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The Sin Eater Glass 25 x 46 x 6 inches
As part of the James Renwick Alliance Distinguished Artist Series, Judith Schaechter will teach a Creativity Workshop on May 21, 2011. Designed to help artists explore ways to break through “artists block” and expand their creative practice, participants will engage in group discussions as well as individual exercises. On Sunday, May 22, Judith Schaechter will present a lecture on her work in the Grand Salon at the Renwick Gallery. The lecture will be free and open to the public.
Lockdown Glass 21 x 31 x 6 inches
Judith Schaechter, renowned stained glass artist, is the recipient of many grants, including the Guggenheim Fellowship, two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships in Crafts, The Louis Comfort Tiffany Award, The Joan Mitchell Award, the Pew Fellowship in the Arts and a Leeway Foundation grant. Her work is in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Corning Museum of Glass, The Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick and numerous other collections. Judith’s work was included in the 2002 Whitney Biennial, and she is a 2008 USA Artists Rockefeller Fellow.
The Minotaur (detail) Glass 38 x 25 x 6 inches
Creativity is mysterious, miraculous and utterly crucial to an artists’ practice. Because Judith Schaechter herself experienced some difficult bouts of artist’ block, she did a great deal of research into this fascinating and elusive subject. How does one become inspired? How does one choose the one idea to pursue amongst many ideas? Are there techniques to improve oneself creatively?
Ultimately, Judith divided creativity into the following: Inspiration, Perspiration (developing ideas into pieces), Practice (work habits, motivation), Audience and Beliefs.
This workshop will begin with a questionnaire, which should identify areas of interest to the participants. Judith will then share a presentation on what she has discovered. Lively group discussions and individual exercises will follow.
For more information or to register for any of these programs please e-mail: admin@jra.org
SOFA Chicago Preview Oct 2nd
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SOFA CHICAGO 2010 PREVIEW
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Flux Studios
Works of Novie Trump, Laurel Lukaszewski, Jessica Beels and Judit Varga.
3700 Otis Street Mt. Rainier, MD 20712
Spring Craft Weekend is in the air!
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National Building Museum
The melting mountains of snow are revealing jolly jonquils; the birds are returning and the days are getting longer – it can mean only one thing: Spring Craft Weekend is soon!
This April, there are many events planned that even the most jaded art lover, craft fancier, and media-specific aficionado can participate in.
The 28th Smithsonian Craft Show (Thursday April 22- Sunday April 25, 2010 www.smithsoniancraftshow.org ) is one of the country’s most prestigious juried exhibition and sale of fine American craft. The show features 120 top craft artists, each one reflecting the story of contemporary American craft in one of 12 categories: basketry, ceramics, decorative fiber, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, paper, wearable art and wood, and takes place in the historic National Building Museum in Washington, DC. There are also many lectures, demonstrations and tours sponsored by the Craft Show.
Want more? the The James Renwick Alliance has many activities and events planned, including dinners catered by major chefs, live and silent craft auctions, visits to galleries, a craft symposium, visits to private craft collections and artist studios. A special free event is the annual Saturday morning symposium sponsored by the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the James Renwick Alliance. Special guests will be Mark Sfirri, Randy Johnston and Yoshiko Wada, who will receive the JRA’s Distinguished Educator award, and the topic is How Craft Makes its Way into the World. Stay tuned for news on events and participating artists. All events are open to the public with ticket and offer fun, excitement and interest for those new to studio crafts as well as experienced collectors.
Want even more? Well, Washington, DC Mayor Adrian Fenty has proclaimed the week to be “Craft Week DC” and there will be tours, special exhibitions and events at the Washington Glass School and the surrounding craft studios that weekend. Some celebrity guests will give awesome demos – like Matthew Szosz inflating float glass!
Save the dates! – More info to be posted soon!
Petrovic / Russell-Pool Artwork Available
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Marc Petrovic and Kari Russell-Pool honored at the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery in Washington, DC.
The James Renwick Alliance “Distinguished Artists” series featured Marc Petrovic and Kari Russell -Pool, with a presentation of the two artists at the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery this past week. As part of the event, artwork by Marc and Kari were on exhibit. Mark and Kari will be offering one of their works to be included in the upcoming James Renwick Alliance auction that will be part of DC Craft Week this April 20-25.
