the Washington Sculpture Center, an organization that provided public access educational programs in sculpture. Wandering around Washington, DC, I discovered the practical aspects of DC’s quadrant names (Northeast, Southeast, etc) – I was wandering around on the wrong Half Street – and I discovered the seamy underside of Capitol Hill. Just before the conference, I took a fused glass workshop that dealt with architectural applications of glass at the Washington Glass School, and was hooked.

This is a photo of me in my first fused glass class. L-R: Tyler Frisbee, Michael Janis (me), Kathryn Cosmos, Tim Tate.

Tim Tate and Erwin Timmers were the teachers and Jeff Zimmer was the teaching assistant (Jeff has since earned a MDES Glass & Architectural Glass, Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh, UK).  
This class dealt with aspects of fused glass and included kilnformed projects such as dry plaster casting. It was my first foray into kilnformed work – and that introduction shifted my thoughts and process to fused glass.

Erwin Timmers and Tim Tate at the Warm Glass Conference, September 2003.

Glass School Co-Founders Tim Tate and Erwin Timmers were part of the Warm Glass conference- leading a seminar on how to hang glass, and they brought the student castings to the glass school students that were attending. Shortly after, I became the studio’s shop monkey, working every day and assisting at every class. By 2005 I was teaching the very kiln-forming glass class I had begun my journey in glass… ah, the circle of life…

Here I am teaching glass fusing class, October 2005.

The days became weeks; weeks into years, and by the time the Washington Glass School relocated to Mount Rainier, I had become a Co-Director. And still time marched on. Recently clearing out old file cabinets had me look thru old documents and class schedules, I came upon the 2003 class list and nostalgia hit. 10 years on – who’da thunk that events would unfold as they had!  
Anyhow – am still enjoying the ride – Cheers to all!

Posted in fused glass class, warm glass conference

Happy Labor Day!

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Detail from artist Slate Grove’s MFA exhibition “Everyday Heroes“

Glass artist and sculptor Slate Grove was named one of the ‘Rising Stars” at Glass Weekend held at Wheaton Arts in Millville, NJ this past June. The Washington Glass School first met Slate when he was the Glass Studio Coordinator at Penland – around 2008. His glass tools fit the concept of Labor Day – intended to celebrate the economic and social contributions of workers.

From Slate’s bio and artist statement: 
“Growing up in the blue-collar town of Fort Dodge, IA, I was surrounded by hard work. Gypsum mills, Limestone quarries, meat packing plants and trucking companies provided the majority of jobs in town. Like many Midwestern towns, there was no shortage of strong willed, physical folks with impeccable work ethic to fill those jobs. The town depended upon factory work and the workers depended on each other. Many in my family were displaced when Hormel closed its Fort Dodge plant in the 1980’s and, more recently, when Electrolux decided to move their Iowa operation to a facility in Mexico.”

“My art work focuses on the fragility and the invisibility of those who do service jobs daily. I attempt to elevate the ghostly memories of the character of people who raised me and who, I feel, deserve our unending reverence.”


Posted in labor day, slate grove

Unbuilt Public Art Projects Exhibition – What Could Have Been.

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Joe’s Movement EmporiumHosts “Public Art Concepts: An Exhibit Of Proposals”

Opening: Friday September 27, 2013 at 7:00 pm. Closing November 22, 2013

Coordinated by Alonzo Davis | Curated by Nehemiah Dixon III 


“Public Art Concepts” gives the public an opportunity to engage with the artist in a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to create artwork for a public space. Given the growing interest in and number of street murals and 3-D works along the arts district corridor “Public Art Concepts” paves the way for a focused dialogue about what it means to create an arts district and how this change begins with the artist. The exhibit features scale models and proposals for public art works by regional and national artists who have applied for grants and commissions, some of which were awarded and others not. 

Opening night features a lively panel of participating artists and reps from funding agencies that have diverse experience in the public art arena.

Featured Artists:

Alan Binstock

Joanna Blake

Margaret Boozer

Howard Connelly

Alonzo Davis

Melissa Glasser

Martha Jarvis Jackson

Luis Peralta

Valerie Theberge

Washington Glass Studio (Erwin Timmers, Tim Tate, Michael Janis)


Joe’s Movement Emporium, 3309 Bunker Hill Road, Mt Rainier, MD 20712

Posted in alonzo davis, joes movement emporium, nehemia dixon, Public Art, unbuilt

DC Artist Exchange Presents Panel Discussion on Studio Incubators

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DCartistexchange (DCax) is a collaborative project developed by several DC-based arts and cultural organizations. DCax is a series of events and tools designed to explore new ways to build community. The kick-off series includes five panel discussions around the broad topic of artist space in the city, four in-person creative networking events called Swap Meets, and a website (dcartistexchange.org) meant to engage members through a virtual community space. 

photos by Alan Kayanan

The DCax Panel Series focuses on the broad topic of artist space in the Washington, DC area.

