McLean Project for the Arts Presents: Continuum: Artists Teaching Artists

McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) – on of the DMV leading contemporary visual arts organizations will present an invitational exhibition focused on Artist/Educators.

Continuum: Artists Teaching Artists is an invitational exhibition highlighting works by artists who give significant time to teaching, mentoring, and community-building, while continuing to sustain and develop strong and innovative personal bodies of work. Continuum includes works from Artist/Educators from most of the area colleges and universities, including George Mason, George Washington, Georgetown, Northern Virginia Community College, University of Maryland, and Maryland Institute College of Art. Also represented are some teaching institutes such as the Washington Glass School.

All of the participants are as dedicated to their on-going artistic practice as they are to their students, and vice versa.

Continuum featured artists include: David Carlson, Patrick Craig, Robert Devers, Kate Fitzpatrick, Helen Frederick, Janis Goodman, Reni Gower, Michael Janis, Maria Karametou, Steve Prince, John Ruppert, Foon Sham, Judy Southerland, Tim Tate, Erwin Timmers, Stephanie Williams, Sue Wrbican, Peter Winant.

Continuum: Artists Teaching Artists

September 16 – November 10, 2022

Opening Exhibition Reception September 22, 2022 from 7-9pm

MPA Emerson & Atrium Galleries

1234 Ingleside Avenue, McLean, VA 22101

703-790-1953

info@mpaart.org

For more information and to register for the Opening Reception – click HERE.

May 14th Open Studios- Save the Date!

Save The Date! May 14th is the proposed date for Washington Glass School Open Studio Tour! Many of the surrounding art studios and galleries will be participating! We will follow health protocols – and it will be great to see all in real life! Come and see what’s new and what has been shaking at the studio!

WGS Featured Artist: Erwin Timmers

CLICK IT! Featured Artist: Erwin Timmers

Erwin Timmers is the co-founder of the Washington Glass Studio and Washington Glass School. Originally from Amsterdam, he moved to California and graduated from Santa Monica College for Design Arts and Architecture. In 1999 he moved to the Washington DC area and since then his sculptural artwork has been on display in Zenith Gallery, Fraser Gallery, and Gallery Neptune. Erwin was named the Montgomery County, MD Executive’s Award Outstanding Artist of the Year in 2018.

His approach to art is multifaceted, incorporating metalwork, innovative lighting and glass design. He teaches glass, lighting, sculpture, and metal work. Industrial salvage and recycling are recurring themes in his work, which he sees as crucial parts to the interaction with one’s surroundings. Recently, the Artisan 4100 – an apartment community opening along Route 1 in Brentwood, MD – commissioned Erwin Timmers to create a major glass and light installation for the new building lobby.

Artist Erwin Timmers installs Artisan 4100 Building artwork commission.

Artist Erwin Timmers installs Artisan 4100 Building artwork commission.

Washington Glass School blog catches up with Erwin as his work is part of the WGS Contemporary online exhibit “CLICK-IT!”.

Washington Glass School (WGS): Describe your artwork method/process.
Erwin Timmers: I cast objects in recycled glass. For this series I have used discarded packaging material, from which I take molds in plaster. The glass then heats up in an electric kiln, melts and takes on the shape of this mold. To finish I chop, and trim the glass and weld the metal frame.

Erwin Timmers, "Patterns of Containment V" cast recycled glass

Erwin Timmers, “Patterns of Containment V” cast recycled glass

WGS: Describe your work in the show and highlight aspects that the viewers should understand about the work.

Erwin Timmers: The work features single-use plastic wrappings that viewers may recognize. The grid format formalizes the display of “trash” as art and then I use grids within each frame as well. I hope to give viewers a moment of pause while contemplating the shapes and patterns.

Erwin Timmer: detail "Patterns of Containment"

Erwin Timmer: detail “Patterns of Containment”

WGS: How have you handled the Covid lockdown?

Erwin Timmers: Initially COVID was like snow days we hadn’t had, but with great weather. That was before any financial pressure came into play. It was motivating to see the air pollution worldwide go down, I wish it could stay like that. But at the same time the single use plastic pollution is increasing, giving me even more art base materials…

WGS: What artwork/event has moved you and got you thinking about your own work?
Erwin Timmers: The current civil crisis has been deeply moving. It caused me to rethink and redevelop the direction of my hands symbol series.

WGS: if you were not an artist – what would you be?
Erwin Timmers: Epidemiologist 

Erwin Timmers suits up in his PPE gear to work in the studio.

Erwin Timmers suits up in his PPE gear to work in the studio. Or tend the studio bee-hives.

WGS: Do you do a lot of planning in your work – or is there an element of chance while working?
Erwin Timmers: I plan the general idea, but often new ideas and aspects emerge as I work. I try to incorporate these, and I can then evaluate whether they work or not.

WGS: What is your rule of thumb in determining when a work is finished?
Erwin Timmers: When I sign it, it is done…

Click here to jump to Erwin Timmers work in CLICK-IT!
Erwin’s work is part of the companion exhibit/fundraiser – “Artists for Racial Justice” Click HERE to jump to the show.

