The Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass (AACG) Fired UP! program on this Tuesday, is also the last one of 2022 for the AACG. It will feature the quintessential 21st century glass and many other materials sculptor, Karen LaMonte.
Karen LaMonte has created sublime and enigmatic works in glass, ceramic, bronze, iron, paper, and marble. Her works range from monotype prints to monumental stone sculptures and explore themes of beauty, gender, identity, and the natural world. She will give an informal talk about her pioneering new works discussing concepts, challenges, experimentation, invention, and of course failure, and occasionally success!
Studio pups Franklin and Henley are snug as bugs and ready for the Holidays!
Naughty? Or Nice? or BOTH?! We all deserve the gift of GLASS! The new Washington Glass School classes for the Winter Session are now online! Click HERE! And don’t forget: Santa Secretly wants a Washington Glass School gift certificate as his treat for listening to all the elves on shelves!
MPA’s Sharon Fishel talks to a group from Second Story’s Culmore Safe Youth Project.
McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) exhibit: “Continuum: Artists Teaching Artists” features works by each of the Washington Glass School’s Co-Directors.
The exhibit, which opened Sept. 16 and runs through Nov. 10, features a dizzying array of artworks created by 18 educators from local colleges and teaching institutes, including George Mason University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Northern Virginia Community College, University of Maryland, Maryland Institute College of Art and Washington Glass School.
Read the Sun Gazette story on the works- click HERE
An Artist Talk is planned for Thursday, October 13, 2022 at 7:00PM. Click HERE to register for this free talk!
About MPA McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) is one of the mid-Atlantic region’s most respected contemporary visual arts organizations. MPA provides high-quality art exhibitions showcasing the work of established and emerging artists, educational programs, art classes, MPAartfest, summer art camps, and ArtReach, an award-winning program serving students in grades K – 12, seniors, and individuals with special needs. For more information, visit www.mpaart.org
On Saturday, September 17th, all are invited to join the James Renwick Alliance (JRA) and celebrate their 40 years supporting CRAFT with an Open Studio Block Party at the Washington Glass School & surrounding artist studios. The festivity will include open studios, artist demonstrations, LuvPlates food truck, a live mural painting and, of course, anniversary cake! Noon to 3 pm. Registration is strongly encouraged. https://www.jra.org/jracraftevents/jracraft-block-party
Participating artists and organizations include:
Zenith Foundation Mobile Wood Truck featuring a woodturning demonstration by the Montgomery County Woodturners
Blue Fire Ceramic Studio featuring a tile painting demo by Robert Devers and a Balik demo by Kelly Posey
Washington Glass School including Michael Janis, Tim Tate, Erwin Timmers, Christina Helowicz, with a demonstration of enameling on glass by Patricia De Poel Wilberg - Multimedia artist Martha Jackson Jarvis
Mosaic artist Valerie Theberge featuring a mosaic demonstration - Orange Door Studios including Ellyn Weiss, Veronica Szalus, Brian Williams and Ellen Sinel
Painter Janis Goodman
Blue Door Studios including Alec Simpson
Otis Street Art Projects including the studios of Chris Bohner, Gloria Chapa, Chris Combs, Elizabeth Curren, Art Drauglis, Liz Lescault, Kirsty Little, Shelley Lowenstein, CeCi Cole McInturff, Lisa Rosenstein, David Mordini
The Virginia A. Groot Foundation established the Virginia A. Groot Foundation Grant in 1988 so that a ceramic sculpture or sculpture artist may have the opportunity to devote a substantial period of time to the development of his or her work.
Eligibility: Each year the Virginia A. Groot Foundation offers grants to artists who have exceptional talent and demonstrated ability in ceramic sculpture or sculpture. Artists may be at any stage of career development, from emerging through mature. Applicants must be 21 years or older at the time of the application deadline. We welcome and encourage international applicants.
