Over the past ten weeks, the Washington Glass School (WGS) in Mt. Rainier, MD has welcomed a new cohort of military veterans into the studio for the second D.C.–area session of Hot Shop Heroes—an arts-therapy initiative created by the Museum of Glass (MOG) in Tacoma, Washington. The program brings together hands-on glassmaking, personal reflection, and creative exploration, giving veterans a supportive space to build community and reconnect with their own artistic identities.
The Exploding Queen, by Jean McGee. Mixed media/cast glass, LED
As part of this year’s Hot Shop Heroes program at the Washington Glass School, we had the privilege of sitting down with Jean McGee, a Navy veteran whose commanding, deeply personal Queen chess piece sculpture will debut in our Strength and Fragility exhibition on December 13th as part of the Winter Open Studios. Her artwork—part deconstructed cast glass, part mixed media, part lived experience—is a meditation on resilience, strategy, and what it means to rebuild after devastating change.
Below, she shares her journey—in service, in healing, and in discovering a new artistic voice.
Jean cuts her original form to create new sculptural possibilities.
From Intelligence Officer to Artist-in-the-Making
Jean served as an Intelligence Officer inthe U.S. Navy, deployed in both the Gulf and Afghanistan. “I received my commission in the early 2000s,” she shared. “I joined the military to serve my country not long after 9/11.”
Her connection to Hot Shop Heroes began almost by chance. “A recreation therapist, Lucile Lisle, told Nikki (Nicolette Rubin, Therapist at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) I might be up for trying it out—and there were a few extra spots in the class. So I figured, why not?”
Before the workshop, Jean had no glass experience. “I honestly never thought fused or cast glass was even an art form,” she said. “I’d been curious about stained glass or blown glass, but never had the time. This was completely new—and totally eye-opening.”
Discovering Warm Glass—and Discovering Herself
Her first reaction to learning she’d be cutting sheet glass, making molds, and casting?
“This is f’ing awesome!” “Seriously—so many techniques reminded me of processes from my 15-year career in hardware manufacturing. It felt strangely familiar, like something I could really sink into.”
Jean tests the plaster before firing in kiln.
What Jean enjoyed most was the freedom to fail—and fix. “I love learning how things are made. I learned how to use frit… and how NOT to use frit. I messed things up constantly. But glass forces you to roll with the punches. You try, it breaks, you rethink. That’s life.”
Some techniques were more challenging. “Casting is hard—especially with big pieces. Pressing large forms into powdery materials only gets you so far.”
But the studio environment made a difference. “The other veterans were so supportive of each other’s ideas. It felt like I wasn’t alone in my artistic journey. And the instructors? Totally open to crazy ideas. They made you feel like anything was possible.”
The experience has already reshaped her relationship with creativity. “I always thought I was terrible at art. I can’t draw, can’t paint—color-by-number was more my speed. But I learned things don’t have to turn out exactly as you imagined to be beautiful. There’s beauty in imperfection. I’m starting to think maybe I’m not so bad at art after all.”
Building the Queen: A Story of Before and After
Jean’s Queen sculpture is one of the most emotionally charged pieces in this year’s exhibition. Fifteen inches tall, half smooth and pristine, half fractured cast glass painstakingly reassembled, it mirrors her life before and after a catastrophic accident.
A few years ago, Jean survived a gunshot wound to the head. The experience reshaped her body, her career, and her day-to-day life.
“Before the accident, things were really good. I felt successful, blessed, and grounded. That’s the smooth half of the Queen. Then everything fell apart—my health, my career, everything I knew about myself. That’s the fractured side.”
Choosing a chess queen as the subject came naturally.
“Life has always felt like a strategic game to me—choices, outcomes, the long view. My husband and I play chess, my son plays too. And before the accident, I really felt like I was on top of my game. The Queen brought all of that together.”
Her use of redglass carries layered meaning. “Red is my favorite color—fiery, energetic. But it also represents the blood trail I left as I crawled for help. The smooth side and the broken side aren’t opposites—they’re both me. The brokenness couldn’t exist without the whole that came before it.”
