Did you ever wonder about the mosaic art pieces you may have seen in archeological sites? Mosaics are one of the most beautiful and ancient ways to create art and express ideas. There are several materials that can be used to create mosaics. In this class, you will be able to learn different techniques to create your own mosaic art that will endure the passing of time. You will learn how to prepare a mosaic substrate, learn to cut glass, design and finish 2 plaques of 8 by 8 inches on your own. Most of the work will be done on the first workshop day. The mosaic has to truly dry before applying grout, therefore, we will meet the next day to apply the grout and do final touches.
A brand new class that will shed some light on the world of glass! No prior experience is necessary! (just a little patience!) You’ll have a chance to work with glass powders, stringers, and frit, and to experiment with cutting shapes and selecting color schemes. We’ll have plenty of samples to inspire your own design. You make the glass, we’ll take care of firing them and fixing them to their base. Two night lights are included in the workshop price. If you want to make more, additional night lights are $25 a piece.
Washington Glass School ca 2004, located in the Washington Sculpture Center in SE DC.
In the aftermath of the 2000 Artomatic show, renowned glass artist Tim Tate and metal/eco-artist Erwin Timmers felt the need to create a space for the growing glass art community in Washington, DC. Their solution was the founding of what was first called “Meltdown”—the future Washington Glass School. The school’s very first class, held on September 13, 2001, came in the shadow of one of the most tragic days in American history. While the founders initially considered canceling the session, the overwhelming desire of the students to move forward created an indelible bond. The class became a healing space, where sadness and fear were channeled into creativity and connection.
Meltdown Studio class schedule 2001Early light fixture class (ca 2002) shows off their finished works.
From those early days, the Washington Glass School (WGS) has embraced community and resilience as core values. In 2003, the school relocated from its original home—now the Rubell Museum in DC’s Southwest neighborhood—to the Washington Sculpture Center. Michael Janis, an innovative artist who joined the school that year, became a director by 2005. His leadership, alongside Tate and Timmers, continued to steer the school as it grew in reputation.
Future WGS Director Michael Janis (center) in his first class at Washington Glass School, 2003.Michael Janis works with students from DC’s Stuart Hobson Middle School (ca 2004).
In 2006, a turning point came when the school’s building was taken by eminent domain to make way for the Washington Nationals’ baseball stadium. Unfazed, the WGS team moved just outside the District to Mount Rainier, Maryland. It’s been their home ever since, where they continue to teach, collaborate, and create public art.
WGS Directors (L-R Michael Janis, Tim Tate, Erwin Timmers)
WGS has evolved into a dynamic hub for artistic exploration, encouraging artists to challenge the conventional limits of glass as an art medium. Their collaborative spirit thrives, with glass artists working alongside creatives from other disciplines, producing public art that speaks to the heart of the community.
In 2024, DC artist Kelly Towles painted a mural “I ❤ Glass” on the facade of the glass school.
On this 9/11 day of remembrance, we reflect on the resilience embodied by the “Survivor Glass”—the only window to remain intact out of over 40,000 at the World Trade Center. Found near Ground Zero, this piece of glass from the 82nd floor of the South Tower stands as a symbol of strength amid unimaginable loss. As artists who work with glass, we understand the qualities of the material and the powerful stories it can hold. Today, we honor the lives lost, the strength of the survivors, and the enduring spirit of our nation. On this day of remembrance, we reflect on the resilience and strength found in the smallest things.
Unbroken glass from the 82nd floor of the South Tower on display at the 9/11 Memorial Museum.Circle shows location of window in the Twin Tower rubble.
Mount Rainier Arts Commission held its August social at the Glass School, and despite the heat, conversation flowed!
MRAC Torie Partridge outlines what the arts commission hopes to accomplish with the artists of Mt Rainier, MD.L-R Jarrett Hendrix, Dave D’Orio, Torie Partridge, John Daemond, Anne Marchand.Torie Partridge, Michael Janis, Erwin Timmers chatErwin Timmers caught with his hand in the cheez balls!
The Mount Rainier Arts Commission (MRAC) has been networking the area creatives with a monthly “artist’s social” for artists (in all media and forms) that live or work in Mt Rainier- this month’s event is a Social at the Glass School – Wed, 28th Aug, from 6-7:30!
