The event includes a pop-up exhibit of over 150 pieces at the Ringling College of Art + Design’s Studio Labs Sound Stage A. Explore four themed curated exhibitions, two solo exhibits, and visit the newly opened Sarasota Art Museum and the Basch Gallery on the Ringling College campus. Additional highlights include a Masterworks Auction, a demonstration by artist John Kiley, artist talks, a Ringling Museum mystery, Habatat-Zoom Live, the Imagine Museum’s Annual Fire and Light Gala.
Hope to see you at the first HUGE glass event of the year!
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
Artworks by : Dr Joyce Scott, Tim Tate, Michael Janis, Soledad Salamé & more!
2022 is the International Year of Glass (IYOG) AND the 60th Anniversary of American Studio Glass Movement. As part of the events celebrating glass, Howard Cohen of Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass has organized a spectacular exhibit of glass artwork during the Glass & Optical Materials Division (GOMD) conference in Baltimore at Coppin State University. This will be the first glass exhibit in Baltimore since 1996! The goals of the show are to showcase ways glass has matured into a sculptural medium, bring a diverse group of renown artists from the Baltimore/Washington region to the arts communities, and students in the area, and amplify artists voices including members of the BIPOC, Hispanic, LGBQT and immigrant communities. The exhibit will feature artwork by Dr Joyce Scott, Tim Tate, Soledad Salamé, Erwin Timmers, and Michael Janis. The exhibition is made possible through the support of the GOMD, the American Ceramic Society, Corning & Owens Corning for funding some of the exhibition costs and to fund the Baltimore scientific outreach to Baltimore City High schools.
The exhibit is scheduled to run from Mid-May through June 2022.
“Compositions In Light” public artwork sculpture at Maryland’s Town Center Phase 2.
Washington Glass Studio was commissioned to make a new, two-part public art sculpture installation for the new mixed use residential development, Ansel, in Rockville, MD. Working with the project’s art consultant Artists Circle Fine Arts, the outlined goals were to enhance the location and the urban environment, as well as creating welcoming and colorful place markers that enlivens Rockville Town Center. The client – Duball, LLC – asked that the street placemaking artwork allow for a sense of fun and discovery.
The site – Ansel, 33 Monroe Street, Rockville, MD
The development was named “Ansel”, as spiritual nod to incredible American photographer Ansel Adams. Adams was considered a master of his craft and his experimentation with light gradations, degrees of exposure, and new techniques. Best known for his dramatic photographs of the American West, Adams achieved a popularity that few other photographers have known. Dedicated to wilderness preservation, he succeeded in changing the way Americans perceived their natural environment.
Ansel Adams
Ansel Adams
American photographer Ansel Adams
Creating a strong visual element for the streetscape – while maintaining clear pedestrian circulation – Washington Glass Studio focused on creating an internally illuminated vertical tower – approx 11′ high.
Prelimary studies of sculpture form – based on the classic camera tripod shape.
Named “Compositions In Light”, the sculpture is made of cast glass and powdercoated metal. The inset glass panels in the artwork incorporates artistic references to renowned photographer Ansel Adams – with artistic takes on his photos of still lifes, architecture, and landscapes; his love of nature, and sculptural interpretations of Adams main instrument – cameras.
Plaster mold in kiln
Christina gets the shot!
Convoluted Positions
Duball crew works in the kilns
First firings in kiln
Ansel Adams’ photographs were the inspiration for the sculpted works within the public art.
The powder coated metal structure is arranged in triangular format to reference the classic photographers camera tripod. The shape also gives greater strength both structurally and in profile. The vertical structure supports the LED lighting and allows an even light to the glass wall panel opposite. The glass panels are inset into a removable grid section that is bolted to the structural frame. Each cast glass panel is set into silicone within metal angle surrounds. The metal base has a removable section to allow access to electrical source to tower.
Co-Director Michael Janis performs the QC.
The steel framework for the Rockville, MD public art sculpture.
Dimensional inset panels made of handmade cast glass presents tactile images of nature and objects that refer to Ansel Adams work and career. The varied nature of the artwork mounted in separate panels would invite investigation and exploration.
Shay Summers coldworks one of the artwork inset panels.
The gorgeous, illuminated tower is made up of colorful, tactile cast glass that defines each corner of the site. The inset glass panels are varied, but color coordinated with accent color panels to give a vibrancy to the design. The tapering form leads viewers eyes upward to a unique finial endcap, a cast sculpture that makes a fun, witty and distinctive statement. Dimensional inset panels made of handmade cast glass presents tactile images of nature and objects that refer to Ansel Adams work and career. The varied nature of the artwork mounted in separate panels would invite investigation and exploration.
Erwin Timmers reviews the artwork installation.
The installation onsite of the glass and steel artwork.