In the studio, she approached the fracture patterns deliberately. “I didn’t want clean breaks—they weren’t true to my experience. I used the bandsaw creatively to make the cuts feel messy, unpredictable, uneven. That felt honest.”
Jean credits fellow student Arden (Arden Colley, Washington Glass School Studio Coordinator) with helping her execute the final assembly. “We had to think outside the box more than once. I had a blast—it brought so much light into a rough time in my life.”
Jean reviews sculpture layout with WGS Studio Coordinator Arden Colley.
The Meaning of Making—and What Comes Next
Jean hopes viewers don’t need to know her entire story to connect with the work.
“Once art is out in the world, the interpretation belongs to the viewer. I don’t need them to see my experience—just that something drastically changed can still be powerful in a different way.”
Glass art will continue to play a role in her life. “I’ve already bought glass-cutting tools and started simple mosaics. I’d love to come back into the studio when life settles down—probably after a couple more surgeries. And I want to introduce my kids to glass, too.”
For veterans considering joining a future Hot Shop Heroes session, she has one message:
“Do it. You won’t regret it. You’ll learn how things are made, gain a new appreciation for creativity—and it might just help you heal, even a little.”
See Jean’s Queen Sculpture at Winter Open Studios
Jean’s finished work—and the work of all eight participating veterans—will debut at:
Come meet the artists, hear the stories behind the work, and experience the extraordinary creativity emerging from this year’s Hot Shop Heroes program.
This iteration of Hot Shop Heroes is made possible through the partnership of the Museum of Glass, the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Washington Glass School. The program is offered at no cost to veterans and relies on outside funding to continue its mission.
The Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass (AACG) online First Friday Fired Up! program on Friday, March 1, at 1 p.m. ET presents a virtual tour and panel discussion with artists in the current exhibition at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma,A Two-Way Mirror: Double Consciousness in Contemporary Glass by Black Artists. See the works and hear from several of the artists who have used glass to create work that deconstructs social, cultural, gender, and racial identity concerns. The artists range in background from African American, to British, to Puerto Rican. Each artist uses glass to reflect thoughts and bodies that have historically been fraught with exploitation. Due to its reflectivity and translucence, glass is an apt medium to interrogate identity constructs such as the theory of double consciousness presented by W.E.B. Du Bois in his seminal work, The Souls of Black Folk. Artists from the exhibition participating in the panel are Layo Bright, Crystal Campbell, Chris Day, and Leo Tecosky. The panel’s moderator is Jabari Owens-Bailey, Museum of Glass Curatorial Education Program Manager.Layo Bright, from Nigeria, explores migration, legacy, and identity through hybrid portraits, textiles, and mixed media. She has participated in Art Basel Hong Kong, and is the recipient of Pittsburgh Glass Center’s Ron Desmett Award and Urban Glass’ Visiting Artist Fellowship.Crystal Campbell is a 2021 Guggenheim Fellow in Fine Arts, and she uses underlined archival material to consider historical gaps. She received the 2022 Creative Capital award and the Pollock-Krasner Award.Chris Day is a biracial glass and ceramic artist who uses the beauty of glass to make comments on issues of race. He received a special commendation at last year’s British Glass Biennale, and was selected to participate in the prestigious Artrooms Awards in London.Leo Tecosky deconstructs iconography through an impressive range of glass-making techniques. He juxtaposes the complexity of visual language with the fluidity and transparency of glass. He is the recipient of the 36th annual Corning Museum Rakow Commission as well as the 2023 Maxwell/Hanrahan Award in Craft. The AACG FIRED UP program is free and open to the public, so please spread the word and join this engaging and important discussion!
