View of Green Community Gateway by Washington Glass Studio
The District of Columbia Public Library (DCPL) is a dynamic source of information, programs, books and services, among them is their Makers Program, that includes a Fabrication Lab. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library’s “Fab Lab”, complete with 3D printers, a laser cutter, soldering equipment, other machines is part of a new movement of public libraries embracing the “maker movement.” DCPL’s maker program is the largest of its kind in a public library, as they see the program as a force to bring together makers, artists, and creative people of all types and from all fields and backgrounds, encouraging cross-disciplinary cooperation. As part of the public engagement, the DCPL Makers & DIY Program is hosting a series of artists lectures at the newly refurbished MLK Memorial Library auditorium.
Image of Community workshop at Washington Glass School.
On Saturday, May 21, 2022, from 1:00pm – 2:00pm, Michael Janis, co-director of the Washington Glass School, will give a lecture on how the Washington Glass Studio created the “Green Community Gateway” with art made with the help of the community in Ward 7.
The “Green Community Gateway”, public art sculpture marks the symbolic entrance to the Kenilworth/Parkside section of DC’s Ward 7. Through a series of glass “quilting bees”, Washington Glass Studio brought together neighborhood residents, students of the high school, and the staff of the newly constructed Unity Healthcare facility to make glass art that would become an integral part of the arch.
This lecture program will take place in the auditorium at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20001. Register at bit.ly/labsclasses.
The renovated Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, DC, originally designed by Mies van der Rohe, the landmark library was rejuvenated by Mecanoo and OTJ Architects.
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.
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.
WGS Co-Director Erwin Timmers is interviewed by Vicki Schneider in the hot-off-the-press issue of Glass Art Magazine. Erwin talks about his unique technique and if he shares his intellectual property or if he guards his glass secrets. Read his interview in the March/April issue of Glass Art Magazine. Photos by Pete Duvall.
Save The Date! May 14th is the proposed date for Washington Glass School Open Studio Tour! Many of the surrounding art studios and galleries will be participating! We will follow health protocols – and it will be great to see all in real life! Come and see what’s new and what has been shaking at the studio!
The Allegany Arts Council Saville Gallery presents Washington Glass School Co- Director Erwin Timmers in a solo exhibition “Reflections in Glass” from February 5 thru February 26, 2022. Recycling, waste, the environment, and the ways in which all three relate to society are recurring themes in his work.
Erwin Timmers cast recycled glass sculpture in the Saville Gallery, Cumberland, MD.
Said Timmers about his body of work on exhibit: “My work revolves around ideas of sustainable design and consumption in the urgent context of pressing societal changes and deepening global ecological concerns. My artwork centers on the craft of design, combining modern and traditional fabrication techniques to develop new material-based knowledge and aesthetics of sustainability. My portfolio aims to spark specific kinds of awareness. “
“The objects I sculpt from recycled materials are moments of intersection and influence. As boundary objects, they play with conventions of form and function, material and method, production and consumption. I work less for the purposes of critique, but rather for the potential to generate open and inviting exchanges. An artist, successfully engaged in creative inquiry, notices, seeks out, or otherwise creates the conditions for novel convergence and the overlapping and dissolution of conventional boundaries. I work at reinforcing metaphors of transformation and change. “
Timmers will also present a talk on how public art transforms communities. The event “Making Our Case For Public Art” is free and open to the public and all are invited to attend. The event will begin with a networking reception at 5:30PM with the program slated to kick off at 6:00PM.
The artists from the Washington Glass School are also on exhibit in a special show, featuring artworks by Tim Tate, Michael Janis, Patricia De Poel Wilberg, April Shelford, Vibha Bhatia and Clayton Lutu.
Timmers is Co-founder and Director of the Washington Glass School and one of the DC area’s leading ‘eco-artists’. Erwin is currently working with architects and designers on several “green” design projects. His work in sustainable design can be seen in some of the large public art projects he has completed, including an award-winning project for the US EPA Ariel Rios South Courtyard Green Infrastructure Project, in Washington, DC, and the public artwork for the LEED certified Safeway supermarket in Bethesda, MD. Montgomery County honored Erwin Timmers as the county’s “Outstanding Artist” in 2018. The Museum of Glass (MOG) in Tacoma, Washington has recently acquired works by Timmers for its permanent collection.
