Michael Janis & Tim Tate at Toronto’s Sandra Ainsley Gallery June 4 – July 30, 2022
Toronto, Canada’s famed Sandra Ainsley Gallery present the narrative glass artworks by WGS Co-Directors Tim Tate and Michael Janis. The show, titled “One Story is Not Enough” featured works by each artist as a solo, and a number of their collaborative wall murals.
Michael Janis’ imagery in frit powder is reflected in the gallery’s piano surface.
When Michael Janis and Tim Tate met, almost 20 years ago, they discovered a shared fascination of narrative sculpture- one that seeks to arrive at an image that is both unflinchingly candid in physical representation and psychologically evasive. Working together, they are interested in the simultaneous read of an immediately recognizable image that asks the viewer to linger over history and meanings that unfurl more slowly. Mark, line and material become an extension of touch in the act of representation. The relationship of hand to subject, negotiated through the material, can elicit a response of both visual and tactile.
“The Poetry of Everyday Objects” by Michael Janis & Tim Tate, 2021; Size:6H x 6W’; Cast Glass
With these confines they create work in many techniques, but if you stand slightly back and see their history a huge thread of interconnected stories weave through their work from day one. The beauty comes into focus and the viewer sees the edges of a world not dissimilar to this one, but so much more thoughtful.
Detail – “The Poetry of Everyday Objects”, Michael Janis & Tim Tate
They present this glimpse into that alternative world, seemingly unstuck in time somewhere between past and future.
Tim Tate, Lenticular series, 2022, each panel 41″H x 41″W, lenticular prints
Sandra Ainsley Gallery The Warehouse 100 Sunrise Avenue, Unit 150 Toronto, Ontario Canada M4A 1B3
“There’s A Big Hole In The Sky” – Collaborative sculpture by Tim Tate, Michael Janis, and Chris Shea.
The Venice Biennale is an international art exhibition featuring architecture, visual arts, cinema, dance, music, and theatre that is held in the Castello district of Venice, Italy every two years during the summer. This year’s Venice Biennale includes a collateral event – ‘Glasstress’ – held at the historic Berengo Studios in Murano, Italy.
The 59th International Art Exhibition features a sculptural collaboration between DC glass artists Tim Tate, Michael Janis and Brandywine metal sculptor Chris Shea, representing the USA.
Detail of Tate,Janis,Shea artwork showing cast glass and metalwork .
Chris Shea’s incredible metal work frames out Tim Tate’s lush fields of cast glass elements (detailed figures, flowers, insects) and in center, a glass sgraffito panel by Michael Janis.
A central concern in “There’s a Big Hole in The Sky” is that viewers need to abandon their apathy towards climate change. This monumental sculpture brings to light the effects of global warming on the earth as most areas will be facing frequent flooding. Despite the growing evidence of climate change, and humanity as the driver of that change, there remains a hardcore 20 percent or so that reject the whole notion of it and a healthy percentage that remain unconvinced that humans are causing it. And on top of those dismal statistics, many believe that climate change does not represent a threat to them. The artwork is an invitation to understand, to act, and to prepare. But if political solutions to climate change don’t materialize soon, it may also be an invitation to come to terms with loss.
Image of installation at Berengo Studios in Murano, Italy.
From Biennale Press Release
GLASSTRESS 2022
2 JUNE – 27 NOVEMBER 2022
BERENGO ART SPACE FOUNDATION
Venice, 2022
At the same time as the 59th Venice Biennale, the seventh edition of GLASSTRESS, scheduled from June 2 to November 27, 2022, brings together a group of important contemporary artists from Europe, the United States, Latin America, Africa and China in an ambitious exhibition that explores the infinite creative possibilities of glass.
The works will be housed in the Berengo Art Space Foundation in Murano, an old abandoned furnace transformed a few years ago into an evocative exhibition space. On display will be works by artists who have already collaborated and exhibited at GLASSTRESS with Berengo Studio, such as Ai Weiwei, Jimmie Durham, Tony Cragg, Monira Al Qadiri, Thomas Schütte, as well as first-time attendees Vanessa Beecroft, María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Tim Tate, Paloma Varga Weisz and eL Seed, among others.