Exhibiting Artists: Anthony Amoako-Attah, Radcliffe Bailey, Layo Bright, Crystal Z. Campbell, Chris Day, Cheryl Derricotte, Alejandro Guzman, Mildred Howard, Jason McDonald, Parfums de Vigny, Ebony G. Patterson, Pellatt & Green, Related Tactics, Salviati and Company, Joyce J. Scott, Shikeith, Therman Statom, Renée Stout, Barbara Earl Thomas, Hank Willis Thomas, Leo Tecosky, Kara Walker, Fred Wilson.
December 9, 2023 from Noon til 5PM – Holiday Open Studios! See some of the best art and design by the area’s most talented makers! A special exhibit of sculpture made by Military Veterans in Washington Glass School’s “Hot Shop Heroes” workshop held in collaboration with the Museum of Glass will be fetured at the WGS Contemporary Gallery, 3700 Otis Street, Mt Rainier, MD 20712. Artist Talk at 1PM.
Tip: Start your tour in the numerical order listed!
This past week’s Hot Shop Heroes™ workshop was great fun! Our military veterans had the incredible opportunity to connect with the talented glass artist and fellow veteran, Geoffrey Bowton, in a fascinating video meeting.
Geoffrey shared his unique glass art techniques and took us on a remarkable journey of healing through the mesmerizing world of glass art.
Geoffrey Bowton (top left) talks about his work and journey to the veterans at the Washington Glass School.
And that was just the beginning! After the inspiring conversation, we dove into hands-on workshops in fused glass and welding. The energy and creativity in the room were truly remarkable.
Instructors Tim Tate (L) and Jennifer Lindstrom (R) work with the Hot Shop Heroes vets in making their first glass piece.
The 8 week program continues, where the veterans will continue to explore their artistic talents and healing through art.
Lead glass instructor, Patricia De Poel Wilberg, takes the vets thru their first fused glass workshop.
Mark your calendars for the grand finale! On December 9th, we’ll be showcasing the incredible artwork created by our talented students at the Open Studios exhibit. You won’t want to miss it!
Stay tuned for more updates and be part of this inspiring journey with us.
About DC’s Hot Shop Heroes:
DC’s Veteran’s Affairs has partnered with the Washington Glass School (WGS) and the Museum of Glass (MOG) in Tacoma, WA. to bring the restorative power of art to active duty patients and Veterans diagnosed with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorders.
Started in 2013 at Takoma’s MOG, the Hot Shop Heroes program has been dedicated to teaching glass safety procedures, fundamental glassmaking techniques and team building skills. In one of the first partnerships with the MOG, WGS will add metal working and special glass casting techniques to the intensive arts encounter.
Michael Janis, “Healing Words” 2009, kilnformed glass, glass powder imagery, 37″ x 19″ x 2″, Collection Museum of Glass.
A long-time Museum of Glass Trustee, Potomac, MD-based glass-art collector Robert Minkoff selected MOG to house his art collection before passing away in September 2020. Developed through decades of patronage and philanthropy, the collection celebrates the incredible diversity of glass art and its possibilities in the field of contemporary art. With the addition of Robert Minkoff’s personal collection, the Museum’s glass holdings are now the largest in the Western United States.
Organized by Museum of Glass and curated by Katie Buckingham, ‘Boundless Curiosity’ follows Minkoff’s love of glass and tells vibrant stories of glass’s evolution from a studio craft material. “The Minkoff Collection is a transformational gift to the Museum” said curator Katie Buckingham. “We are excited about the opportunity to widen the story of glass art and show compelling narrative sculptural work”.
MOG’s contemporary glass collection concentrates on how medium of glass interacts with modern day art. Citing “glass secessionism” (as defined by Tim Tate and William Warmus in their “21st Century Glass Conversations and Images” online group) there is a movement in glass art away from “technique” towards “artistic vision” and concept. Said Curator Buckingham “we all look forward to including the artworks by the Washington Glass School directors – the 3 Musketeers of Glass.”