Allegany Arts Council Saville Gallery 9 N. Centre Street Cumberland, MD 21502 Reflections in Glass February 5- 26, 2022
Making Our Case for Public Art Friday, February 25, 2022 • 5:30PM – Cocktail Reception; 6:00PM – Program • Free to attend
“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
Prince George’s County Arts’tination space at 162 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, MD
Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council (PGAHC) features artwork by artists of the Washington Glass School in “Arts’tination” – their newest art space dedicated to supporting local artists and curating immersive creative experiences – located 162 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, MD.
Washington Glass School space at Arts’tination.
Featuring works for sale by Washington Glass School artists: Erwin Timmers, April Shelford, Vibah Bhatia, John Henderson, Patricia De Poel Wilberg, Trish Kent, and Diane Cabe – check them out!
Vibah Bhatia’s adorable plates are a steal!!Glass artworks by John Henderson and Diane Cooper Cabe .Erwin Timmers’ cast glass hand sculptures are sure to enchant all!Arts’tination is at 62 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, MD 20744
“Essential Connections” by Washington Glass Studio, 18’L x 4’H, cast glass, LED. 2021
The Process: Public Art – “Essential Connections” Washington Glass Studio (WGS) –J-Sol Apartment Complex, 4000 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA
Daytime view of “Essential Connections” sculpture in Arlington, VA.
Jefferson Apartment Group with Mitsui Fudosan America developed the Arlington, VA corner site formerly home to the sports bar CarPool into a 22-story, LEED Gold-certified high-rise called J-Sol, with residential units atop ground-floor retail and parking. Working with Toronto, Canada art consultant Oni-One Sourcing owner Paula Fleck, the preliminary designs were initiated in April of 2019, well before the pandemic lockdowns. Different concepts for both design and location of artwork to enhance the new J-Sol residential development were presented to the client.
Original concept sketch
Erwin Timmers and Michael Janis review the structural steel.
Framing the corner location of the new plaza at Fairfax Drive and North Quincy St. in Arlington, VA, the sculpture is made of almost 100 individual hand cast glass panels set into a bold geometric framework of acute angles that references the sculptural qualities of the new J-Sol building. The sculpture defines the location and creates a new sense of place with the layering of color, light and shadow. Merging architecture and design with their signature material, glass, the overall presentation of the sculpture is aimed to reflect our modern society and urban space.
Meticulously fitting glass into framework.
The varieties of techniques and layers of colors provide complex visual experiences is part of the works’ aesthetic pleasure.
An exploration of color, texture and pattern overlay.
The inspiration for the Arlington public artwork, “Essential Connections” is how much our world has changed. The artwork draws inspiration from our attempt to find new and innovative ways to reach out and connect with each other.
Night view of “Essential Connections” sculpture by Washington Glass Studio.
As WGS Co-Director Tim Tate noted of the work: “…Our goal was to create something memorable out of daily patterns of coming and going home.” The rainbow mix of colors – each a strength unto itself – is much more powerful in combined with others. The color palette itself references nature in its yellows, blues and greens, the sun, the water and sky, the grass and trees. Stylized elements of nature will be incorporated into several the crafted glass panels – emphasizing our renewed awareness of our environment.
The colors and patterns define this public space in Arlington, VA.
The artwork’s dynamic shape forms a translucent cornerstone of sorts – inviting all into the plaza for walking, sitting, and all manner of activities conducted in the park. The new artwork help create a place for people to enjoy, feel connected and remember. Using the timeless fundamentals of light and color to define the space we made a vibrant backdrop to define the area with exuberance and life.
The public response has been immediate – during installation many passerbys came up excitedly to the sculpture – wanting to take “selfie shots” at Arlington’s newest landmark.
The artworks’ youngest fan points out their favorite glass panel inset. DC art enthusiast Anthony Adero strikes a casual pose at the new sculpture.
Project Details:
Location: 4000 Fairfax Dr, Arlington, VA 22203 (N Quincy St & Fairfax Dr) Washington Glass Studio Public Art Team: Michael Janis, Tim Tate, Erwin Timmers, Christina Helowicz.
Erwin Timmers and Christina Helowicz the sculpture’s internal LED lighting.
Structural Steel: Criss Brothers Number of Glass Tile Insets: 97
WGS installation team L-R: Michael Janis, Ryan Henderson, Christina Helowicz, Erwin Timmers
The CCBC offers classes to the public that are designed to enlighten and offer social and cultural enrichment. Led by knowledgeable glass collector Howard Cohen, the CCBC will hold a tour of the Washington Glass School on November 16, 2021.
It will be the Best Class Ever. The more you know!