GLASSTRESS is a project by Adriano Berengo dedicated to promoting new connections between contemporary art and glass. Starting from its debut in 2009 as a side event of the Venice Biennale, over the years GLASSTRESS has made dozens of internationally renowned artists and designers passionate about the traditional craft of Murano glass blowing, who have tried their hand at creating suggestive and innovative works in glass with the support of the masters of Berengo Studio.
GLASSTRESS 2022 – ARTISTS
NEW ARTISTS
Vanessa Beecroft (Italy), María Magdalena Campos-Pons (Cuba), Judy Chicago (United States), Chiara Dynys (Italy), eL Seed (France), Leandro Erlich (Argentina), Ryan Gander (Great Britain), Michael Janis (United States), Alexander Evgenievich Ponomarev (Russia), Laurent Reypens (Belgium), Liam Scully (Great Britain), Chris Shea (United States), Paloma Varga Weisz (Germany), Osman Yousefzada (Great Britain).
RETURNING ARTISTS
Ai Weiwei (China), Monira Al Qadiri (Kuwait), Ayman Baalbaki (Lebanon), Tony Cragg (Great Britain), Jimmie Durham (United States), Jan Fabre (Belgium), Josepha Gasch-Muche (Germany), Kendell Geers ( South Africa), Marya Kazoun (Lebanon / Canada), Brigitte Kowanz (Austria), Karen LaMonte (United States), Tomáš Libertiny (Slovak Republic), Massimo Lunardon (Italy), Federica Marangoni (Italy), Prune Nourry (France), Anne Peabody (United States), Jaume Plensa (Spain), Laure Prouvost (France), Thomas Schütte (Germany), Sean Scully (United States), Wael Shawky (Egypt), Lino Tagliapietra (Italy), Tim Tate (United States) , Koen Vanmechelen (Belgium), Robert Wilson (United States), Rose Wylie (Great Britain), Erwin Wurm (Austria).
“Compositions In Light” public artwork sculpture at Maryland’s Town Center Phase 2.
Washington Glass Studio was commissioned to make a new, two-part public art sculpture installation for the new mixed use residential development, Ansel, in Rockville, MD. Working with the project’s art consultant Artists Circle Fine Arts, the outlined goals were to enhance the location and the urban environment, as well as creating welcoming and colorful place markers that enlivens Rockville Town Center. The client – Duball, LLC – asked that the street placemaking artwork allow for a sense of fun and discovery.
The site – Ansel, 33 Monroe Street, Rockville, MD
The development was named “Ansel”, as spiritual nod to incredible American photographer Ansel Adams. Adams was considered a master of his craft and his experimentation with light gradations, degrees of exposure, and new techniques. Best known for his dramatic photographs of the American West, Adams achieved a popularity that few other photographers have known. Dedicated to wilderness preservation, he succeeded in changing the way Americans perceived their natural environment.
Ansel Adams
Ansel Adams
American photographer Ansel Adams
Creating a strong visual element for the streetscape – while maintaining clear pedestrian circulation – Washington Glass Studio focused on creating an internally illuminated vertical tower – approx 11′ high.
Prelimary studies of sculpture form – based on the classic camera tripod shape.
Named “Compositions In Light”, the sculpture is made of cast glass and powdercoated metal. The inset glass panels in the artwork incorporates artistic references to renowned photographer Ansel Adams – with artistic takes on his photos of still lifes, architecture, and landscapes; his love of nature, and sculptural interpretations of Adams main instrument – cameras.
Plaster mold in kiln
Christina gets the shot!
Convoluted Positions
Duball crew works in the kilns
First firings in kiln
Ansel Adams’ photographs were the inspiration for the sculpted works within the public art.
The powder coated metal structure is arranged in triangular format to reference the classic photographers camera tripod. The shape also gives greater strength both structurally and in profile. The vertical structure supports the LED lighting and allows an even light to the glass wall panel opposite. The glass panels are inset into a removable grid section that is bolted to the structural frame. Each cast glass panel is set into silicone within metal angle surrounds. The metal base has a removable section to allow access to electrical source to tower.
