Michael Janis, Tim Tate: Inside Outside Upside Down

Phillips Collection Inside Outside, Upside Down JULY 17-SEPTEMBER 12, 2021.

Virtual Opening and Awards Presentation July 16, 2021, 7-8 PM

Join The Phillips Collection as they celebrate the opening of “Inside Outside, Upside Down” and announce the prize winners of our juried invitational. Click HERE to jump to Phillips Collection Opening Event RSVP page.

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Tim Tate, “Justinian’s Oculus”

This juried invitational celebrates The Phillips Collection’s 100th anniversary in 2021, building on the legacy of founder Duncan Phillips and his commitment to presenting, acquiring, and promoting the work of artists of the greater DC region.

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Michael Janis, “How We Take Care of Each Other” 2021, kilnformed glass, glass powder imagery

Inside Outside, Upside Down makes vivid the turmoil, strength, and resiliency of the human spirit in the face of the past year’s global covid-19 pandemic and social upheaval. All artworks in the show are recent works produced between March 2020 and February 2021. Works by WGS artists Tim Tate and Michael Janis have been selected for the exhibition.

Michael Janis, Washington, Dc ward 5
mMichael Janis, DETAIL “How We Take Care of Each Other”, 2021

Jurors
Phil Hutinet, Founding Publisher of East City Art
Abigail McEwen, Associate Professor of Latin American Art, University of Maryland
Elsa Smithgall, Senior Curator, The Phillips Collection
Renée Stout, DC-based Artist

Guest Curator
Renée Stout is an internationally renowned artist who has been based in Washington, DC, since 1985. Originally trained as a painter with a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University, Stout currently works across a variety of media, including painting, drawing, mixed media, sculpture, photography, and installation. She is the recipient of many awards, including an Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation Award and the Women’s Caucus for Art Lifetime Achievement Award.

Featured Artists
Cathy Abramson
Simone Agoussoye
Maremi Andreozzi
Carol Antezana
Desmond Beach
Julia Bloom
Michael Booker
Kimberly Brammer
Nikki Brugnoli
Florencio Campello
Carlos Carmonamedina
Sandra Chen Weinstein
Peter Cizmadia
Wesley Clark
Dominick Cocozza
Robin Croft
Sora DeVore
Sarah Dolan
Mike Dowley
Nekisha Durrett
Tae Edell
Bria Edwards
Kate Fleming
Chawky Frenn
Amelia Hankin
Michael Hantman
Leslie Holt
Michael Janis
Jane Kell
Jean Jinho Kim
Katherine Knight
Ara Koh
Kokayi
Gary Kret
Kate Kretz
Catherine Levinson
Kirsty Little
Kim Llerena
Aaron Maier-Carretero
Timothy Makepeace
David Mordini
Barbara Muth
Werllayne Nunes
Zsudayka Nzinga
Jennifer O’Connell
John Pan
Judith Peck
Shedrick Pelt
Kristina Penhoet
Marta Pérez García
Lydia Peters
Junko Pinkowski
Dominick Rabrun
Mojdeh Rezaeipour
Marie Ringwald
Janathel Shaw
Joseph Shetler
Nicolas F. Shi
Tim Tate
Julio Valdez
Jessica Valoris
Ian White
Richard L. Williams Jr.
Colin Winterbottom

The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st Street, NW, Washington, DC.

Inside Outside, Upside Down is organized by The Phillips Collection.

This juried invitational is part of the museum’s centennial exhibition, Seeing Differently: The Phillips Collects for a New Century.

DC Line features Michael Janis COVID-19 Artwork story

Washington, DC nonprofit media organization – The DC Line – is dedicated to covering news in Washington, DC. As part of the COVID-19 pandemic news coverage, DC LIne interviewed WGS Co-Director Michael Janis to see how the arts are handling the ongoing lockdowns. Have a read of how the artist and studio have worked thru the lockdown situation. Click here to jump to the DC Line article online. 

The DC Line features artwork by Michael Janis that addresses the COVID-19 pandemic.

The DC Line features artwork by Michael Janis that addresses the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Future of Art: Glass Art Fair 2020

Many art fairs have been moved online due to the global pandemic. Now, as a way to provide access to the best of art glass – Glass Art Fair has been formed. This new online art fair provides a unique opportunity with virtual experience – where all are invited to learn and explore each artist featured and share on their personal social media. The future has “arrived so much sooner,” said the creator of Glass Art Fair,  “If galleries and fairs are closed, how can we sell art? Creating an online art fair platform is something we envisioned as an important part of what we do.”

