Installing Glass Artwork Commission at Kaiser Permanente

Erwin Timmers mounts the colorful glass high above the building lobby.

Erwin Timmers, Audrey Wilson and Reggie Williamson install the Washington Glass Studio glass artwork commissioned for Kaiser Permanente's newly-expanded Largo Medical facility.  Art consultant Maxine Manges of MKM Fine Art had approached Washington Glass Studio last year, looking to commision a colorful addition to the two-story medical center lobby. The resulting minimalist artwork is rich in jewel toned colors.

Erwin Timmers and Audrey Wilson install Kaiser Pemanente's newest artwork.

Audrey Wilson adjusts the location of the colored glass. Said Audrey "I like the way the analogous color scheme creates a harmonious balance throughout the building lobby".

Erwin and Audrey spent the day at the Largo facility installing the artwork commission.

Erwin does the final adjustment of the glass components.

The team step back to see the full installation.

all photos by Reggie Williamson.

28th Annual Penland Art Auction 2013

August 9 – 10, 2013

The Penland School of Crafts Annual Benefit Auction is a gala weekend in the North Carolina Mountains featuring the sale of more than 240 works in books, clay, drawing, glass, iron, letterpress, metals, painting, photography, printmaking, textiles, and wood. The Penland auction is one of the most important craft collecting events in the Southeast and a perfect opportunity to support Penland's educational programs, which have helped thousands of people live creative lives.

Tim Tate and the James Renwick Alliance is planning a whole trip down there for the auction weekend - Click HERE - details for the tour extravaganza.

Can't make it? You can still get some incredible artwork from the auction by Absentee Bidding. 
Absentee bids may be submitted by mail, phone, email, or fax until noon on Friday, August 9, 2013. Bids will be executed for you by Penland auction staff up to the price stated. In the event of identical bids, the bid received first will take precedence. You will be contacted on Monday, August 12, 2013 if you are successful, and will be invoiced for the purchase price and the cost of shipping. Click HERE to jump to Penland's Absentee Bidding Information.

Some selected works in the auction:

Mark Peiser

Passage Etude Tableau # 1

16 ¼  x  21 ¾  x  6 in.

Hot cast dichroic phase separated glass, ground and acid finished

$48,000

John Rais

Otter Bench

77 ½  x  27 in.

Hollow forged and formed steel, ash, and patina

$10,000

Tim Tate

Dreaming Of Heaven

18x8x8

Blown and Cast Glass, Found Objects, video

$8500

Douglas Harling

Cake Ring

2.25 x 2.3 cm

22k gold, yellow rose cut diamond

$3,200

Randy Shull

Juxtaposition in Black and White

92 x 73 x 18 in.

Acrylic on wood panel

$24,000

Lisa Clague

Cat & Mouse

32 x 15 x 11 in.

Clay and metal

$3,600

Micah Evans

Ulterior

18 x 12 x 12 in.

Blown and sculpted borosilicate glass

$4,800

Einar and Jamex de la Torre

Carolina

26 x 11 x 11 in.

Blown glass with mixed media

$8,000

UK National Glass Centre at the University of Sunderland Reopens

The UK's National Glass Centre at the University of Sunderland reopens its doors this weekend (June 29/30 2013) following an ambitious £2.3m ($3.5 USD) redevelopment program.

The Centre is one of the UK’s leading institutions for contemporary glass, celebrating Sunderland’s unique glass-making heritage, presenting a rich temporary exhibition program and facilitating international level research in new approaches to glass and ceramics. This ambitious redevelopment project will allow National Glass Centre to fulfill its potential as a cultural and education venue.

The Glass Centre houses the University of Sunderland’s Glass and Ceramics Department, the International Institute of Research in Glass and the Ceramic Arts Research Centre at the University of Sunderland. The Research Gallery space will allow the Centre to showcase some of its groundbreaking work in research carried out by its students, academics and visiting artists.

The redevelopment sees a complete overhaul of the Centre’s exhibition spaces and will allow the Centre to present work by the highest caliber artists and to work in partnership with international museums and galleries. The Centre will host three major exhibitions annually and up to 15 smaller scale exhibitions in the new gallery spaces, we will also have a ‘rotating museum’ which will present a selection of high profile glass and ceramics collections on a yearly basis.

