To end 2024 on a positive note – We are looking forward to 2025: DC’s new Cedar Hill hospital commissioned Washington Glass Studio to make a ‘DC themed’ glass mural (8 foot x 5 foot high). All our studio artists were invited to make inset panels in their glass style. Just started process fitting out glass panels into the steel framework- here’s a sneak peek! The artwork will be installed early in 2025!! Happy New Year!
Artists involved include: Nancy Kronstadt, Erwin Timmers, Tim Tate, Arden Colley, John Henderson, Patricia de Poel Wilberg, Graciela Granek, April Shelford, Jaelin Jones, Jun Lee, Trish Kent, Chip Montague and Michael Janis.
Resident Artist Jun Lee preps her bas-relief glass panel.Jun Lee, dimensional cast glass panel, 14″ x 14″, 2024
Join us for the Washington Glass School’s Holiday Open Studios on Saturday, December 14th, from 12-5 PM! Explore a dazzling collection of glass art and other creations by our talented Resident Artists and Instructors, just in time for holiday gift shopping or adding unique pieces to your collection.
Erwin Timmers, cast recycled glass & steel, 15″H x 20″W x 5″D, 2024
Virginia’s Lorton Workhouse Arts Center opened their 10th Annual Glass International, an exhibition highlighting the depth and breadth of contemporary functional and sculptural glass art. This year, in celebration of Workhouse Arts’ 10th year exhibiting glass they opened eligibility to include artists working internationally.
Kate Barfield “Dream of the Wind-Up Bird”Patricia de Poel Wilberg
Washington Glass School was well represented by WGS Resident Artists Kate Barfield, Patrica de Poel Wilberg, and April Shelford- congratulations!
Washington Glass School artists (L-R) April Shelford, Kate Barfield, Patrica de Poel Wilberg, Arden Colley.
Exhibiting Glass International Artists: Karen Abbott, Kate Barfield, Denise Bohart Brown, Beryl Brenner, Lee Campbell, Guillermo Castaneda Jr., Marcy Chevali, Anthony D’Amico, Patricia de Poel Wilberg, Jeanne Marie Ferraro, Olga Gobernik Kon, Ruth Gowell, Jennifer Hand, Mollie Hansen, Jennifer Hecker, Marla Heiner, Sara Hitchcock, Mary Jones, Martin Kremer, Kelly Lacy, Becca Low, Sandi Martina, Kimberly McKinnis, Shawn Messenger, Paul Messink, Jack Schmidt, Michael Scupholm, April Shelford, Madeline Shir, Ori Shir, Aric Snee, Chuchen Song, Tim Spurchise, Heather Sutherland, Tabitha Thierjung, Katherine Thomas, Exer Thurston, Michael Tracy, Snuffy Wright
Winter Open Studios Set for Dec 14th! Mark Your Calendars!
Join us in the DC region’s largest one-day visual arts event! On Saturday, Dec. 14th, from Noon til 5PM, Washington Glass School and its Resident Artists, Teachers and Students will participate in the Winter Open Studios! See what we’ve been up to! Come visit hundreds of working artist studios in the Gateway Arts District, along Route 1 from the DC line/ Mount Rainier up to Hyattsville, MD.
Washington Glass School 3700 Otis Street, MD Rainier, MD
This Election Day 2024 is SO important! Make your voice heard! Washington Glass School’s Resident Artist Patricia Kent’s glass art shines light on democracy!
Trish Kent, VOTE!, 2024, kilnformed glass. 24″W x 60″H. Trish Kent, The Divided States of America, 2023, kilnformed glass, mixed mediaArtist Trish Kent talks about their statement glass artwork at Montpelier Arts Center in 2024.
Washington Glass School ca 2004, located in the Washington Sculpture Center in SE DC.