Co-Director Michael Janis performs the QC.
The steel framework for the Rockville, MD public art sculpture.
Dimensional inset panels made of handmade cast glass presents tactile images of nature and objects that refer to Ansel Adams work and career. The varied nature of the artwork mounted in separate panels would invite investigation and exploration.
Shay Summers coldworks one of the artwork inset panels.
The gorgeous, illuminated tower is made up of colorful, tactile cast glass that defines each corner of the site. The inset glass panels are varied, but color coordinated with accent color panels to give a vibrancy to the design. The tapering form leads viewers eyes upward to a unique finial endcap, a cast sculpture that makes a fun, witty and distinctive statement. Dimensional inset panels made of handmade cast glass presents tactile images of nature and objects that refer to Ansel Adams work and career. The varied nature of the artwork mounted in separate panels would invite investigation and exploration.
Erwin Timmers reviews the artwork installation.
The installation onsite of the glass and steel artwork.
Sparkling in the daytime and backlit with energy efficient LED, the glass artwork in “Compositions in Light” will always be a visible presence on the street. The metalwork and thickness of each glass panel make the artwork strong for a streetscape environment. In the history of American conservation, few have worked as long and as effectively to preserve wilderness and to articulate the “wilderness idea” as Ansel Adams. He spent decades in the battle to protect the environment. Helping reinforce the background of Ansel Adams as an environmental activist are the color directions for the artwork. Blues and greens are the colors most associated with nature and the environment.
The interplay of sculpture, the colors & quality of cast glass and the prominent location makes this an integrated urban design that brings focus to the site. The freestanding nature of the installed artwork encourages visitors and residents to walk around the artwork and experience a dynamic sense of place. A sense of playful fun caps each sculpture and helps define the paired artworks. United by form, colorful towers reinforce their connection to the artwork of Ansel Adams with finials inspired by the master photographer’s artwork.
The artwork at night is lit from within with energy efficient LED.
“Compositions In Light”
Project Address: 33 Monroe St, Rockville, MD 20850
Client: Duball, LLC
Maryland’s Rockville Town Center Phase II includes 400 apartment units; 250 market-rate luxury apartments and 150 senior affordable apartments to be owned and managed by the Housing Opportunities Commission.
Artwork Project Team: Erwin Timmers, Christina Helowicz, Tim Tate, Michael Janis, Shay Summers
John Henderson; Peoples’ Community Lutheran Church. Dimensions: 8ft x 18”, Glass/cast glass and cloth on wood panels. Title: God Is Great
John Henderson, glass artist sculptor (and a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Pimlico) recently created, designed, and installed an outdoor art sculpture for People’s Community Lutheran Church of Baltimore.
John Henderson; “God is Great”; Glass/cast glass and cloth on wood panels.
The sculpture represents all of the African Descent congregations’ connectiveness, in the DEMD Synod.
John Henderson; “God Is Great” detail.
The artwork, titled “God is Great” consists of kilnfused glass Adinkra symbols, layered on Kente fabric and dimensional cast glass panels measuring 16″x16″. The symbol called “Gye Nyame” represents the supremacy of God.
Bishop Gohl, of the Delaware-Maryland Synod, ELCA enthused about the newest public art sculpture.
Congratulations to John and the Peoples’ Community Lutheran Church!
The Elizabeth R. Raphael Founder’s Prize Award and Exhibition Application Deadline: Friday, October 22, 2021 Exhibition: September 9, 2022 – March 18, 2023 In celebration of its 25th anniversary in 1997, Pittsburgh’s Center for Contemporary Craft established a $5,000 prize for excellence in the field of contemporary craft. This biennial award, which is given in conjunction with a catalogue, video profile and juried exhibition, is funded by the daughters of Elizabeth R. Raphael, the founder of Contemporary Craft and a nationally known figure in the contemporary art scene for many decades. Prizes are selected by medium, with the designated medium changing with each biennial award. The 2022 prize will be awarded for a work in glass.