DEADLINE: February 1, 2022
AWARD INFO: Three grants (up to $50,000, $20,000, $10,000)
FEE: $5
WHO: Artists working in ceramic sculpture or sculpture. Artists may be at any stage of career development, from emerging through mature. Applicants must be 21 years or older at the time of the application deadline and not currently enrolled as a student.
(FYI- the live event starts at 1 pm- and won’t show until that time- just wait if you arrive early!) ?
From the AACG website:
The Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass 2021 honoree is Tim Tate who is being recognized by AACG as an individual of outstanding accomplishment in the field of contemporary glass art whose contributions have been significant and important in the field. Tim will be honored, both for his groundbreaking artwork and for his activism, speaking through his art about various social issues. This program is open to the public through live streaming on the Art Alliance YouTube channel.
On June 19, 1865, Black Texans in Galveston, still living in slave conditions, finally learned that Abraham Lincoln had abolished slavery two years previously.
Let’s make Juneteenth a commemorative, not of the horrific institution our country embraced, but rather as a showcase of the strength in the American spirit to recognize wrong and set about making it right. In this same spirit America moves ahead today in leveling playing fields and achieivng ever greater equality. Let us celebrate all that Juneteenth teaches us about our country’s greatness in our use of the heart to hear and to learn and to work together for all that is good and just.
We bid a fond farewell to our Studio Coordinator extraordinaire – Teri Swinhart – moves out West, to sunny Los Angeles. We will miss her skills, knowledge of glass and casting, and her unique charm!
Best of Luck to Teri and Derek Swinhart! Come back and visit often!
VIRTUAL CRAFT TRIP TO WASHINGTON, DC APRIL 27 – 28, 2021 | 6:30 – 8PM MEMBERS: $60 | NON-MEMBERS: $75
Visit the Washington Glass School with Co-Directors Tim Tate and Michael Janis
The James Renwick Alliance for Craft will host a unique virtual craft tour featuring some of the most important craft destinations in the DC region. One of the tour stops is – The Washington Glass School!! Join us as we visit our studio, Margaret Boozer’s Red Dirt Studio, The Renwick Museum, Howard University’s ceramics collection as well as some collector homes!
WGS Co-Director Michael Janis has collaborated with Chicago-based artist Tony Porto on a new series of glass/mixed media sculptures – making their debut solo show debut in Habatat Galleries’ “Not Grandmas’ Glass” (NGG) exhibit/competition. NGG is new and groundbreaking competition, held over 12 months featuring 12 artists that the gallery feels are pushing the medium beyond the norm. The premise of the exhibit is to showcase works that are outside “traditional” studio art glass, where the artists were challenged to make works that would be in a contemporary museum.
Michael Janis and Tony Porto “Lunchtime With Darth Vader”; 2021, cast glass, mixed media, 24″ x 24″ x 9″
Habatat director Aaron Schey said of the NGG show concept: “These artists are extremely innovative and I propose that they will all be important in the future of the glass medium. Creating work that is probably not in Grandma’s art collection…..yet.”
Michael Janis and Tony Porto, “Friendship is Magic”; 2021, kilncast glass, mixed media, 22″ x 22″ x 9″
Paying homage to the underdogs of pop culture – the cartoons, action figures, and toys of childhood, Janis and Porto incorporate figures as diverse as Batman, Darth Vader, My Little Pony, Wonder Woman, Hulk Hogan in their evocative narratives that are at once whimsical and distressing, capturing their complexities and outlandishness.
Michael Janis and Tony Porto “Call For Bruce Wayne”; 2021, cast glass, mixed media, LED, electronics, wood, 20″ X 24″ X 10″
In the works, they walk a really fun line between taking this stuff seriously and also being able to laugh at it all.
Michael Janis and Tony Porto delivered a fantastic online artist talk – hosted by Michigan’s Habatat Galleries (click HERE to jump to YouTube link.)
Mike and Tony outlined their collaborative works, their meanings, and how they managed to work together during the pandemic.