 

Director of the National Glass Centre, James Bustard, said: “Our vision is to be a Centre of national excellence supporting the research, teaching, production and exhibition of contemporary glass – a Centre valued by the local community in Sunderland and whose reputation across the (UK) North East region as well as nationally and internationally.”

Professor Peter Fidler, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sunderland, said: “National Glass Centre is such an important cultural venue for Sunderland and the wider North East region. That is why we took over the running of the Centre in 2010 and put forward a vision that would make it a venue with national significance.”

“We have been supported with this vision by a range of people and organizations. The redevelopment reinforces the Centre’s reputation for excellence and enables us to play a major role in the growing cultural landscape of Sunderland.”

Tim Tate and Michael Janis at the UK's National Glass Centre

Last year, Washington Glass School's Tim Tate and Michael Janis completed their Fulbright Scholar assignment at the University of Sunderland and taught at the National Glass Centre. Click HERE to jump to the University of Sunderland news article.

All of us here at the Washington Glass School are excited to see the ambitious redevelopement and wish it great success as it enters into a new era! We all agree - Glass Is More!

New Class - Just Added! Mirroring on Glass

Through The Looking Glass

If you have ever gazed into a mirror and wondered how exactly does a sheet of glass become such a stunning reflective surface, then I invite you to journey down the rabbit hole into the seductive world of mirrored glass. This class will demystify the mirroring process without losing any of the magic, allowing each student the opportunity to create their own mirrored object.  This two-day workshop will cover some simple chemistry, glass preparation and handling, chemical application and teamwork.

Flat glass will be available, however feel free to bring a small clear or transparent colored glass vessel such as a bottle, vase or dish, the cleaner the better. On the other hand - please bring clothes to get dirty in because the chemicals can be quite messy!  See you on the other side of the looking glass! 
Our instructor is supastar Evan Morgan - he's come back to DC teach this special class. Evan was born and raised in Hawaii but is now living outside of Athens, GA. Evan graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) with a BFA in sculpture. He was raised around the arts and by sixteen he was helping build glass shops on the outer islands with his stepfather Hugh Jenkins. Glass became not only a passion but a challenge, Evan continued to blow glass through out high school, exhibiting in Hawaii Craftsmen by 1999.

Instructor      Evan Morgan

Dates:          Sat/Sun July 20 & 21

Times:          1 pm to 6pm  on the Saturday; 1pm to 4pm on Sunday

Tuition :        $300 per student (all materials included) 
Limit 12 students 

Interested? Send an email about the mirroring class to the school: washglassschool@aol.com

Apply for 2014 Stephen Procter Fellowship in Glass

The Stephen Procter Fellowship was established in 2001 in memory of Stephen Procter, Head of the Glass Workshop at The Australian National University 1993–2000. The aim of the Fellowship is to assist international and Australian artists working in glass to work/study abroad. Travel and the experience of other cultures were very important to Stephen and this Fellowship is intended to be a significant and exciting link between glass communities around the world. The Stephen Procter Fellowship is now open for proposals for 2014. 

Stephen Proctor Fellowship

Click Here for Stephen Proctor Fellowship outline and online application.

Each year the Fellowship provides $5,000 (AUD) and a residency (4 to 8 weeks) within the glass workshop at ANU to an artist working with glass. Typically used to assist with the costs associated with overseas travel, the fellowship award aims to support artists with working or educational opportunities significant to their artistic practice. In 2012 this money will be made available for an international artist to travel overseas and take up a residency at the Glass Workshop of the Australian National University in Canberra upon their return. 

Guidelines for International artists: 

• Travel can commence anytime from the end of February 2014.
• Applicant should be a practicing artist seeking time to develop their work, undertake research and / or technical experimentation around a specific project as highlighted in their fellowship application proposal.
• The Fellowship proposal should outline the nature of the intended travel: it should communicate the connections between the overseas activities, the ongoing artist’s practice and the 2014 residency project.
• The successful applicant will be selected based on artistic merit and the relevance of the fellowship proposal.
• The residency at the School of Art must take place in 2014. The duration of the residency is 4 to 8 weeks, and must partly take place during the academic teaching period. The dates of the residency will be negotiated with the ANU staff according to the successful project’s time frame.
• The Fellow will be provided with on-campus accommodation, studio space and scheduled use of equipment to carry out their work. Limited supplies will be provided.
• The Fellow will be expected to have direct interaction with students through workshops and/or seminars/critiques/tutorials and presentations.

