Upon arriving in Atlanta in 1986, Matt discovered there were no glassblowers and therefore no studios to work out of in the entire metro Atlanta area. He decided then and there that he was going to blow glass in Atlanta even if he had to build a shop himself. Having a bit of a “one track mind,” Matt talked about this idea from 1986-90 through getting married, his first child and successfully building a jewelry career.

In 1990, Matt moved his family back to his native Ohio and his alma mater Kent State University to attend graduate school on a teaching assistantship where he received his Masters in Glassblowing. In his journey towards obtaining a shop, Matt believed that one of the most likely ways to get a studio would be with a university affiliation, and a Masters degree would help. Returning to Atlanta in 1992 armed with a new credential, Matt tested the waters contacting different galleries and universities to test interest in the medium and discovered that glassblowing was not well understood in this area.

Without saying much, Matt began stockpiling his basement with steel, barrels and other random pieces of wood and metal. Kim (his wife) yelled at him to “get rid of the junk” from about 1992-1995, until one day when she went into “Matt’s world” and realized that he had built an entire glass studio by himself. It was clear to her at that point that Matt was driven to be a glassblower.

In July of 1996, Matt and Kim Janke opened Atlanta’s first glassblowing studio then called M. Janke Studios located in the Artisan Resource Center (Nunn Complex) on Cobb Parkway in Marietta. The first year Matt worked in the shop at night and as a jeweler by day while also being a father of two and teaching part time at Georgia State University. By year two Matt was full time at the studio having moved from one student to a few, having been discovered by a couple of galleries and designers and managing to have the studio pay for itself. Now nearly ten years later, the Janke’s have relocated Janke Studios, Inc., to 659 Auburn Avenue in the heart of downtown Atlanta in the historic Fourth Ward district where they now have not only a complete glassblowing studio but an art glass gallery as well.

Matt and Kim continue to run a very open studio on the identical original mission to expose and promote the art of glassmaking throughout the Southeast and to provide a means for other artists to practice their craft. It is an honor to say that virtually all of Atlanta’s glass artists have or continue to hone their craft at Janke Studios: Jim Shumate, Tadashi Torii, Algar Dole, Mike Allison, Alex Craig, Kristin Malone, Bob Myers, Becky Bennett and The Kargs have all been active in Janke Studios over the years.

The Janke’s are astounded when they look back at what they experienced upon arrival in Atlanta as compared to what is happening here today. They are also very pleased to have been given the opportunity to truly contribute to the birth of a glassblowing community in Atlanta.

In Atlanta, this movement is just getting started, and the Janke’s look forward to their ten year anniversary coming in July of 2006 and what the next ten years might bring.

Click here to see a QuickTime slide show of Janke Studios (3.3 Mb).

Click here to download a free QuickTime player.

Links:

Mike Allison's Fluid Glass Movements