And a perfect chance to chat up the new commissioners about the representation of the arts in our area. These events are a lot of fun and connect!
MRAC L-R Deanna Noel, Becca Solow, Tessla Thompson at the July event held at Pennyroyal Station.WGS Co Director Michael Janis shares a laugh with MRAC’s John Daemond
And a great time to view the new Kelly Towles mural on the side of the Glass school!
Kelly Towles’ mural “I ❤ Glass” on the Washington Glass School, August 2024
WGS Co-Founder and Director Tim Tate sent the blog a preview of his spectacular new work – have a read of Tim’s thoughts on the work:
“Just finished what may be one of my most important pieces of my career. This is a piece dealing with LGTBQIA+ issues in the United States. These 36 points (one for each tile) will hopefully be in place when our children become adults. It is shipping out tomorrow to the INTO ACTION 2024 show in Chicago to be held in conjunction with the Democratic National Convention.
As you know, the stakes of our democracy have never been higher as they are in the 2024 election cycle. So this August, we are bringing together artists, activists, and communities from across the nation for INTO ACTION 2024, a large-scale art exhibition and community festival against the backdrop of the convention.”
TIM TATE “Universal LGBTQIA+ Bill of Rights : A Discussion of 36 points”; Cast Glass, Steel; 6ft x 6ft x 2in We, the members of a global community committed to justice and equality, proclaim this Charter of Rights for LGBTQIA+ Individuals to affirm the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family. Recognizing the unique challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals, this charter is dedicated to fostering an environment of respect, safety, and inclusion.
1.Right to Commemorations and Monuments Description: Public recognition through monuments or memorials that honor LGBTQ+ history and individuals. Importance: Preserves and highlights the contributions and struggles of the LGBTQ+ community, fostering respect and historical awareness. 2. Equitable Tax Policies and Social Security Benefits Description: Fair treatment in tax legislation and social security benefits that recognize all family structures. Importance: Ensures financial equity and security for LGBTQ+ individuals and their families, reflecting diverse living arrangements. 3.Inclusion in Emergency Response Plans Description: Specific consideration of LGBTQ+ needs in emergency preparedness and response strategies. Importance: Guarantees that safety measures address the unique vulnerabilities of LGBTQ+ persons, ensuring effective aid during crises. 4.Participation in Public and Political Life Description: Full rights to engage in political processes and public service without discrimination. Importance: Encourages active civic engagement and ensures LGBTQ+ voices are represented in decision-making processes. 5.Protections for Intersex Children Description: Prohibition of invasive medical procedures without the informed consent of intersex children or their guardians. Importance: Protects bodily autonomy and prevents unnecessary medical interventions that can have lifelong consequences. 6.Right to Marry Freely Description: The ability for LGBTQ+ individuals to legally marry any consenting adult they choose. Importance: Affirms equality and supports the legal recognition of diverse relationships. 7. Protection Against Solitary Confinement Based on Gender Identity Description: Prohibits the use of solitary confinement for LGBTQ+ individuals based solely on their gender identity in detention settings. Importance: Prevents cruel and inhumane treatment and safeguards mental health. 8. Protection from Bullying in Schools Description: Implementation of strong anti-bullying policies to protect LGBTQ+ youths in educational institutions. Importance: Creates a safe learning environment, critical for personal development and mental health. 9. Recognition of Chosen Pronouns Description: Respect and legal recognition of an individual’s chosen pronouns in all settings. Importance: Validates and affirms gender identity, which is essential for psychological well-being. 10. Right to Safe Spaces Description: Assurance of access to safe spaces specifically for LGBTQ+ individuals in various environments. Importance: Provides environments where individuals can freely express their identity without fear. 11. Right to a Bright Future Description: Policies and practices that aim to provide optimistic and equitable future opportunities for LGBTQ+ individuals. Importance: Encourages the development of supportive and inclusive frameworks in education, employment, and beyond. 12. Online and Internet Protection Description: Enhanced protections against cyberbullying and harassment for LGBTQ+ individuals. Importance: Ensures safety in digital environments, which is vital given the high rates of online abuse targeting the community. 13. Protections for Queer Parents Description: Legal safeguards that ensure LGBTQ+ parents have equal rights in adoption, surrogacy, and parenting. Importance: Recognizes and supports diverse family dynamics, ensuring all parents and children are respected and protected. 14. Employment Protection Description: Strong workplace non-discrimination policies covering sexual orientation and gender identity. Importance: Promotes a fair and inclusive labor market that allows individuals to work without fear of prejudice. 15. Equal Healthcare Access Description: Access to comprehensive, non-discriminatory healthcare services, including specific health needs of the LGBTQ+ community. Importance: Reduces health disparities and ensures appropriate medical care for all, irrespective of sexual orientation or gender identity. 