Washington Glass School artists Erwin Timmers, Tim Tate and Michael Janis (aka aka- Athos, Porthos and Aramis)
Works by noted glass artists Dale Chihuly, Lino Tagliapietra, Debora Moore, Therman Statom, Amber Cowan, Susan Taylor Glasgow, Shane Ferro, Paul Stankard, and Laura Donefer round out the exhibit in the main gallery of the Museum. The Minkoff collection exhibition will kick off the Glass Art Society (GAS) 2022 international conference held in Tacoma, WA this May.
About Museum of Glass
Located in Tacoma, Washington, Museum of Glass is a premier contemporary art museum dedicated to glass and glassmaking in the West Coast’s largest and most active museum glass studio. Opened in 2002, the Museum has established a reputation for hosting impactful and engaging artist residencies, organizing nationally traveling exhibitions, and creating unique programs for visitors while building a growing permanent collection chronicling the development of modern and contemporary glass.
Museum of Glass provides an environment for artists and the public to ignite creativity, fuel discovery, and enrich their lives through glass and glassmaking. MOG’s glass holdings are now the largest in the Western United States.
Tim Tate “We Rose Up”, 2017, Cast objects, mirrors, and LED’s, 32 × 32 × 4 in.
In coordination with Pride month, Tacoma, Washington, Museum of Glass will host conversations with artists included in Transparency: An LGBTQ+ Glass Art Exhibition on Thursdays from June 10 through mid July. Hosted by a MOG educator, each artist will be invited to show and discuss their featured work, followed by an opportunity for questions from the virtual audience. Thursday, July 8 at Noon PT (3pm ET) will feature WGS Co-Director Tim Tate.
Tim Tate, “The Moment” Aluminum, Mirrors, Quills , LEDs, 32 × 32 × 4 in
Tim Tate will be speaking as an artist about Queer Glass and its use in Craftivism with the Tacoma Museum of Glass on July 8th. As a survivor of the AIDS Pandemic and our current pandemic, he has made work on this topic for 35 years. In this talk he will connect the the two with his work over that time. Its a live Facebook talk, and free to anyone.
Tim Tate, “Justinian’s Oculus”, 2021 33 x 33 x 4 inches. Cast lead crystal
Located in Tacoma, Washington, Museum of Glass is a premier contemporary art museum dedicated to glass and glassmaking in the West Coast’s largest and most active museum glass studio. Now in its 18th year, MOG has established a reputation for hosting impactful and engaging artist residencies, organizing and exhibiting nationally traveling exhibitions, and creating unique programs for visitors, all while building a growing permanent collection chronicling the development of modern and contemporary glass.
Deborah Lenk, Executive Director of the Museum of Glass (MOG) in Tacoma, Washington visited Washington Glass School last week. Ms Lenk is in the area as the MOG is looking to expand their education and programs to a national level and were meeting with some East Coast studios to see if creative networks can be formed.
After meeting with the WGS Directors, Ms Lenk toured WGS and met with the artists.
MOG Executive Director Deborah Lenk talks with WGS Co-Director Erwin Timmers about his environmental themes that are the basis for his cast glass sculptures.
WGS Studio Coordinator Teri Bailey talks about her glass artwork installation with Deborah.
Tim Tate and Michael Janis describe the way the two artists collaborated on the new sculpture “All That Is Solid Melts Into Air” that will debut next month at Habatat Prime exhibit in Chicago.
William Warmus speaking at Takoma’s Museum of Glass
Art Historian William Warmus had a fascinating lecture this past Saturday at the Takoma (Washington) Museum of Glass. His talk was titled “The True History of Glass?”. In his talk, William touched on alternate histories of, and futures for, glass as an art form, concluding that we may sometimes need to forget the truth if we want to advance the art.
Tim Tate and Glass Secessionism merits inclusion in the True History of Glass. The recording of the lecture is online – click HERE.
In his discussion, William talked about the condensed version of the American Studio Glass Movement, and some of the precursors to the accepted version of glass history.He also gave a shout out to Washington Glass School‘s Professor Tate, the “Glass Secessionism” discussions and the Washington Glass School in his museum talk. To jump to the online recording of the lecture – click HERE.