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artist: Tim Tate. Image courtesy Habatat Galleries.

New for 2020, the Glass Art Fair online art fair features over 60 artists creating using glass as their art medium, opening online to the public on Sunday, November 1st, 2020. This art fair will be online the same time as the Sofa Chicago art fair (rebranded Intersect Art Fair).

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artist: Michael Janis. Image courtesy Habatat Galleries.


Glass Art Fair hopes collectors on their laptops and iPads will take more time with the work than those darting through a Navy Pier or a Miami beachfront tent. 
“We have the ability to have multiple images and detail shots – When people are visiting the online platform, they aren’t walking through for 45 seconds. You’re going to have their attention for so much longer.”

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artist: Wilfried Grootens. Image courtesy Habatat Galleries.

This online presentation will continue for the month of November with more presentations as works become available. Each artist has the availability to edit and add artwork throughout the month so please check back in for updates often. The works on the site are available for purchase.

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artist: Christina Bothwell. Image courtesy Habatat Galleries.

Expect more of what you love at the Glass Art Fair.

artists:  Jennifer Caldwell and Jason Chakravarty. Image courtesy Habatat Galleries.

artists:
Jennifer Caldwell and Jason Chakravarty. Image courtesy Habatat Galleries.

WGS New Covid Protocols = Big Hit!

The Washington Glass School prepares to reopen the studio- and have outlined new COVID-19 procedures, based on CDC guidelines. Click HERE to jump to posting.
Proper Face Masks must be work to enter the studio and school.

Dr Tony Fauci at Washington Glass School

Dr. Fauci ceremoniously presents the golden thermometer to WGS Co-Director Erwin Timmers as the reopen protocols for the Washington Glass School are announced. After the ceremony, all scrubbed up for 20 seconds and social distancing was returned. Image by C. Montague, esq.

The announcement of new Covid Protocols garnered much fanfare and attention! Dr. Fauci – Tony – swung by to give it the “thumbs up”.

Washington Glass School COVID Re-Open Protocols

This guidance is intended for our visitors, artists and instructors who want to ensure the cleanliness and safety of the Glass School. Re-opening of the Washington Glass School & Studio requires all of us to move forward together by practicing social distancing and other daily habits to reduce our risk of exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19. In general, the reopening the country also strongly relies on public health strategies, including increased testing of people for the virus, social distancing, isolation, and keeping track of how someone infected might have infected other people.

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Get Ready to CLICK-IT! WGS Contemporary Art Gallery Presents New Virtual Exhibition

Want it?  Click-it!  Get It!

Click It Opens June 16th

Click It Opens Online June 16th, 2020

 

The COVID-19 epidemic has been an unprecedented challenge to the art worldWGS Contemporary art gallery is working thru the issues that have stopped the gallery from being open bring artwork made by some of the hottest glass, mixed media sculptors, painters and ceramic artists to the world.

The WGS Contemporary gallery is excited to bring lots of fine art sculpture right to your living room!  Be sure to check out CLICK IT! – a virtual gallery experience that will be made live – opening June 16th on our website!

Look for (very affordable!) by artists that include: Teri Bailey, J. Jordan Bruns, F. Lennox Campello, Jason Chakravarty & Jennifer Caldwell, Cheryl P. Derricotte, Sean Dolon, Sean Hennessey, Joesph Ivacic, Michael Janis, Carmen Lozar, Tim Tate, Erwin Timmers, Jodi Walsh, Steve Wanna, and Jeff Zimmer!

WGS Contemporary’s mission is to contribute to thinking about art, new media, technology, and social issues through an open access forum which we hope will facilitate contemporary and innovative projects worldwide. In that process, WGSC will expose the cutting edge work of artists pushing the new media frontiers of art.

Want more than just visual …stimulation? click on link below and get the official “Click It” themesong – music by Donovan Lessard.

Glass 48 Opens May 8!

Glass 48 opens Friday May 8 @ 1:00 pm ( Eastern time).

Glass 48 opens Friday May 8 @ 1:00 pm ( Eastern time).

The pandemic has changed many planned arts events across the world. Habatat Galleries has adapted their planned Glass48 International event to an online presentation so the exhibition can be viewed from anywhere. This monumental experience will allow all visitors to view presentation from anywhere in the world. This experience includes personalized videos of each artists work and will also feature studio tours.