DMV Artists by the Tracks: Holiday Open Studios This Saturday!

gateway.dc.artist.by.the.tracks.open.studioswashington.craft.center.sale.holidayThis Saturday, December 15th, from Noon til 5pm – The largest cluster of studios in the Gateway Arts District open their doors to the public for our Winter Open Studios.
Participating Artists:

WGS Contemporary : 3700 Otis Street, Mt Rainier
Erwin Timmers, Tim Tate, Michael Janis, Laura Beth Konopinski, April Shelford, Patricia de Poel Wilberg, Max DeMulder, Debbi LoCicero,
John Henderson, Trish Kent
_
OTIS STREET ARTS PROJECT: 3706/ 3708 Otis Street, Mt Rainier
David Mordini, Lorenzo Cardim, Gloria Chapa, Chris Bohner, Art Drauglis, Kirsty Little, Melissa Allen, CeCi Cole McInturff, Elizabeth Curren, Eric Gordon, Nick Alberti, Shelley Lowenstein, Liz Lescault, Lisa Rosenstein, SPECIAL GUEST: East City Arts, Jenna North, Zofie King, Sean Hennessey, Gareth Branwyn.
_
3700 WELLS & BLUE FIRE STUDIOS: Mt Rainier
Arlette Jassel, Roberto Devers, Margaret Flaherty, Patrecia de Poel Wilbert
_
WHITE POINT STUDIO: 3708 Wells Avenue, Mt Rainier
Laurel Lukaszewski, Kate Kretz, Tamara Laird, Julia Walther, Jo Ellen Walker
_
ORANGE DOOR STUDIOS: 3706 Wells Ave, Mt Rainier
Ellyn Weiss, Ellen Sinel, Sally Kauffman, Veronica Szalus
_
3706 Otis (rear), Mt Rainier
Valerie Theberge, Shahin Talishkhan, Sharon Robinson
_
BLUE DOOR STUDIOS: 3704 Otis St (Rear), Mt Rainier
Alonzo Davis, Alec Simpson
_
TANGLEWOOD STUDIOS: 3613 Oak Lane, Mt Rainier
Tanglewood Sue, Peter McClintock
_
JANIS GOODMAN: 3702 Otis (rear)
_
Joe Hicks Ceramics
3709 37th Street
Mount Rainierartist.by.tracks.dmv.space.glass.school.gateway.district

Washington Glass School Artists To Show @ Art Basel / Miami Art Fairs!

Art-Basel-Miami-Beach-logoDecember 4 – 10, 2017, Miami and Miami Beach becomes the epicenter of the art world with approximately 1200 art galleries from around the world showing thousands of artists. It’s also a week of fashion with gala openings and after parties. Music, Art & Design all combine with incredible Florida weather – it’s an incredible place for viewing contemporary art.

Washington Glass School artists are being represented in a big way this year, with all of the school’s Directors and the new Studio Coordinator having works being exhibited at the art fairs.

Tim Tate's work will be featured at Habatat Galleries space at both SCOPE art fair and FORM.

Tim Tate’s work will be featured at Habatat Galleries space at both SCOPE art fair and FORM.

Tim Tate and Michael Janis’ work will be shown at Habatat Galleries space at Scope Miami (space F35) and the inaugural show of Form Miami (located across the street from Art Basel at the Miami Beach Convention Center).

CONTEXT Art Miami will feature works by WGS artists Erwin Timmers, Laura Beth Konopinski and WGS alum Audrey Wilson.

CONTEXT Art Miami will feature works by WGS artists Erwin Timmers, Laura Beth Konopinski and WGS alum Audrey Wilson.

Alida Anderson Art Projects’ booth #C225 at Context Art Miami will feature some incredible new sculptural works by WGS Co-Director Erwin Timmers and Studio Coordinator Laura Beth Konopinski. Alum Audrey Wilson will be exhibiting her new body of work that shows the influence of the Kent Sate MFA that she is currently enrolled in.

For an overview of all the contemporary art fairs going on in the Miami/Miami Beach area – click HERE

Erwin Timmers prepares his latest cast glass works for the Miami Art Fairs.

Erwin Timmers prepares his latest cast glass works for the Miami Art Fairs.

.

If you are heading to the sunny warm beaches of Miami, FLA, be sure to visit the premier showcase for international contemporary art!

The Victoria & Albert Museum Acquires Jeff Zimmer

London’s Victoria & Albert Museum collection of ceramics, glass, textiles, costumes, silver, ironwork, jewellery, furniture, medieval objects, sculpture, prints and printmaking, drawings and photographs are among the largest and most comprehensive in the world.

Big congrats to WGS alum Jeff Zimmer! Jeff is arguably one of the most successful artists from the Washington Glass School. Jeff was a teaching assistant here at the Glass School, and he went to the UK – to Edinburgh, obtaining a Masters degree in glass painting there in Scotland, where he currently lives. The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), London, is the world’s largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects. 