Sparkling in the daytime and backlit with energy efficient LED, the glass artwork in “Compositions in Light” will always be a visible presence on the street. The metalwork and thickness of each glass panel make the artwork strong for a streetscape environment. In the history of American conservation, few have worked as long and as effectively to preserve wilderness and to articulate the “wilderness idea” as Ansel Adams. He spent decades in the battle to protect the environment. Helping reinforce the background of Ansel Adams as an environmental activist are the color directions for the artwork. Blues and greens are the colors most associated with nature and the environment.
The interplay of sculpture, the colors & quality of cast glass and the prominent location makes this an integrated urban design that brings focus to the site. The freestanding nature of the installed artwork encourages visitors and residents to walk around the artwork and experience a dynamic sense of place. A sense of playful fun caps each sculpture and helps define the paired artworks. United by form, colorful towers reinforce their connection to the artwork of Ansel Adams with finials inspired by the master photographer’s artwork.
The artwork at night is lit from within with energy efficient LED.
“Compositions In Light”
Project Address: 33 Monroe St, Rockville, MD 20850
Client: Duball, LLC
Maryland’s Rockville Town Center Phase II includes 400 apartment units; 250 market-rate luxury apartments and 150 senior affordable apartments to be owned and managed by the Housing Opportunities Commission.
Artwork Project Team: Erwin Timmers, Christina Helowicz, Tim Tate, Michael Janis, Shay Summers
Sad news to report – world-renowned glass artist and painter Erwin Eisch has died at the age of 94. Erwin Eisch fell asleep after midnight in the retirement home in Zwiesel, where he had lived since October. “On January 7, he celebrated a diamond wedding with his wife,” said Katharina Eisch-Angus. The parents Erwin and Gretel Eisch had celebrated the 60th anniversary of their marriage together in the home. The death was unexpected, as Erwin Eisch was in good health. The last few days, when his condition had deteriorated, someone from the family had always been with him.
Erwin Eisch was a pioneer German artist who was considered a founder of studio glass in Europe and the world. He was also a painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Working with friend and colleague in glass Harvey Littleton, Eisch’s work in glass embodies the ideas of the international Studio Glass movement.
Erwin Eisch’s 8 mold blown works as a tribute to Harvey Littleton in 1976. Corning Museum of Glass
Eisch’s non-traditional approach to glassmaking had a profound impact during the formative years of the American Studio Glass movement, and his relationship with American glass pioneer Harvey K. Littleton forged an important link between European and American studio artists working in glass.
Harvey Littleton and Erwin EischBlown & enameled bowl by Erwin Eisch made in U.S. at U Wisconsin. (ca 1967)
Please welcome Washington Glass School’s new Studio Coordinator – Christina Helowicz!
A graduate of Salisbury University, Christina brings a new vitality and freshness to the Washington Glass School. She has an impressive background in coldworking and casting, as well as teaching. She will be working at tweaking the School’s glass program soon!
Tim Tate reviews the latest castings out of the kiln with Christina Helowicz.
Works by Tim Tate and Michael Janis will be featured at Habatat Galleries online venue.
Intersect Chicago is replacing SOFA virtually for the 2020 art fair edition due to COVID-19.
Going “Live” online from November 6-12, with a dedicated VIP Preview day on November 5, 2020, the fair will feature a special focus for each day, including: Glass, Contemporary Art, Ceramic and Craft, Design, Outsider Art, Fiber Art, and Public Art / Sculpture.
Intersect Chicago Art Fair will showcase work by WGS artist Michael Janis at Habatat Galleries
For more information on the Art Fair – click HERE.
Many art fairs have been moved online due to the global pandemic. Now, as a way to provide access to the best of art glass – Glass Art Fair has been formed. This new online art fair provides a unique opportunity with virtual experience – where all are invited to learn and explore each artist featured and share on their personal social media. The future has “arrived so much sooner,” said the creator of Glass Art Fair, “If galleries and fairs are closed, how can we sell art? Creating an online art fair platform is something we envisioned as an important part of what we do.”
artist: Tim Tate. Image courtesy Habatat Galleries.
New for 2020, the Glass Art Fair online art fair features over 60 artists creating using glass as their art medium, opening online to the public on Sunday, November 1st, 2020. This art fair will be online the same time as the Sofa Chicago art fair (rebranded Intersect Art Fair).
artist: Michael Janis. Image courtesy Habatat Galleries.
Glass Art Fair hopes collectors on their laptops and iPads will take more time with the work than those darting through a Navy Pier or a Miami beachfront tent. “We have the ability to have multiple images and detail shots – When people are visiting the online platform, they aren’t walking through for 45 seconds. You’re going to have their attention for so much longer.”
This online presentation will continue for the month of November with more presentations as works become available. Each artist has the availability to edit and add artwork throughout the month so please check back in for updates often. The works on the site are available for purchase.
artist: Christina Bothwell. Image courtesy Habatat Galleries.