This Saturday, August 17, there will be a Panel Discussion that  focuses on artist studio incubators. These spaces are created by and for artists as places to work and create. Presenters will discuss the development and operations of these spaces.

You are invited for the following:
10:30am-11:30am – Panel discussion
11:30am-12:30pm – Walking tour (lunch included) to review, discuss and experience Dance Place, Brookland Artists Lofts, and after, we will head over to the Monroe Street Market to see the 27 artists studios and their two event spaces. Then back to the space for more panel conversation and ending at 2pm.

Panelists include:

Mike Abrams, Union Arts
Travis Bowerman, CulturalDC, Flashpoint
Kristina Bilonick, Pleasant Plains Workshop
Michael Janis, Washington Glass School
Lisa Neher, Jackson School
Paul So
, Hamiltonian Artists

Click HERE to get all the details for the event.

All DCax Events will take place at The Menkiti Group offices located at:
3407 8th Street NE
Washington, DC 20017

All events are free and open to the public.

Upcoming Panel Discussions include:
Saturday   /   August 24 (Government Support)

      Saturday   /   September 7 (Private Property) 

DCartistexchange is collaborative project brought to you by Artomatic & partners ReSourceArts, Hamiltonian Artists, Dance Place (Art on 8th), Menkiti Group, CulturalDC, and Nurish. Funded in part by the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Artomatic Workshops are supported in part by Art on 8th, a project of Dance Place supported by the National Endowment for the Arts “Our Town” Program in partnership with the DC commission on the Arts and Humanities. Art on 8th is a collaborative project between Dance Place, CulturalDC and Abdo Development/The Bozzuto Group/Monroe Street Market.

Posted in artomatic, Cultural DC, dc artist exchange, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, dcartistexchange, DCax, Kristina Bilonick, Lisa Neher, Mike Abrams, paul so, ReSourceArts, Travis Bowerman, Union Arts

Veni, vidi, vici – Recap of Penland Auction Tour 2013

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Penland 2013 Auction

Tim Tate and Sean Hennessey have returned from leading a jam packed tour of collectors and aesthetes through North Carolina’s Penland School of Crafts. The guys took the James Renwick Alliance (JRA) group to many of the the artist studios that surround Penland, some of the galleries of Asheville, and then to the beautiful setting in the Blue Ridge Mountains that surrounds Penland for the auction.
Accompanying the group was Jennifer Scanlan, independent curator and craft scholar.

Dustin Farnsworth sculpture.

Sculptor Mel Chin talks to the tour group about his work.
Mel Chin talking about one of his works, made up of hundreds of books depicting all the worlds philosophies…..all flowing together to create one world.
Detail of Mel Chin’s sculpture – with the pages all flowing together.
Lunch at historic Grove Park Inn. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the hotel is an important example of the Arts and Crafts style.
Lunch overlooking Asheville and the mountains.
Lisa Clague’s studio had fantastic sculptures that were like dreams come to life.
Lisa Clague’s drawings are equally beautiful and surreal.
Visiting jewelers Amy Tavern & Joanna Gollberg.
Artist Zack Noble’s forge.
Sean Hennessey and Zack Noble.

Back to Penland for the big event!
Tour hosts – Sean Hennessey and Tim Tate relax after the festivities.

Plans are being made for next year’s tour – with over 100 collectors going to an “All-Glass” artwork and studio tour – start making your plans now!

Posted in lisa clague, mel chin, penland auction, zack noble

EMULSION – East City Art’s First Annual Regional Juried Show – Call for Entry

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Phil Hutinet – Editor-in-Chief at East City Arts announced their first annual regional juried show called “Emulsion”.


EMULSION
The First Annual East City Art Regional Juried Show
Prizes
$1,250 First Place Prize
$750 Second Place Prize
$500 Third Place Prize
Entry Fee
An entry fee of $35 made out to East City Art Media LLC is required
The entry fee must accompany the application for it to be considered complete.
Location
Gallery O on H located at 1354 H Street NE in the heart of the Atlas Entertainment District
Exhibition Dates
Opening Reception Saturday November 9, 2013
Exhibition on view from November 9, 2013 through January 14, 2014
Juror
Lauren Gentile
Contact
For all inquiries please direct emails to editor@eastcityart.com

EMULSION
This call for entry is open to all residents of the Washington-Baltimore combined statistical metropolitan area as defined by the US Census. This is an opportunity for artists from the central Mid-Atlantic to showcase the extraordinary diversity in regional contemporary art.
An emulsion combines two seemingly incompatible ingredients to produce a third yet entirely new substance.  In this spirit, East City Art’s EMULSION seeks to combine the culturally different yet geographically close regions of Washington and Baltimore and to combine a wide array of art forms and mediums from two-dimensional work to performance based pieces.
East City Art envisions EMULSION as an annual event that will exhibit the brightest talent from the Mid-Atlantic region.  We expect EMULSION to grow over time to include more entries, an increase in prize money and visibility beyond the Mid-Atlantic to the national and international level.