MEDIA CRITERIA
The 2022 Elizabeth R. Raphael Founder’s Prize competition is open to all artists working in glass. Emerging artists are especially encouraged to apply.
THEME
The prize will be awarded to a work created between August 2021 and July 2022 that addresses the theme of “transformation.”
JURYING PROCESS
Jurying will take place in two phases. From the initial submissions, a group of finalists will be invited to submit a work on the selected theme for the final jurying and inclusion in the Raphael Prize exhibition. Only one work per artist may be provided for final jurying. Artists are eligible to include work made after August 2021.
DEADLINE
All digital entries must be received by 5 pm Friday, October 22, 2021.
JURORS
A six-member panel will select finalists from the initial submissions, and also select the prize-winning entry. Jurors will include: Heather McElwee, Randi & L. Van V. Dauler, Jr. executive director, Pittsburgh Glass Center, Pittsburgh, PA; Anna Rothfuss, project development manager, Derix Art Glass Consultants, LLC U.S., Portland, OR; Alexandra Raphael, enameller, London, England; Catherine Raphael, metalsmith and storyteller, Pittsburgh, PA; Rachel Saul Rearick, executive director and Kate Lydon, director of exhibitions, Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh,PA.
ELIGIBILITY
Open to exceptionally talented artists who are in the early, mid or late stages of their career and reside in the United States or abroad.
APPLICATION DETAILS
Application materials must include:
1) Resume (2-page maximum) in doc or pdf format (file size must be under 1MB);
2) 4 Representative Images similar in quality and nature to the work the artist would enter if selected as a finalist, images need not be the exact pieces the artist intends to enter (file size for each image must be under 2MB);
3) Image Details including: title, year, medium, size, retail value
4) Non-refundable Entry Fee* of $45 payable online or via check payable to Contemporary Craft, 5645 Butler Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
Previous Raphael Prize videos may be viewed at: https://contemporarycraft.org/exhibitions/elizabeth-r-raphael-founders-prize.
More information and to apply: https://contemporarycraft.org/exhibitions/elizabeth-r-raphael-founders-prize/
Contemporary Craft 5645 Butler Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
Contemporary Craft has relocated to its new, permanent home in the Upper Lawrenceville neighborhood in Pittsburgh, PA and opened its doors to the public on September 3, 2020.
Through its mission of engaging the public in creative experiences through contemporary craft, the organization offers meaningful art opportunities through four core values:
Providing vital support for artists Filling critical gaps in public education Sharing cross-cultural perspectives Using art to build community.
Michigan’s Habatat Galleries Hosts ZOOM award presentation Saturday, May 1st, 2021.
Saturday, May 1st, @ 1pm ET, Habatat Galleries will present a zoom presentation of works selected for “Viral Glass”. This on-line exhibition looks specifically at how glass artists around the world are responding to the Pandemic. While some have focused on the virus itself and the fear it instills, others have explored the depth and intensity of world-wide isolation. Other creative individuals have focused on how this disaster can bring communities together, or how it has torn us apart. In any case, artists in every field have contributed to keeping the world moving.
This show will mark the long anticipated return of David McFadden, who was Chief Curator of the Museum of Arts and Design in NYC for 16 years, to our field as guest curator for this show.
RSVP for a Habatat-Zoom presentation this Saturday, May 1st at 1:00 p.m. ET. for a Zoom with the attending artists. Click HERE for more info and to RSVP. Habatat and David preview the works in the Viral Glass 2021 exhibition and speak with each artist about their work and inspiration.
Michael Janis and Tony Porto glass/mixed media exhibit has dominated Michigan’s press as the news agencies and tv shows all feature works by the artists and their story.
Detroit News loves the new glass/mixed media works by Michael Janis and Tony Porto!
Local Fox News – Fox 2 – sent reporters into the gallery to interview Director Aaron Schey and get the story on the Not Grandmas Glass (NGG) exhibit and competition as well as an eyeful of the artworks. Click here to jump to one of the three interviews by Fox.