Closing date for applications for the 2014 Fellowship: Monday 2 September 2013

For enquiries, please email: richard.whiteley@anu.edu.au

The facilities offered by the Glass Program at ANU rank among the best in teaching institutions throughout the world. The Workshop includes a fully equipped hot shop with tank furnace, 3 glory holes and 4 annealing kilns. A complete complement of coldworking equipment; extensive facilities for a wide range of wax and mould making process for glass casting and an extensive fleet of kilns covering the range of kiln-formed processes. In addition to Workshop facilities, through the Complementary Studies Program, students can access the resources of other Workshops within the School and University.

Call For Entries: New Glass Review 35

Each year, the Corning Museum of Glass conducts a worldwide competition to select 100 images of new works in glass. Objects considered excellent from any of several viewpoints- such as function, subject matter, aesthetics, and technique - will be chosen. The works are chosen by a changing jury of curators, artists, designers, art dealers, and critics.

The deadline for submissions is October 1, 2013. In late November or early December, a jury selects 100 images from the submissions. New Glass Review is published every spring by The Corning Museum of Glass in conjunction with Neues Glas (New Glass), published by Ritterbach Verlag, Frechen, Germany, and GLASS: The UrbanGlass Art Quarterly, published by UrbanGlass, Brooklyn, New York. 

You can apply online - (2013 is the last year for paper applications).   Click HERE to jump to Corning's online application. Entry deadline - Oct 1, 2013.

The Many Facets of Erwin Timmers

Like a finely cut diamond, there are many sides to our Mr. Timmers.

Come hear eco-glass artist Erwin Timmers discuss his work. Thoughtful and ingenious, Erwin' sculpture calls attention to contemporary issues through a creative re-engineering of often-overlooked forms and concepts, often focusing on industrial salvage and recycling.

In the opinion of many, he's also one of the "earliest" green artists on the planet.

Erwin Timmers' cast recycled window glass sculpture at Brentwood Arts

Artist Talk:  Saturday, June 22, 2:00pm 
Brentwood Arts Exchange - exchanging ideas through art

located in the Gateway Arts Center
3901 Rhode Island Avenue
Brentwood, MD 20722
301-277-2863/ tty. 301-446-6802
email: pgp-brentwood-arts@pgparks.com

New DC Public Art Project Announced!

Glass archway proposed by Washington Glass Studio for DC's new Unity Parkside Health Care Center.

The Washington Glass Studio was recently awarded the DC Commission on the Arts& Humanities' Public Art commission for an outdoor sculpture located at DC's new Unity Parkside Health Care center, now under construction. The new health center is located just down the road from the Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, a National Park Service site that boasts some of the most beautiful water lilies and lotus flowers in the months of June and July. 

Architectural rendering of the finished Unity Parkside health care center in Ward 7.

The Washington Glass Studio proposed making a 16 foot high arch of colorful glass and images of healing. 

Inspired by the comments from the community meeting and site review– our objective was to create a sense of place for DC’s Kenilworth - Parkside community.

The design and documentation of the artwork was to be outlined in detail in the presentation.

The site in early May, 2013. The mound of dirt is the artwork location.

The fabrication work for both the glass and the steel framework will soon start. Completion is targeted for early 2014.

Audrey Wilson works on constructing the half-scale maquette created for the presentation to the Council.

Washington Glass Studio sends a big thank-you to the DC Creates! Public Art Program selection committee, the DCCAH Council, Unity Parkside Health Care, and the Ward 7 community!

WAKEUP! "Sleepwalker" opens at Katzen Arts Center

This Saturday at the Katzen Arts Center is the official opening of the show "Sleepwalker" featuring work and collaborations by Tim Tate, Richard A. Schellenberg and Pete Duvall. 