About Juror Lauren Gentile
Lauren Gentile, founder of Contemporary Wing, has produced major exhibitions of historically significant artists including the 30 Americans artists, Shepard Fairey, the Guerrilla Girls, and JR, among others. While supporting the artists of today, she has helped nurture such emerging talent as GAIA, Hedieh Javanshir Ilchi, and Cheryl Pope. She holds an M.A. in art business from Sotheby’s Institute London and B.A. degrees in art theory and criticism, art history and international studies from the School of the Art Institute in Chicago, DePaul University, the University of Florence and the Goethe Institute.  Her private sector career includes work with art hedge funds and as director of sales in auction houses and galleries specializing in a variety of markets.

Phil said that he envisions EMULSION growing every year, with the opportunity to show the finalists in two or more locations. Get going!

Important Dates

  • September 9, 2013 – Deadline for entries (must be postmarked by that date)
  • September 27, 2013 – Notification of accepted artists completed
  • October 5, 2013 – Last day to respond to notification
  • October 7, 3013 – Acceptance list published on East City Art
  • October 26-27, 2013– Artwork delivered to gallery
  • November 2-3, 2013 – Work Installed by East City Art and Gallery O on H staff
  • November 9, 2013 – Show opens to the public
  • January 17, 2014 – Exhibition closes
  • January 18-19, 2014 – De-installation/Artist Pick-up artwork

    To jump to the prospectus pdf and more info on the opportunity:

    http://www.eastcityart.com/2013/07/26/calls-for-entry-emulsion-the-first-annual-east-city-art-regional-juried-show/

Posted in east city art, emulsion, regional juried show

Brentwood Arts Exchange Is Hiring

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Gateway Arts Center, 3901 Rhode Island Ave., Brentwood, MD  20722

Phil Davis – the Acting Director of the Brentwood Arts Exchange advises on the following opportunities at Gateway Arts Center: 

The Brentwood Arts Exchange is hiring for multiple positions including instructors, gallery assistants, and event staff  

Instructors

Deadline for proposals: August 10, 2013 (received in office)

Send to Frannie Payne, Brentwood Arts Exchange, 3901 Rhode Island Avenue, Brentwood, MD 20722 or send to FrannieD.Payne@pgparks.com

The Brentwood Arts Exchange is in need of experienced instructors to teach comic book making for teens, painting and drawing classes for teens and adults and are requesting proposals from individuals interested in teaching those subjects.  Classes should run for 4 or 6 weeks, and to be held in the afternoon (for teens) or evening hours (for adults).  Include a class outline and a materials list in your proposal.

We’re always interested in hearing good ideas.  If you would like to send a proposal on other art related classes and have experience teaching, we will accept those as well. 

____________________________________

 

Gallery Assistant

Deadline to apply: August 4, 2013 (received in office)

Send a resume and a brief cover letter to Frannie Payne, Brentwood Arts Exchange, 3901 Rhode Island Avenue, Brentwood, MD 20722 or send to FrannieD.Payne@pgparks.com

We are seeking a motivated individual who is passionate about the arts for a part time position as a Gallery Assistant.  Job duties include but are not limited to the following:

·         Providing customer service in person and over the phone including retail sales and class registrations

·         Distributing mail within the Gateway Arts Center

·         Routine office functions such as, copying, filing, data entry, and record keeping

·         Hosting at special events,

·         Assisting with installation of art exhibitions, including basic wall patching and painting, basic art handling and packaging.

·         Maintaining the cleanliness of all areas of the facility, set up and clean for classes and events

This is an entry-level position with no experience required.  The position holder must be able to lift and move up to 25 lbs. and be available to work evenings and weekends.  The successful candidate will be outgoing and self-motivated to learn about gallery operations through hands-on work performing the duties above.  Positive qualities in consideration for this position include the ability to communicate in Spanish, experience working in a retail environment, knowledge of craft media and techniques, and familiarity with the safe handling of art objects.

______________________________________

Special Events Staff

Deadline to apply: Ongoing

Send a resume and a brief cover letter to Frannie Payne, Brentwood Arts Exchange, 3901 Rhode Island Avenue, Brentwood, MD 20722 or send to FrannieD.Payne@pgparks.com

We are also seeking individuals interested in occasional work hosting special events and projects, including receptions, public lectures and third-party rentals.  Most events occur on evenings and weekends, and shifts are typically 3-6 hours.  Special events staff will assist with setting up, maintaining, and cleaning the gallery and classroom for events that include food and drinks.  Customer service – greeting and answering visitors’ questions, etc. – is an essential component of the job.  Special events staff will be on their feet throughout most of their work time, and should be able to lift and move up to 25lbs.

Posted in 420, brentwood arts exchange, gateway arts center