Fox 2 Detroit interviews Habatat Galleries’ Aaron Schey to dish about NGG and works by Michael Janis and Tony Porto.
“Friendship is Magic” and “Say Your Prayers and Take Your Vitamins” glass/mixed media artworks by Michael Janis and Tony Porto are on exhibit at Royal Oak gallery.
Click Here to jump to article about the Janis/Porto exhibit in the Oakland Press.
Public art created by artists of the Washington Glass Studio both enrich and celebrate diverse communities. Successful projects include – The Monumental Doors for the Library of Congress, Laurel Library, the Washington DC Gateway Arch, and the West Palm Beach International Airport.
Michael Janis and Erwin Timmers will discuss how they navigate the complex processes from finding the projects to their ultimate creation and installation.
On Tuesday, September 15, at 2 p.m. Eastern time, AACG starts their Online Education Series called “FIRED UP” – click on the link to register for the free event:
The Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to further the development and appreciation of art made from glass.
The Alliance informs collectors, critics and curators by encouraging and supporting museum exhibitions, university glass departments and specialized teaching programs, regional collector groups, visits to private collections, and public seminars.
Teri Swinhart is a multimedia artist holding a BFA in Glass from The University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point and an MFA from The Ohio State University. She thrives in learning, pursuing opportunities to expand her understanding of material at institutions such as Penland School of Crafts, the Corning Museum of Glass, Pilchuck Glass School and the Chrysler Museum of Art. Teri currently lives and works in Washington D.C. as the Studio Coordinator for the Washington Glass School and the Director of WGS Contemporary.
Teri Swinhart teaching pâte de verre technique at the Washington Glass School.
Washington Glass School blog catches up with Teri as her work is part of the WGS Contemporary online exhibit “CLICK-IT!”.
Washington Glass School (WGS): Describe your artwork method/process.
Teri Swinhart: The forms for the Sanctuary Series are constructed by precisely layering thin glass strands to imitate weaved textile patterns. The glass strands are lightly melted together and then heated until they slump over a hand-made mold. Each mold is uniquely carved out of a soft plaster mixture that is removed after firing, creating a negative space within the glass sculpture. I also create a charcoal drawing of my inspiration (a child hiding under a blanket) to help guide the viewer and add visual variety.
Teri Swinhart, “Sanctuary Among Fragility”; Kilnworked Glass, Flat Glass; 6”x7”x4”; concept sketch above finished work.
I combined an assortment of processes to create Seeking Home. This piece includes a hand sculpted figure as well as a glass quilt square. I made the square by sifting ground up glass powder (called frit) through a stencil onto a larger sheet of flat glass. I then fired the sheet and fused the pattern onto the surface.
Teri Swinhart, detail, “Seeking Home”; Glass, Poly-Vitro, Wood; 18”x20”x6”
Delicate Revolution is an installation of over 400 eyehooks that have been corseted together with layers of silk ribbon. This installation changes every time it is presented and is dependent on the space around it.
Defiance (in Artists for Racial Justice Fundraiser) is a deep red glass casting of a human neck with its chin raised. The chin proudly jutting out, even though it is fractured and worn. The mold for the piece was made by painting body safe rubber mold material onto my model’s neck, waiting for it to try, then removing the mold and pouring wax into it to create a reproduction. The wax neck is then covered in plaster-silica to create a kilnproof mold. The wax is melted of out the mold and the negative space that it leaves is filled with cold chunks of glass and heated up in a kiln until they melt.
WGS: Describe your work in the show and highlight aspects that the viewers should understand about the work.
Teri Swinhart: The work in this show highlights many of the different processes and materials that I enjoy working with. All of these works highlight my fascination with textiles and their role in the home. Similar to artists like Mary Cassatt, I am drawn to exploring the beautiful intimacy within the home and the personal.
WGS: What artwork/event has moved you and got you thinking about your own work?
