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!!
Ever wanted to learn how to weld? Want to impress your friends, your older brother and that cute bartender? It’s easier than you think! In three evenings you will learn how to lay a bead, and handle all sorts of sharp and dangerous tools. You will be able to complete a small project and leave with lots of ideas and know-how for other projects. This class will teach you the basics of welding, metal work and design, joining, bending and finishing. And you will get dirty! Sessions A,B& C classes are filled!
NOTE! ALL summer MIG Welding Classes are FILLED! Contact erwin@washglass.com direct to be put on waitlist!
Dive into the intersection of glass casting and woodblock printing in this innovative course. Participants will embark on a journey merging traditional techniques to create unique artworks.
You will learn the fundamentals of woodblock printing, and how to carve intricate designs into wood blocks to produce striking prints. Then we will explore a novel approach: using the woodcut blocks to create molds for casting glass.
This hands-on course explores the fusion of traditional and contemporary printmaking techniques by transforming carved woodcut blocks into glass printing plates.
By the end of the course, students will have produced 4 remarkable artworks: a traditional woodblock print, a cast glass duplicate, and a print piece of each that celebrates the harmonious marriage of these two distinct mediums.CLASS FULL!
Note: Class is on Tues nites Sept 10, 17, 24 and Oct 1- not Thurs as listed earlier.
Printmaker Jun LeeTim Tate & Jun Lee
The amazing instructors for this special class are Jun Lee & Tim Tate.
Jun Lee is a printmaker who works in large format woodcut utilizing animals as metaphors to convey competition in our daily lives. She is currently the Printmaking Artist in Residence at the Lee Arts Center in Arlington, VA and she teaches relief printmaking at Montgomery College Takoma Park/Silver Spring, MD.
Tim Tate is founder of Washington Glass School and is a glass sculptor known for his impressive use of optical illusions and unique exploration of theoretical thought. Tate’s work is in the permanent collections of various museums, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Mint Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina.
As highlighted in Washingtonian Magazine – Our most popular class, this is the fastest way to learn all aspects of warm glass in the shortest amount of time! Under the supervision of a professional glass artist you will learn the fundamentals of fusing, slumping and dimensional kiln casting. Everything from bowls and plates to sculptural objects… this is the perfect way for a beginner to learn the basics of glass… and you will leave with several very cool items!
All of us at the Washington Glass School & Studio Wish You and Family a Joyous Holiday Season! And a Happy Healthy New Year!
(L-R) Patricia De Poel Wilberg, Erwin Timmers, Christina Helowicz, Nancy Kronstadt, Kate Barfield, Tim Tate, April Shelford, Michael Janis, Trish Kent and John Henderson. Not pictured: Graciela Granek, Sean Robinson, Diane Cabe, Gabrielle Morris, Kyle Crosby, and Daphne Matyas.
Glass Sculptor and Artist Tim Tate looks back on 20 years of creating a community. He recently put together some of his observations on well, how did we get here?
Artist Tim Tate
“I had been raised in a household filled with craft materials. I rarely saw my mother’s hands empty, always creating something. I inherited this love. I spent my early adult years being trained in the methods revolving around studio glass while attending the 2 weeks to 2-month workshops of Penland, Pilchuck, Corning, Pittsburg, etc. (I had no money to attend grad school …though I yearned for Cranbrook). These years of varied workshops and practitioners was the perfect way to obtain a broad outlook on the entire field. We founded the Washington Glass School in 2001 with very specific goals. Let me see if I can make this clear.
Tim Tate & Joyce Scott work on a new collaborative sculpture at the Washington Glass School.
1). We wanted to be something other than a traditional studio glass shop. From the beginning we realized we wanted a much broader approach; something that reflected the mission of education centers like the Crucible in Oakland and Penland in NC. We embraced mixed media work from the beginning with varied classes in kiln formed glass, steel, electronics, encaustics, etc. Our idea was not to in any way denigrate the rich history of studio glass, but to live just outside of those confines to see what would happen. To step slightly away from the 20th century.
Tim Tate “We Rose Up”, 2017, Cast objects, mirrors, and LED’s, 32 × 32 × 4 in.
2). As a gay man in glass, it was apparent that diversity was sorely lacking in every way in the glass world. So we did outreach and advertised our classes in many publications that went to diverse populations, rather than wait for these populations to approach us. This worked very well. Even now we go to the Facebook pages of different neighborhoods to show our class schedules.
The Brothers De La Torre visit the Washington Glass School in 2015.
With William Warmus we came up with the original concept of “Glass Secessionism”…to step slightly away from the recognized canon of 20th century glass and to create as much dialog and critical analysis as possible. There have been over 1.5 million words written and over thousands of images shared on this page focusing almost entirely on that theme.
In 2008, Artomatic held an international glass show.
4). We participated in many local shows here in the DC area, such as the spectacular Art-O-Matic show that truly put us on the map. We also curated many shows over the years to include local emerging artists. I have served on a dozen boards and juried dozens of shows and grant applications to stay in the loop and form a community bond. There are 3 Co-Directors here, all sharing a similar mission….to create a large regional, national and international community to foster new growth within our field.
2009 Glass Workshop at Washington Glass School. L-R Cheryl P Derricotte, David Cook, Nicole Puzan.
5). Our first class was on Sept. 13, 2001…. a difficult day in history to start anything being right after 9/11. We thought no one would even attend the first classes. But we discovered something else….no one cancelled. It appeared that while the purchase of art slowed to a trickle around the country, the creation of art thrived. Our first class was filled with artists who wanted to make narrative work about the devastation of that event. From that moment on we embraced narrative work with all our hearts. Works about political events, social injustices and inequalities were common within our sculptural classes, and certainly in my own works. We have now been in operation over 20 years, with over 6000 students. 60% of those were and are women, we have a large population of BIPoC students and we have worked with hundreds of LGTBQ students. We are so very proud of this fact.
My purpose for serving on boards right now is to focus on the building of communities as an artistic practice. I want to take a slight step away from academia as these institutions can become elitist, and I want to be non-elitist as we have been from the beginning. I also like regional boards that focus in the mid-Atlantic.
My personal practice had been deeply imbedded in the world of glass galleries and museums, though frequently as an outsider. I have stepped away from this in the last few months. I have moved towards the fine art world once again, as I had started there. It feels great to go back to my roots, surrounded by a community that reaches far beyond anything we ever anticipated.” – Tim Tate, October, 2022