16. Inclusion in Census Data Description: Ensuring LGBTQ+ individuals are accurately represented in census data collection. Importance: Provides critical data for policy-making and resource allocation, helping to meet the community’s specific needs. 17. Queer Community Initiatives Description: Support for initiatives led by and for the LGBTQ+ community to foster social, economic, and cultural development. Importance: Empowers community members and enhances their overall well-being and visibility. 18. Right to Serve Openly in the Military Description: Allows LGBTQ+ individuals to serve openly in the military without discrimination. Importance: Promotes equality and capitalizes on the talents of all service members, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation. 19. Right to Personal Assembly and Associations Description: Freedom to form and participate in LGBTQ+ groups and events without interference. Importance: Facilitates community building and support networks, crucial for social empowerment and advocacy. 20. Recognition of Chosen Families Description: Legal acknowledgment of chosen families, which are non-biological kinship bonds crucial within the LGBTQ+ community. Importance: Supports the reality of diverse family units and ensures they receive the same legal and social benefits as traditional families. 21. Freedom from Torture and Degrading Treatment Description: Absolute protection against torture and degrading treatment, especially in contexts of detention and healthcare. Importance: Ensures humane treatment and upholds the dignity of LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly vulnerable in such settings. 22. Educational Curriculum Inclusion Description: Integration of LGBTQIA+ history and awareness into educational curriculums. Importance: Educates young people on diversity and inclusion, promoting respect and understanding from an early age. 23. Protection Against Forced Sterilizations Description: Explicit prohibition of forced sterilizations, often targeted at transgender and intersex individuals. Importance: Protects bodily autonomy and prevents abuses in medical and institutional settings. 24. Equality and Non-Discrimination Laws Description: Comprehensive laws that ensure equality and protect against discrimination for all LGBTQ+ individuals. Importance: Forms the legal basis for equal treatment and protection under the law, essential for all aspects of public and private life. 25. Gender Neutral Bathrooms Description: Availability of gender-neutral bathrooms in public and private venues to ensure safety and comfort. Importance: Accommodates all gender identities and enhances privacy and security. 26. Right to Adopt Children Description: Ensures that LGBTQ+ individuals and couples have the right to adopt children. Importance: Provides children with loving homes and respects the rights of LGBTQ+ people to form families. 27. Ban on Conversion Therapy Description: Prohibition of any practices aimed at changing an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Importance: Protects individuals from harmful and discredited practices that attempt to alter their fundamental identities. 28. Freedom of Thought, Conscience, and Religion Description: Guarantees that individuals can freely practice their religion and express their thoughts and conscience without discrimination. Importance: Ensures that LGBTQ+ individuals are not excluded from religious or philosophical communities based on their identity. 29. Right to Privacy Description: Protection of personal data and the right to privacy in all matters, including those related to gender and sexual orientation. Importance: Safeguards individuals from invasive inquiries, discrimination, and harassment. 30. Freedom of Artistic Expression Description: Freedom for LGBTQ+ individuals to express themselves artistically without censorship. Importance: Encourages cultural enrichment and personal expression, important for societal diversity and understanding. 31. Access to Asylum Description: Right to seek asylum based on persecution due to sexual orientation or gender identity. Importance: Provides refuge and safety for those facing serious threats in their home countries due to their LGBTQ+ status. 32. Legal Protection Against Bias Description: Strong legal frameworks that address and penalize discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals. Importance: Ensures justice and recourse in cases of discrimination, crucial for upholding rights and equality. 33. Equal Housing Laws Description: Protection against discrimination in housing based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Importance: Ensures that all individuals have equal opportunity to secure housing without fear of prejudice. 34. Protection from Imposed Moral Codes Description: Ensuring that no one’s personal moral or religious beliefs justify discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals. Importance: Upholds the principle that personal beliefs should not infringe on the rights of others, ensuring a tolerant and diverse society. 35. Gender-Affirming Healthcare and Treatment Description: Access to healthcare that recognizes and supports an individual’s gender identity, including hormonal and surgical treatments. Importance: Essential for the well-being and health of transgender individuals, ensuring they receive appropriate and supportive medical care. 36. Protection from Violence and Hate Crimes Description: Strong laws and enforcement against hate crimes and violence targeted at LGBTQ+ individuals. Importance: Provides a secure environment for LGBTQ+ individuals to live without fear, crucial for their safety and mental health.