Teri Swinhart: The two biggest things influencing my work (and much of the world) right now are COVID and the BLM Movement. So much of the inspiration for my work comes from the emotion and vulnerability of the extremely personal. I am painfully empathetic, so to watch this many people die so brutally leaves me fluctuating between heartbroken, terrified, and enraged. I don’t think I could keep emotions this intense out of my artwork even if I really tried. It has shown me that I need to take a stance on things I have been privileged enough to avoid in the past and use my voice to spread love and promote change. No pressure…
Here’s your coffee… & thank-you for wearing a mask!
WGS: if you were not an artist – what would you be?
Teri Swinhart: A psychologist… or a barista.
WGS: Do you do a lot of planning in your work – or is there an element of chance while working?
Teri Swinhart: Definitely a little bit of both. I feel like I spend 75% of the time in my sketchbook working through each element of an idea before I begin making, then when I feel comfortable with the plan I begin bringing it to life. I am flexible throughout the process and lots of things change as I lay the materials next to each other and work through the installation… it keeps me on my toes!
Click here to jump to Teri Swinhart’s work in CLICK-IT!
Teri’s work is part of the companion exhibit/fundraiser – “Artists for Racial Justice” Click HERE to jump to the show.
Carmen Lozar‘s glass sculptures inspires and provoke imagination. Telling stories has always been her primary objective. Some narratives are sad, funny, or thoughtful but artworks are always about celebrating life. Carmen lives in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois where she maintains a studio and is a member of the art faculty at Illinois Wesleyan University. She has taught at Pilchuck Glass School, Penland School of Craft, Pittsburgh Glass School, Appalachian Center for Crafts, The Chrysler Museum, and the Glass Furnace in Istanbul, Turkey. She has had residencies at the Corning Museum of Glass and Penland School of Craft. Although she travels abroad to teach and share her love for glass – most recently to Turkey, Italy, and New Zealand – she always returns to her Midwestern roots.
Washington Glass School blog catches up with Carmen as her work is part of the WGS Contemporary online exhibit “CLICK-IT!”
Carmen Lozar
Washington Glass School (WGS): Describe your artwork method/process.
Carmen Lozar: I work with rods and tubes of borosilicate glass at a torch. Flameworking lends itself to small intimate pieces, the type I most enjoy making. The process requires concentration, years of skill building and many, many generous mentors who are willing to share their knowledge.
WGS: Describe your work in the show and highlight aspects that the viewers should understand about the work.
Carmen Lozar: The work is the show is meant to be intimate and accessible, highlighting human follies in a lighthearted way. The bubble gum pieces are about the sticky messes we continually put ourselves in but also the ridiculous and stretchy nature of glass as a material. To me, much of the work is both funny and sad.
The ketchup and mustard piece, Fight, is about the continual small spats that my daughters engage in daily. I know that they love each other and work well together but this does not stop them from ongoing sibling rivalry. This piece makes light of their arguments knowing they will pass and, in a way, preserving my sanity.
Carmen Lozar, “Fight”, Flameworked glass and found object. 3″H x 8″L x 2″D
WGS: How have you handled the Covid lockdown?
Carmen Lozar: I have been oscillating between enjoying a quiet summer and completely freaking out. There is so much to process and digest that I am sure the landscape of what we make will change as a result. I believe an entirely new aesthetic will result as a product of the pandemic and unrest.
Image from Carmen Lozar’s sketchbook.
WGS: Do you do a lot of planning in your work – or is there an element of chance while working?
Carmen Lozar: I do a lot of planning before I begin a new artwork, usually beginning with several drawings in my sketchbook. I usually stick to the drawing/idea pretty closely although if there are too many repetitive parts in the piece I will simplify. I have a short attention span and making the same objects over and over, while I love the way it looks, is difficult for me.
WGS: if you were not an artist – what would you be?
Carmen Lozar: An allergist.
WGS: What is your rule of thumb in determining when a work is finished?
Carmen Lozar: You get a crazy wonderful rush of adrenaline that you cannot find anywhere else!
Click here to jump to Carmen Lozar’s work in CLICK-IT!
Click HERE to jump to the show.