This exhibit is the result of many years in the making. The show is made up mostly of video components (featuring spectacular collaborations with Pete Duvall and Richard Schellenberg), with a few integrated sculptural objects. Come join in a walk through the mind of a Sleepwalker. Opening is Saturday evening, June 15th, from 6 to 9pm.

Tim Tate: Sleepwalker

The American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center,

June 15 – August 11, 2013

4400 Massachusetts Ave,  NW

Washington, DC 20016 

Judith Schaechter Keynote Speech @ GlassWeekend

Judith Schaecter issues the command to us, her willing minions.

Super-Supreme glass artist Judith Schaechter delivered the keynote address at the biennial GlassWeekend held at WheatonArts this past weekend.

Her talk was referenced throughout the conference and, happily, she has posted it on her blog: "Late Breaking Noose".

Judith's talk muses on the now maligned notion of "craft" -
"I started out as a young Turk completely rebellious against skill.  I was conceptual!  I knew what was important!  And it wasn’t some type of mindless devotion to creating perfect solder seams.  I was so bad, and this is true; that on at least one occasion, my work fell apart at the opening... 
But then something happened…and it wasn’t horror or shame at presenting sub-par workmanship to a possibly paying public. What happened was 30-some years of practice. With little thought to the matter, I gradually improved.  Until, to make a long story short, I now find myself highly skilled.  And having come to this place, I now have the perspective to understand why it is worthy."

Judith's talk is filled with great images.

She continues - "Its preposterous to not value skill—it has undeniable practical value!  We want our surgeons and plumbers to be skilled!  We admire, reward and even worship the skill of athletes.  We even have these weird talent shows on TV that seem to be about skills.  We fetishize craft in so many areas of life, but not in the arts!"
What happened to the idea of mastering one’s art?  Why did it become so déclassé to master one’s medium?  Why did it become de rigeur to make work that is constructed like junk (and looks like junk too?)
Read the entirety of Judith's  talk - where she asks if skill and art are mutually exclusive - to read her full text - click HERE to jump to her posting.

Yet another tragic craft catastrophe that could have been avoided.

Pix From GlassWeekend at WheatonArts

The crew just returned from a great (tho exhausting) show at the Creative Glass Center's GlassWeekend at WheatonArts in New Jersey. WGS' Tim Tate, Michael Janis and Allegra Marquart were amongst the glass artists featured by 20 galleries at the biennial event that has brought together artists, collectors, galleries, and museum curators for a three-day weekend of exhibitions, lectures, hands-on glassmaking, demonstrations and social events.

Maurine Littleton Gallery space at GlassWeekend.

GlassWeekend ’13 was held at Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center, home of the Creative Glass Center of America and the Museum of American Glass.

Amy Morgan of Morgan Contemporary talks about the works on exhibit.

Carmen Lozar - one of the 2013 "Rising Stars" sets up her lampwork sculpture.

Carmen Lozar's sculpture.

Katja Fritzsche's wall mounted works behind works by Bonnie Seeman at Duane Reed Gallery.

Sculptors Christina Bothwell and Robert Bender.

Christina Bothwell sculpture at Habatat Galleries space.

Tim Tate's mixed media work "Cowboy Luvin'". Said Tim of the inspiration behind this piece:
"As a child, my grandmother had a millefiori lamp that fascinated me. It was the one thing she left me, and I still have it. I count this as my initial root inspiration for becoming involved with glass. She also bought me my favorite costume, a cowboy suit. This is the piece that I made as a 21st century tribute to her and her influence."

John Littleton and Kate Vogel sculpture at Maurine Littleton Gallery space.

The 2013 Rising Stars (L-R seated)
Dean Allison, Carmen Lozar, Amber Cowan, Slate Grove, Michael Crowder, Andrew Erdos, Ben Johnson, Harry Pollitt

Glass birds swoop thru Pismo Gallery.

Elmerina and Paul Parkman at the cocktail reception held at the Museum of American Glass.

Tim Tate and Merrily Orsini are introduced as they present a lecture at the conference.

Judith Schaechter's keynote address looks ominous - and was talked about for the rest of the conference.

There are many more photos of Glass Weekend - click HERE to jump to the Washington Glass Flickr page of photos.