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 are evening classes.
Did you ever wonder about the mosaic art pieces you may have seen in archeological sites? Mosaics is one of the most beautiful and ancient ways to create art and express ideas. There are several materials that can be used to create mosaics. In this class, you will be able to learn different techniques to create your own mosaic art that will endure the passing of time. You will learn how to prepare a mosaic substrate, learn to cut glass, design and finish 2 plaques of 8 by 8 inches on your own.
Most of the work will be done on the first workshop day. The mosaic has to truly dry before applying grout, therefore, we will meet the next day to apply the grout and do final touches. Beginner level experience.
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
DC GlassWorks – one of the glass studios integral to Washington DC’s contemporary art scene – has announced its closing.
DC GlassWorks studio held many important events. UK artists Phil Vickery and Roger Tye demonstrated at DC GlassWorks as part of an international exhibition of glass and clay artists in 2013.
David D’Orio, the artist-entrepreneur who founded the hotshop with four other artists (Graham Caldwell, Jesse Caldwell, Alger Dole, Wyndell Williams, David DOrio) in 2001 said that the changes in the studio’s surrounding area made it impossible to continue.
Washington Glass School considered DC GlassWorks a “sister school” and held many crossover classes and events with them. We knew what an important part DC GlassWorks was to our art community. Its closing will leave a space in our hearts and our cultural melting pot.
From DC GlassWorks:
The past few years have been challenging for the studio. Our neighboring businesses have changed and, unfortunately, the business models of these new neighbors have forced us to reduce our events and offerings. In the end, location matters. Good neighbors’ matter. It is in this context that we find we can no longer continue offering glassblowing and will be closing the studio over the next month.
It has been a great run and we would like to thank all the studio artists, visiting artists, students, bands, patrons, and everyone else who have supported DC GlassWorks over the last fifteen plus years. We have had the pleasure to teach many hundreds of students of all ages and backgrounds, have hosted movie nights and countless open houses, had the pleasure to host many national and international artists, and tried to pass on our knowledge of glassblowing and sculpture to all who came to the studio. We have had great times, made great art, and hopefully enriched the lives of all persons who we interacted with.
DC GlassWorks was founded on the idea that glassblowing should be accessible to all persons and became a place where a person could start off with no glass experience and, through training, hard work, and perseverance, could make the work they wanted to make and could give back to the greater glass community. Our goal was to foster self-sufficiency so that students were prepared to work in whatever studio they ended up at. We’ve always taught that it was important for all glass artists to make sure they are involved with assisting and teaching. It is heartwarming to see so many former students still working in glass and giving back to the community.
Our parting wish is that students find a place to learn glass that fosters their creativity and self-sufficiency; where people are taught how to blow glass without having to take perpetual ‘private lessons’ before gaining access to equipment; and a place that guides student to a level where they are free to blow glass without having to pay someone to assist/supervise them. We also hope our renters find places they can work that allows them the ability to work without having to befriend the owner, work like indentured servants, or have a specific pedigree or education just to get access to glassblowing facilities. DC GlassWorks was founded to fight against these worn-out models of glass studios. Expect more and aim high.
It has been an amazing ride and we thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts for being a part of this experience.
Director Tim Tate welcomes visiting members of the Arizona Glass Alliance to the Washington Glass School.
The Arizona Glass Alliance – part of the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass – brought a busload of collectors, artists, and glass aficionados to Washington, DC this past week. The glass group visited notable local collections, Maurine Littleton Gallery and wound up their tour of the Nation’s Capitol with dinner and a show at the Washington Glass School.
Flux Studio’s Novie Trump describes what delights await the collectors as they continue their visit to the next door studio.
Sean Hennessey’s new works are spectacular!
Nadine Saylor poses in front of her works on exhibit.
The night was further enhanced with a strolling ukelele troubadour wandering thru the exhibit playing, and an all seeing psychic “Madame Raya” foretold the future for all visitors.
The future looks bright – especially in front of a work by Sean Hennessey! Well done, Madame Raya!
Glass artist and photographer Josh Hershman shows his kiln cast glass cameras, and integrated the visiting AZ crew and the artists showing into a new artwork.
Joshua Hershman’s cast glass cameras.
Josh used his glass camera as the lens for photo images he created using hand-held lighting. The camera and light creates a surreal, bizarre and haunting image of his subjects.
Josh Hershman preps his model at the Glass School darkroom.
Joshua Hershman’s evocative photo images will ultimately be printed on glass.
