Michael Janis
Instructor
Michael Janis lives and works in Washington, D.C. His figurative and narrative glass works explore identity, cultural inheritance and collective memory through emotionally charged imagery and richly layered surfaces. Michael is widely recognized for his mastery of the sgraffito technique on glass, creating intricate, painterly compositions using crushed glass. Originally trained as an architect, he applies structural precision to a meticulous multi-step studio process. Michael is co-director of the Washington Glass School and has exhibited internationally. His work is held in major museum collections including the Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Glass and Fort Wayne Museum of Art. Public commissions include cast-glass doors for the Library of Congress Building and a major memorial honoring the lives of enslaved people from a historic Maryland plantation.