This declaration aims to eliminate all forms of discrimination, uphold the rights to privacy, expression, and love, and ensure that each individual may live authentically and without fear. Through this document, we commit to protecting these rights as fundamental to the structure of our society and indispensable for the free and full development of each person’s potential
Earlier in the year, Greenbelt Metro Apartments LLC, in partnership with the City of Greenbelt, commissioned WGS artist Erwin Timmers team to create three-dimensional artwork to be installed at Motiva, a new 354-unit residential development in Greenbelt, MD.
Erwin Timmers, original concept design for Motiva
The artwork design was to be a place marker that enlivens the Motiva Greenbelt complex and surrounding area. Erwin Timmers also outlined how sustainable design would be integrated into his design, using recycled glass.
Motiva Concept: Two tall stylized plant shapes will grace the side of the public plaza at the main entrance. The plant “stems” will be the structural elements and have branches coming out the sides which will hold circular glass flower shapes. The structure will be made of powder coated steel, with a coloring that shifts from green below to yellow and red above. The plant stems will bow outward and then come closer together toward the top. They seem to form an entrance or gateway. The two shapes will be similar, but uniquely different.
Community glass making workshop at the Washington Glass Studio was held earlier this year.
The glass inset panels that form the petal circles will be made with neighborhood community participation, in workshops held at the Washington Glass Studio.
The Greenbelt community enthusiastically joins in making the newest public art for their town. Color selection was treated with the utmost care.
Timmers said that the inspiration for his nature inspired design comes from the MOTIVA complex’s natural surroundings and the environment. Flowering plants that are native to the area include Black-Eyed Susans, Asters, and more. Flowers are often a symbol of growth and opportunity, and the artist said “just as wildflowers need diversity to make a healthy eco-system, so do people…”
Artist Erwin Timmers helps Greenbelt resident volunteer create their first glass masterpiece. The public art “stems” arrive at Powdercoat studio to receive their colorful finishes.Steel framework for the glass “petals” are prepped for their protective paint finishes.
The finished install date will be Mid-September – more about this great project as we get photos!!
Concept 1 design by Michael Janis for DC’s OP & CAH TAP project in Ward 5
WGS Co-Director Michael Janis’ public art design (concept 1 & 2) for DC’s memorial to the Enslaved People that built the US Capitol has many steps before the Mayor’s approval. One can see -and vote! – on the two concepts online :https://engage.dc.gov/JD4865#tab-50371
The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH), in collaboration with the DC Office of Planning (OP), awarded Janis the commission create the significant project that aims to shed light on the often overlooked role of over 200 enslaved people whose labor laid the foundation for one of the most iconic symbols of democracy.
Photo of first community input event in Ward 5 site, April 20, 2024
If you have always wanted a studio space to work on your kiln-formed glass, but didn’t have room where you live, or didn’t have a huge amount to invest in a giant glass studio…..then you might like the thought of becoming one of the studio artists here at the Washington Glass School!
Your table/studio space runs $450 per month, and not only do you finally have a dedicated space for you to work in, but you also join a vibrant and successful community of glass artists and opportunities.
As a studio artist – besides being part of a community, you have access to the studio’s cold shop facility and kiln firings.
The Washington Glass School (near the Rhode Island/ Route 1 Eastern Ave border of the District of Columbia) is now accepting applications for artist incubator studio spaces (available immediately).
