Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Janis.
Hi Michael, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I spent twenty years as an architect before finding my way into glass. What began as a fascination with a material evolved into a second career as an artist, educator, and public art practitioner. Along the way, I became a co-director of the Washington Glass School in Washington, DC, where we’ve taught thousands of students and developed projects ranging from intimate narrative artworks to large-scale community-engaged public art.
Over the years, my own studio work has continued to evolve. I use kiln-formed glass and sgraffito techniques to explore themes of identity, memory, belonging, and the complicated stories people tell themselves and one another. At the same time, public art has allowed me to bring those ideas into civic spaces through commemorative public art projects created with and for communities.
Looking back, what once felt like two separate paths, architecture and art, turned out to be preparation for the work I do today.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not a smooth road at all! The romantic notion of the artist’s life rarely matches reality. Like many artists, I’ve had to balance creative ambitions with the practical realities of sustaining a studio, paying bills, teaching, writing proposals, pursuing commissions, and managing projects.
One of the biggest challenges has been that my work has evolved in directions that don’t always align neatly with market expectations. The glass world often celebrates technical spectacle and beauty, while my work increasingly asks viewers to engage with narrative, identity, and social history. Finding the audience for that work has been an ongoing process.
At the same time, those challenges have pushed me to grow. Public art taught me collaboration and patience. Teaching reminded me to remain curious. Studio practice continues to be the place where I ask the questions I don’t yet have answers to.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I create narrative artworks in glass that explore the complexities of human experience, issues of identity, memory, relationships, belonging, and the social dramas that shape our lives. While I work with kiln-formed glass, I’m less interested in the material as an end in itself than in its ability to hold stories.
I’m also deeply committed to public art and community engagement. Some of the projects I’m most proud of have involved inviting residents to participate in the making of artworks that ultimately become part of their shared civic landscape.
What sets my work apart is perhaps the intersection of seemingly different worlds: architecture, fine art, education, and public practice. I move between intimate personal narratives and large public collaborations, and each informs the other.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
I wish I had understood earlier that careers are rarely linear. The idea that you know or “discover” your path at twenty-five and simply follow it is largely a myth.
Be open to detours.
I didn’t become a full-time artist until after a career in architecture, and many of the skills I developed there, such as problem-solving, collaboration, and project management, proved essential later.
Also, don’t confuse external validation with artistic growth. Grants, exhibitions, awards, and sales are all good, and do matter, but they come and go. The euphoria is fleeting. The more enduring challenge is continuing to evolve, remaining curious, and making work that still surprises you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://michaeljanis.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michael_janis/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.janis
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/michael-janis-54775a15
- Other: http://washingtonglassschool.com/school