Exhibit of Petrovic and Russell-Pool in the glass gallery.
Some of the Marc Petrovic’s fantastic work that was on exhibit at the glass gallery is available for purchase:
Courage
Marc Petrovic
Blown Glass
$ 5,000
Source Of Her Fears
Marc Petrovic
Blown and Etched Glass
$5,600
Source Of Her Fears (detail)
Marc Petrovic
Blown and Etched Glass
If interested, contact the Washington Glass School Gallery – (202) 744.8222
Kari Russell-Pool & Marc Petrovic Demos
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The James Renwick Alliance hosted the demo at DC Glassworks.
The dynamic duo that is Kari Russell-Pool and Marc Petrovic worked their magic this past weekend, giving demonstrations of their intensely beautiful glass techniques, and illustrated how the two artists work with and inspire each other.
Performing the demos at DC GlassWorks, and talking at the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery, the husband and wife artists are the Nick and Nora of glass.
Marc dazzled the audience with his incredibly detailed and stunning blowing abilities, creating a life sized striped bass that seemed to be stopped in midair leap and one of his famous birds.
Catching the fish with fireproof gear.
Kari made a number of her delicate lampworked flowers and showed how she creates the lace-like forms in glass.
Marc watches Kari assemble a flower.
James Renwick Alliance Distinguished Craft Artist Program
>The husband-wife artist team of Marc Petrovic and Kari Russell-Pool will be featured as the first JRA Distinguished Artist Program for 2010, with a day long demo on Saturday January 23 and a talk at the Smithsonian’s Grand Salon at the Rewnwick Gallery on Sunday, January 24. 
Marc Petrovic top, Kari Russel-Poolbottom
Kari Russell-Pool and Marc Petrovic have been working as studio artists since their graduation from the Cleveland Institute of Art in, respectively, 1990, and 1991. Marc makes pieces that are predominantly glass but also contain wood and metal components. Kari is primarily a flame worker. She creates form from pattern with a technique she developed on her own. Although Marc and Kari strive to retain their individual work and approach, they have collaborated, to a greater or lesser extent, since college.
Kari Russell-Pool top , Marc Petrovic bottom
Each offers insight and suggestions on the other’s work. The collaboration between the two artists most often incorporates Marc’s blown birds into Kari’s structures. In an unusual approach to flame working, Kari melts and pulls all her glass rods from the same glass furnace that Marc uses to sculpt his components. This allows for compatibility between the blown glass birds and the flame-worked structures. Flame workers seldom use soft glass in large-scale work. This glass does not take the stress of torch work well but does allow a greater range of color variation as well as the unique ability to be fused with furnace-blown components.
Both have taught at the Penland School of Crafts and The Studio at Corning, and have conducted numerous workshops both at home and abroad.
The James Renwick Alliance will host the two artists in a demo on Saturday, Jan. 23rd from 10 am to 3 pm, held at our sister school location, DC Glassworks. The cost is $55 payable to the James Renwick Alliance. Click HERE for more info about the demo and tickets from the JRA.
Click HERE for more info about the James Renwick Alliance.
Click HERE for info about the Smithsonian Renwick Gallery calendar of events (scroll down for talk details).
James Renwick Alliance Craft Weekend Fotos
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Setup begins at the Washington Glass School for the James Renwick Alliance Gala. Photos by Anything Photographic.
Michael Janis centerpiece. 
Erwin Timmers new works on display. 
Final walkthru before the event starts. 
Auction items on display. 
Cocktails at Red Dirt Studios. 
Tim Tate with JRA’s Shirley Jacobs & Chief Curator of Bellvue Arts Museum, Michael Monroe.
The School – transforming
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Erwin Timmers is excited about the changes.
The Washington Glass School is one of the CraftWeek DC locations – earlier today there were artist demonstrations. For the evening, the space is being transformed into a glittering vernissage.
Barbara Bennett gets ready
DC Mayor Proclaims ‘Craft Week DC’
>The Mayor of Washington DC has issued a formal proclamation listing April 22- 26 2009 as “Craft Week DC” in honor of the ‘growing reputation and artistic achievement of local artists working in clay, glass, fiber, metal and wood’.