The Washington Glass School

Fused Glass Spring Wreath Workshop

After our overwhelmingly popular Holiday Wreaths class, we’re bringing the concept into bloom—introducing our Spring Wreath edition!

Celebrate the season with color, light, and creativity as you design your own fused glass wreath bursting with fresh spring energy. Think florals, soft palettes, bright pops of color, and playful textures—all brought to life in glass.

No experience? No problem. Patricia and April will guide you through selecting glass, arranging your design, and bringing it all together into a beautiful piece that captures the spirit of the season.

Perfect for:

• Welcoming spring into your home
• Creating a one-of-a-kind gift
• Making something special for Mother’s Day (hint, hint)

Your finished wreath will be ready for pickup just in time for Mother’s Day—including at our Open House, where you can show it off (or gift it right away!).

Come make something bright, fresh, and full of joy.

On Monday night, March 16, 2026, a 40-year-old man caused approximately $240,000 in “catastrophic damage” to the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit in Seattle.

According to the Seattle Police Department, the following occurred:
Targeted Destruction: The suspect broke into a secure outdoor garden area and destroyed roughly 12 glass plant sculptures, each valued at about $20,000.
Violent Confrontation: When confronted by security, the man allegedly threw glass shards at a guard and attempted to stab them multiple times with a broken piece of glass.
Arrest and Charges: Police followed a trail of shattered glass to find the suspect, who remained combative during his arrest. He faces charges of first-degree burglary, second-degree assault, and first-degree malicious mischief.
Museum Status: The damaged art has been removed, and museum officials stated they plan to replace the pieces in the coming weeks. The museum reopened for its regular hours the following morning.

Just add water and flowers and create a smile! In this workshop, you’ll design a freestanding “drop-out” vase by cutting and fusing glass and using stencils and powders. First evening you’ll make the glass, and the second night we cut and polish. Beginning and more experienced glassmakers welcome. 

Create part sheets for you to use in other fusing projects. A versatile and interesting beginner fusing technique to make patterns that you can’t buy off the shelf. The first day you’ll make your part sheets, and then the second day you’ll see your results and slice them up to create new designs. 

Let’s create wearable works of art that celebrate what brings us joy—or speak boldly to justice issues that matter most to us. Inspired by artists such as Joyce J. Scott—whose jewelry fuses craft, beauty, and unapologetic social commentary—we will explore how adornment can also be activism. Using copper wire as a line-drawing tool, you’ll bend and shape images, symbols, or words into expressive forms that reflect your personal voice.

The wire drawing will be encased in a luminous layer of glass.

This class will bring some serious color to your life and brighten up your living space. This is the perfect way to use glass in a most practical application: a lamp. You will design your own colored glass, determine your own shape, and have your choice of several different hanging or mounting options. For considerably less than the price of a designer fixture, you can put your own name on it.  

The James Renwick Alliance for Craft (JRACraft) will host its 2026 Spring Craft Weekend, themed “Making Magic: Handmade Alchemy,” on April 25–26, 2026 in the Washington, D.C. area.

This annual celebration brings together artists, collectors, curators, and craft enthusiasts for a weekend of conversation, recognition, and inspired making.

Event Highlights: Saturday, April 25, 2026

Morning — Free Public Symposium
Held at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (McEvoy Auditorium), the morning program honors five distinguished leaders in the field of craft:

• Tom Loeser (wood)
• Piper Shepard (fiber)
• Winnie Owens-Hart (ceramics)
• Keke Cribbs (glass)
• Bruce Pepich (distinguished educator)

The symposium is free and open to the public — an opportunity to hear directly from artists and advocates who have shaped the contemporary craft landscape.

Evening — “Making Magic” Celebration & Auction
The celebration continues that evening at the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington (MOCA Arlington), VA. Guests will enjoy cocktails, artist demonstrations, and a lively auction of “masterful miniatures” — intimate works that showcase the technical brilliance and imaginative range of today’s makers.

Sunday, April 26, 2026

The weekend concludes with an Awards Brunch at The Tower Club in Vienna, VA — a celebratory gathering honoring the award recipients and the craft community that supports them.

JRACraft’s Spring Craft Weekend has long been one of the region’s most vibrant craft-focused events, strengthening connections between artists, collectors, and institutions while championing handmade excellence.

Registration is now open. Tickets are available for individual events or as patron packages through the JRACraft website:
https://www.jracraft.org/2026-spring-craft-weekend.html

We hope to see many members of the Washington Glass School community there for this inspiring weekend of handmade alchemy. ✨

John Henderson, a WGS studio artist, was selected to exhibit in the Kuumba V — Sankofa: The Art of Remembrance show at Neiman Marcus Tysons Galleria.

This Black History Month event, organized by the Black Art Today Foundation, celebrates a century of Black history (1926-2026) and draws from the Akan Sankofa concept of learning from the past. It ran February 13–15, 2026, on Level 1 of the Tysons Galleria in John Henderson, a WGS studio artist, was selected to exhibit in the Kuumba V — Sankofa: The Art of Remembrance show at Neiman Marcus Tysons Galleria.

This Black History Month event, organized by the Black Art Today Foundation, celebrates a century of Black history (1926-2026) and draws from the Akan Sankofa concept of learning from the past. It ran February 13–15, 2026, on Level 1 of the Tysons Galleria in Virginia.

Washington Glass School is proud to share that WGS artist John Henderson is included in the exhibition Woven Legacies: A Centennial Celebration of Black Expression, presented by Stem & Vine in partnership with the Black Art Today Foundation.

On view from February 1 through May 2, 2026, the exhibition honors the 2026 Black History Month theme, “A Century of Black History Commemorations,” marking 100 years since the movement to formally recognize Black history in the United States.

John Henderson’s work in the exhibition, The Orishas (Glass/Acrylic, 36 x 12 x 1 inches), is a two-dimensional wall piece that draws on spiritual and cultural traditions rooted in the African diaspora. Through layered materials and luminous surfaces, Henderson explores ancestry, belief systems, and the enduring presence of history carried forward through art.

Woven Legacies examines how art has functioned as a connective thread across generations — preserving memory, expressing resistance, and imagining paths toward liberation. The exhibition features a dynamic group of artists whose work spans disciplines, voices, and perspectives, underscoring the richness and complexity of Black artistic expression.

An artist reception will be held on Sunday, March 1, 2026, from 3–6 PM at Stem & Vine (326 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD).

We congratulate John Henderson on this well-deserved recognition and are honored to see his work included in this important exhibition.

This exhibition is partially funded by the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC).

Virtual Exhibition:

https://www.artworkarchive.com/profile/theblackarttodayfoundation/exhibition/woven-legacies-a-centennial-celebration-of-black-expression/artists

Eventbrite:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/artist-reception-woven-legacies-centennial-celebration-of-black-expression-tickets-1981907555851?aff=oddtdtcreator