Biography

Janis Miltenberger is an internationally recognized glass artist known for her intricate sculptural work in flameworked borosilicate glass. Originally trained in the California studio glass movement, she has been working with glass since the late 1970s and is considered one of the foremost practitioners of narrative lampworking. Her work combines technical mastery with deeply symbolic imagery, often referencing mythology, nature, personal history and the subconscious.

Miltenberger has taught at major glass institutions including Pilchuck Glass School, Penland School of Craft and Corning Museum of Glass. Her sculptures have been exhibited widely in the United States and abroad and are held in significant public and private collections. She continues to explore complex figurative forms and botanical structures in glass, creating work that merges craftsmanship with poetic storytelling.

STATEMENT

I am a fan of stories, fables, parables, allegory, and soliloquy. I appreciate the quest and the subtle roles and meanings that dwell within a narrative. Storytelling also has a transformative nature. We take a word or an image and emblazon it, infusing it with meaning and giving each element context. The real magic happens in the audience, where each person interprets and personalizes the story, making it their own. Although my imagery may be representational, the elements function as concepts, deposits that are distilled and shaped into allegorical objects.

Working alone in my studio, my primary tools are torches of varying sizes. Each glass sculpture is built step by step, beginning with the internal structure. From there, individual elements are formed and added to the framework. A single piece can take weeks or months to complete.