In the aftermath of the 2000 Artomatic show, renowned glass artist Tim Tate and metal/eco-artist Erwin Timmers felt the need to create a space for the growing glass art community in Washington, DC. Their solution was the founding of what was first called “Meltdown”—the future Washington Glass School. The school’s very first class, held on September 13, 2001, came in the shadow of one of the most tragic days in American history. While the founders initially considered canceling the session, the overwhelming desire of the students to move forward created an indelible bond. The class became a healing space, where sadness and fear were channeled into creativity and connection.
Meltdown Studio class schedule 2001Early light fixture class (ca 2002) shows off their finished works.
From those early days, the Washington Glass School (WGS) has embraced community and resilience as core values. In 2003, the school relocated from its original home—now the Rubell Museum in DC’s Southwest neighborhood—to the Washington Sculpture Center. Michael Janis, an innovative artist who joined the school that year, became a director by 2005. His leadership, alongside Tate and Timmers, continued to steer the school as it grew in reputation.
Future WGS Director Michael Janis (center) in his first class at Washington Glass School, 2003.Michael Janis works with students from DC’s Stuart Hobson Middle School (ca 2004).
In 2006, a turning point came when the school’s building was taken by eminent domain to make way for the Washington Nationals’ baseball stadium. Unfazed, the WGS team moved just outside the District to Mount Rainier, Maryland. It’s been their home ever since, where they continue to teach, collaborate, and create public art.
WGS Directors (L-R Michael Janis, Tim Tate, Erwin Timmers)
WGS has evolved into a dynamic hub for artistic exploration, encouraging artists to challenge the conventional limits of glass as an art medium. Their collaborative spirit thrives, with glass artists working alongside creatives from other disciplines, producing public art that speaks to the heart of the community.
In 2024, DC artist Kelly Towles painted a mural “I ❤ Glass” on the facade of the glass school.
The Mount Rainier Arts Commission (MRAC) has been networking the area creatives with a monthly “artist’s social” for artists (in all media and forms) that live or work in Mt Rainier- this month’s event is a Social at the Glass School – Wed, 28th Aug, from 6-7:30!
And a perfect chance to chat up the new commissioners about the representation of the arts in our area. These events are a lot of fun and connect!
MRAC L-R Deanna Noel, Becca Solow, Tessla Thompson at the July event held at Pennyroyal Station.WGS Co Director Michael Janis shares a laugh with MRAC’s John Daemond
And a great time to view the new Kelly Towles mural on the side of the Glass school!
Kelly Towles’ mural “I ❤ Glass” on the Washington Glass School, August 2024
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 at the Washington Glass School!
Your table/studio space runs $450 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.
As a studio artist – besides being part of a community, you have access to the studio’s cold shop facility and kiln firings.
The Washington Glass School (near the Rhode Island/ Route 1 Eastern Ave border of the District of Columbia) is now accepting applications for artist incubator studio spaces (available immediately).
Step into a world where glass transcends its ordinary form and becomes a canvas of boundless creativity. The Washington Glass Scene on display in Artomatic’s Level 5 invites you to celebrate the kaleidoscopic fusion of artistry and craftsmanship on April 16th, 2024 from 5-7PM. Prepare to be captivated as the magic of glass takes center stage in a creative showcase unlike any other. Join us as we celebrate the transformative power of this versatile medium, where every piece tells a unique story and invites you to explore the depths of imagination. Meet the artists that are making the Washington Glass Scene a distinctive voice and push the boundaries, redefining the possibilities of glass. Event is Free and open to the Public!
After 31 years of building and managing the Weisser Glass Studio, Nancy Weisser has announced her retirement. The new owners of the Kensington glass studio are long time Weisser Studio managers Sharon Moffitt and Rachel Brooks.
The keys to the Weisser Glass kingdom are passed to the next generation in a smooth process.
Sharon graduated from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and was the studio manager for over twenty-one years. Rachel has been working at Weisser Glass Studio since 2010.
New Glass Studio owners Rachel Brooks & Sharon Moffitt.
Another end of an era. Thank you, Nancy, for all the support you have given to the glass community in the DC area, and all the best to you in your retirement. And best of luck to Sharon Moffitt and Rachel Brooks!!
