Michael Janis was born in Chicago, IL and currently lives and works in Washington, DC. He is Co-Director of the Washington Glass School & Studio.
As the child of a Chinese/Filipino immigrant and grandson of Greek and German immigrants, the family histories and struggle to assimilate has been a perpetual source for his narrative work that deals with understanding identity. Trained as an architect, his glass artworks often showcase his very disciplined approach to the medium.
Awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in 2012, Janis went to England's University of Sunderland and taught at the UK's National Glass Centre where he became an Artist-in-Residence at the Institute for International Research in Glass (IIRG).
Massachusetts’ Fuller Craft Museum mounted a solo show of Janis’ glass panels and sculpture in 2011, where they have his artwork in their permanent collection. Janis’ artwork is also in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Tacoma (WA) Museum of Glass, Florida’s Imagine Museum, Fort Wayne, IN, Museum of Art, as well the artwork collection at the US Embassy in Bucharest. The DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities awarded him the 31st Annual Mayor’s Arts Award for “Excellence in the Arts”.
In 2022, Janis’ glass sculpture, made in collaboration with artist Tim Tate, will be featured in the Venice Biennale of Art exhibition “Glassstress.