Jeff Zimmer ‘To See Ourselves As Others See Us’, enameled and sandblasted glass (mounted on LED), 27″w x 21″h x 7″d, 2012


The piece is called “To See Ourselves As Others See Us.”  It was made as half of a pair (the other titled “Ae Fareweel, Alas, Forever”) made for an exhibition titled “Cultural Exchange” organized by the Scottish Glass Society, curated by Mieke Groot and which took place at NorthLands Creative Glass during their conference last year, which is where Reino Liefkes, Senior Curator of Ceramics and Glass at the V&A saw the artwork.

Jeff describes his work in the exhibit catalog text :

As an immigrant, I am sensitive to political and social discussions of immigration.  Every country experiences the same anxieties.  People want to retain a perceived essence of place and culture, but rarely consider the effects on other cultures of their own desires to travel, emigrate and trade. The legacy of emigration is a large part of the Scottish psyche, and the ‘Highland Clearances’ are among the most well known and emotive aspects of Scottish history…

‘To See Ourselves As Others See Us,’ rescales the monumental homesick family from George W. Simpsons’s iconic panting ‘A Coronach In The Woods’ in a broader frame so the impact they have had on the lands that they colonized — often by squatting — can be glimpsed: felled trees, austere and uncompromising religion (the church on the outcrop referencing the notion of ‘the city on the hill’) and a reputation for drunken disorderliness. The title is a quote from Scottish national bard Robert Burns’ poem ‘To A Louse’.

Singer Amanda Palmer (of the Dreseden Dolls) and Jeff Zimmer in Edinburgh.
Washington Post Article by Michael O’Sullivan
Thursday, May 26, 2011

As for other news, Jeff will be traveling to the beautiful Bavarian Forest to teach at Bild-Werk Frauenau.  Jeff is also preparing for his debut solo gallery exhibition at Clara Scremini Gallery in Paris in the spring.

In 2011, Jeff was one the artists participating in the Washington Glass School 10th Anniversary exhibit held at Longview Gallery. The Washington Post art critic wrote about the show, singling out Jeff’s work as artwork that “fires up” imagination. It is great to see friends do so well in their passion and career!


Congratulations Jeff Zimmer!

Washington Glass School Open Studio / Holiday Sale

>

Come out of the cold to where its warm (glass)!

The Washington Glass School invites you to our Holiday Open House, Saturday, December 15th, 2012, opening around Noon, through 5:00pm on Saturday. 

Works by superstar artist Tim Tate will be available.

The artists and instructors of the glass school will be exhibiting artworks. From the small child to the serious art collector, the Washington Glass School Holiday Open House has something for everyone’s taste.

Beautiful works by Syl Mathis will be on exhibit and for sale!
Get yourself a Sean Hennessey – his work is hot, hot, hot!
Metal artist Chris Shea will be there with his stunning forged iron work.

We invite the community to and experience a unique DC area arts venue. Adjacent studios – Red Dirt and Flux Studios will also be open – a great chance to see whats going on in the Gateway Arts District!

Check out Nancy Donnelly‘s colorful artwork.

Also – this might be your last chance to get glass before the end of the Mayan Calendar. – the perfect gift since “Glass is Forever”.

Holiday Open House & Sale
Saturday, December 15, 2012, from Noon til 5 pm.
Washington Glass School
3700 Otis Street, Mount Rainier, MD 20712

Mark Your Calendars! Winter Sculpture Show Dec 10

>

Cast Recycled Glass sculpture by Erwin Timmers

Cast glass boats by Syl Mathis

The Washington Glass School presents its 10th annual Winter Sculpture Show and Holiday Open House, featuring works by artists and instructors of the Washington Glass School.

Some of the region’s leading mixed media sculptors and artists work from the studios on the edge of DC, and artwork both large and small will be on sale.


Fused Glass Panel Sculpture by Michael Janis

Glass and Steel sculpture by m l duffy

This event is more than an art open house – its an experience!

Next-door’s Flux Studios and Ellyn Weiss Studio will also be open on the day. Check out what’s happening in THE Creative Arts Center of the DC area!

Mixed media sculpture by Tim Tate

Cast Glass by Debra Ruzinsky

Washington Glass School Winter Sculpture Show

1pm – 5 pm

Saturday, Dec 10, 2011

Washington Glass School, 3700 Otis Street, Mount Rainier, MD 20712

202.744.8222

Artists Talk @ Long View Gallery

>


Opening Night of Washington Glass School Exhibit

“Artists of the Washington Glass School: The First 10 Years” opened to huge crowds last week and a review of the artworks in the Washington Post has created tremendous interest.

This Sunday, June 5th, from 3-4, Long View Gallery presents an Artist’s Talk.

Want to know more about the work? Want to see the exhibit up-close with someone who knows what was that artist thinking? Want to gossip with the artists that made made the Washington Post art critic Michael O’Sullivan “feel like a monkey in front of a ball of shiny, shiny tin foil“?
Here’s your chance – come join us!

Long View Gallery’s Siobhan Gavan snuggling with Washington Glass School Director & Monkey Keeper Tim Tate.


“Artists Talk
” @ Washington Glass School exhibition / Long View Gallery Washington, DC

The exhibition runs through June 19, 2011.
Long View Gallery is located at 1234 9th Street, N.W., Washington, DC
202-232-4788. For more information:
www.longviewgallery.com.