Michael Janis

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News

 

Am honored that the Lowe Art Museum in Miami, FL has named me their 2024 “Distinguished Artist”. I will be conducting a series of lectures at the museum and will be conducting workshops at the University of Miami’s glass studios in March.

 

DC’s huge art fair – ARTOMATIC - is on! Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the arts/music/performance festival will feature my works at their space at 2100 M Street, Washington, DC from March thru April.

 

Habatat Detroit Fine Art will showcase my artwork in their 52nd Glass International Award Exhibition in May of 2024.

 

The City of Mount Rainier, MD has selected my artwork to be part of a new public art project that features artwork on banners throughout the Mount Rainier downtown as a way to show the diverse range of talents in the arts community!

 

Sandra Ainsley Gallery in Toronto, CA showcased an extensive exhibit of my glass artwork. Many of the works are still at the Canadian Gallery, click here for gallery link.

 

I am honored to be a finalist in Contemporary Craft’s 2022 Elizabeth R. Raphael Founder’s Prize. My glass artwork will be featured in Transformation 11: Contemporary Works in Glass September 9, 2022-March 18, 2023. Big thanks to jurors - Heather McElwee, Anna Rothfuss, Cathy Raphael, Alex Raphael, Rachel Saul Rearick and Kate Lydon.

 

The Tacoma Museum of Glass (MOG) and Florida’s Imagine Museum have each recently acquired my glass sculptures for their permanent collection.

 

WGS Contemporary featured the collaborative sculptures made by Tony Porto and me at the Art Basel Miami’s SCOPE Art Fair.

 

Indiana’s Fort Wayne Museum of Art recently acquired “Traces of Memory” – a large cast glass sculpture collaboration between Tim Tate and me for the museum’s permanent collection.

 

Asheville, NC’s Momentum Gallery has opened in their new downtown space at 52 Broadway Street. The new space is stunning! Be sure to visit the Gallery if you are in Asheville!

 

A collaborative work with artist Tim Tate, Chris Shea and I will be part of Berengo Studio’s Glassstress Exhibition at the 2022 Venice Biennale.

 

Watch the artist talk on Habatat Galleries YouTube page:

Artist Tony Porto and I have collaborated on a new series of glass/mixed media sculpture Habatat Galleries’ "Not Grandmas’ Glass" (NGG) exhibit/competition. NGG is new and groundbreaking competition, to be held over 12 months, and featuring 12 artists that 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. From Habatat's website: "Creating work that is probably not in Grandma’s art collection…..yet. These artists are extremely innovative and I propose that they will all be important in the future of the glass medium."

In our series we pay homage to the underdogs of pop culture - the cartoons, action figures, and toys of childhood. Figures as diverse as Batman, Darth Vader, My Little Pony, Wonder Woman, Hulk Hogan are explored. In the works, we walk a really fun line between taking this stuff seriously and also being able to laugh at it all.

Tony and I have a long history of artistic collaboration - our first work together was acquired for the permanent collection by the Art Institute of Chicago.

For a full review of these sculpture – clink on this link to jump direct to www.Janis-Porto.com

 

Detroit’s Habatat Galleries is featuring my work in a solo exhibit “where I am & you may be” on Artsy.net. The gallery also features the collaborative work I made with artist/studio partner Tim Tate in a special exhibit “Living Within The Story”.

 

The James Renwick Alliance (JRA) in Washington, DC honored my work in Washington, DC’s Artomatic with their “Award of Excellence”. Previously, the JRA named me as the Distinguished Artist in 2014. As part of honor, I lectured on my work, techniques and career at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM).

 

I was awarded Washington, DC’s 31st Mayor’s Arts Award for Excellence in the Arts. The DC Commission for the Arts & Humanities (CAH) has supported my work over the years, and I am eternally grateful. The CAH has seven of my works in their permanent collection of art.

 

American Craft Magazine featured my work in the April/May 2013 issue of the magazine. Titled “Becoming Michael Janis” , the article gives an extensive profile of my background and influences.

 

American Craft Magazine also featured the work of my studio, Washington Glass School and Studio in the June/July 2013 issue of the magazine. Titled “Capitol Improvements”, the magazine reviews the process in our creation of the new cast glass doors for the US Library of Congress Adams Building.

 

The U.S. Department of State awarded me a Fulbright Scholarship. In 2012, I was Fulbright Specialist at the University of Sunderland and National Glass Centre in the UK. The people, facilities and workshops there were incredible and will have a tremendous impact on my work. I’d like to thank the US / UK Fulbright Commission, the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) The University of Sunderland, the City of Sunderland and Creative Cohesion for all their generosity and assistance in the assignment.