Claire Van Vliet facts for kids

Claire Van Vliet was born in 1933 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She is a very talented artist, illustrator, and printmaker. She is also a typographer, which means she designs and arranges type (like the letters you see in books). In 1955, she started her own special publishing house called Janus Press in San Diego, California.

Claire Van Vliet is well-known for her creative way of using colored paper pulp to make illustrations. She has also spent a long time creating "artist's books." These are special books where the art is just as important as the words. In 1989, she received a very important award called the MacArthur Genius Grant.

About Claire Van Vliet

Claire Van Vliet was born in Canada. After her parents passed away, she moved to the United States. She arrived in California and was raised by her aunt.

She finished high school at San Diego High School in 1949. Then, she went to San Diego State College, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1952. In 1954, she earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from Claremont Graduate School.

In 1955, she traveled to Europe. She returned to the United States in 1957. Claire Van Vliet worked for a company called Lanston Monotype. She also continued to learn about hand typesetting, which is how books were made before computers. From 1965 to 1966, she taught drawing and printmaking classes in Philadelphia. In 1967, she set up a special workshop for typography in Madison, Wisconsin. Since 1966, her Janus Press has been located in Newark, Vermont.

Claire Van Vliet is famous for being one of the first to use a special method. She used colored paper pulp to create unique illustrations for her books.

Where Her Art Is Kept

Claire Van Vliet's amazing artwork can be found in many important museums. These include:

• The Fleming Museum of Art
• The National Gallery of Art
• The National Museum of Women in the Arts
• The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
• The Philadelphia Museum of Art
• The Smithsonian American Art Museum
• The Walker Art Center

All About Janus Press

Claire Van Vliet started the Janus Press in 1955. She named it after Janus, a Roman god with two faces. This god could look both to the past and to the future.

Janus Press creates special books by working with many different artists. These include writers, papermakers, printmakers, and other artists. Some of the people who have worked with Janus Press include famous writers like Raymond Carver and Seamus Heaney. They also work with talented artists and papermakers.

In 2005, Janus Press celebrated its 50th birthday with an exhibition. It was called Beauty in Use: 50 Years of the Janus Press. This show was held at Dartmouth College. Ten years later, in 2015, the 60th anniversary was celebrated with another exhibition. This one was at the San Francisco Center for the Book.

Awards and Honors

Claire Van Vliet has received several important awards for her work:

• 1989 – She won the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Prize Fellowship. This is often called a "MacArthur Genius Grant." It's a very special award given to talented people so they can continue their important work.
• 1995 – She was chosen to be a member of the National Academy of Design in New York.
• 2017 – She received the Frederic W. Goudy Award. This award honors people who have made great contributions to the art of typography.