WGS Artists Tim Tate and Michael Janis are featured in the International exhibit – and they each have video presentations of their individual work and of their collaborative work.

“How We Take Care of Each Other” Artwork in the Time of Corona – Installation by Michael Janis

We are social creatures. Every relationship has been built and held together by complicated nonverbal language, beginning with parent and child. It’s part of our social fabric. Individual, family, and interpersonal relationships have all changed as a result of the COVID-19 emergency. What is the characteristic of a pandemic? Emptiness. The unusual quiet in what was normally noisy, bustling neighborhood. Silence – where the silence isn’t merely the absence of noise. It’s judgement, longing and paranoia.The fear the we may be ourselves a transmitter of the virus as we seek the comfort of others.

How people are psychologically affected by and coping with the COVID-19 emergency is the basis of the installation of kiln cast glass by WGS artist Michael Janis. Over 20 individual glass panels make up the large wall-mounted work.

Janis’ signature “sgraffito” imagery – where he manipulates fine crushed glass powder  into highly detailed imagery and portraiture, fires the images into layers of colored glass is used to strong effect in this new work. Images of that convey the sense of how we are connected and yet are contained into separate worlds is the essence of the work. Working in the isolation of the lock downed studio, Janis says he will continue to add to the installation as the virus continues to work thru the world. “Working on artwork keeps me sane” says the artist.

Partial view of Michael Janis’ “How We Take Care Of Each Other” glass art installation. Kilnformed glass; glass powder imagery; varying dimensions; 2020.

Partial view of Michael Janis’ “How We Take Care Of Each Other” glass art installation. Kilnformed glass; glass powder imagery; varying dimensions; 2020.

 

Michael Janis covid theme artwork installation

Partial view of Michael Janis’ “How We Take Care Of Each Other” glass art installation. Larger panels approx. 18″ (45cm) dia.

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Detail of one of the fused glass panels in Michael Janis’ installation. Imagery made from glass powder in Janis’ signature sgraffito technique.

Michael Janis covid coronavirus art craft glass artwork 2020

Detail of Michael Janis’ glass art installation “How We Take Care Of Each Other”

Detail of works by Michael Janis.

Detail of works by Michael Janis. The translucent glass panels are mounted off the wall in varying dimensions, with light and shadow highlighting each panel edge.

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Detail of one of Michael Janis’ kilnformed works. COVID-19 cases are heavily concentrated in the African American population.

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The fabric of society is held together by even the smallest physical contact. Touch is as important a social condition as anything. It reduces stress. It makes people trust one another. It allows for cooperation. When you look at people in solitary confinement suffering from touch deprivation, you see that people lose a sense that someone’s got their back, that they’re part of a community and connected to others.

Glass Work is Essential!

Washington DC’s University has been tasked with 3D printing personal protective equipment (PPE) for the city hospitals and UDC’s largest printer had gone down with a cracked print plate. UDC contacted Washington Glass School looking to replace it – stat!

Erwin Timmers works with Essential Glass!

Erwin Timmers works with Essential Glass!

WGS Director Erwin Timmers set about getting the UDC PPE up and running! As a good neighbor – WGS is there!

Go! Erwin – Go!

Glass Love In the Time Of COVID

covid.19.usa.art.glass.new.corona.virus.2We are watching the evolving news and recommendations regarding COVID-19 carefully. At this time, we are not canceling any scheduled programs. However, to help keep our glass community healthy, we are implementing the following procedures and policies immediately:

  • Increased cleaning of common areas and tools.
  • All artists are to wash hands upon entry to the studio. Soap and water are our new best friends. Washing your hands to 2 renditions of “Happy Birthday” is a good time pacer for washing (& everyone loves a birthday party!)
  • Eye contact, smiles, nods and words will be used instead of our usual high fives and big hugs.
  • If you are feeling “under the weather” or cough-y or sneeze-y …stay at home. Do not come into the studio.
  • Please use your best judgment on whether or not to attend a workshop, event, etc. at Washington Glass School. We urge you to err on the side of caution!

Below is an infographic about ways to prevent COVID-19, and a few links to other resources from people who have expertise in the areas of public health (we’ll stick to our expertise in art).

We are sending out lots of love to you, all our community, and the whole world for good health.

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CDC COVID-19 Guidelines