Janeil Engelstad facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Janeil Engelstad
|
|
|---|---|
Janeil Engelstad
|
|
| Born | |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | New York University, University of Washington |
Janeil Engelstad is an American artist and curator. A curator is someone who chooses and organizes art for museums or galleries. Janeil uses art and design to help with social and environmental problems. She also runs an organization called Make Art with Purpose (MAP).
Janeil Engelstad's Art and Projects
Janeil Engelstad is known for her art that helps people and the planet. She creates projects that bring communities together.
Early Work and Social Art
Early on, Janeil used photos and videos to explore ideas about who we are and the world around us. At university, she studied art and was inspired by artists like Peter Campus and Félix González-Torres. She realized many important stories weren't being told in the news.
She volunteered at a homeless shelter, teaching photography and video. This experience made her want to create "Social Practice" art. This type of art involves working with communities to make a difference. Her first big project, "Art Works: Teenagers and Artists Collaborate on the Polaroid 20 x 24 Camera," included famous artists like Andres Serrano and Chuck Close.
Writing and Supporting Ukrainian Artists
Janeil has written many articles and essays. In 2023, she wrote for Leonardo, a journal about art and technology. Her article was about the artists Helen Mayer Harrison and Newton Harrison, who helped start her organization, Make Art with Purpose.
Since 2022, Janeil has focused on helping Ukrainian artists. She worked with Lilia Kudelia to create "Vich-na-Vich" (2022). This was a video art show in Dallas. They also held talks with Ukrainian artists and writers. These talks were about how the war affected their lives and art.
Major Art Projects
Voices From the Center
Voices From the Center is a project that collects stories from people. It focuses on how life changed in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary after the Berlin Wall came down. Janeil started this project after teaching in Slovakia as a Fulbright Scholar.
She wanted to understand how people felt about socialism and the USA. She talked to people aged 45 to 85 about their lives before and after the Berlin Wall fell. Many felt their experiences during communism were being forgotten. Janeil wanted to include views from all the Visegrád Group countries.
Young adults, who were children when the wall fell, also shared their views on the post-communist era. Everyone talked about what freedom meant to them. They shared their dreams, fears, and hopes for their countries and the world.
Parts of Voices From the Center were shown in galleries and museums. This included a public transit campaign in Slovakia. The project website, voicesfromthecenter.net, was designed as an art piece itself. The project began in 2009 for the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall's fall. Janeil updated it in 2019, interviewing people from the Solidarity movement in Poland, like Bogdan Borusewicz.
AMPL!FY
AMPL!FY grew from an earlier project called Dialogues on Race. Janeil designed this project through Make Art with Purpose. Artists, graphic designers, activists, and young people created billboards and posters about racial equality. These were then discussed in community meetings.
After the 2016 US Presidential Election, Janeil worked with graphic designer Mark Randall. They changed Dialogues on Race to help people talk about political differences in a good way. Partners for AMPL!FY included the Museum of Arts and Design and the New York City Department of Transportation.
The goal was to create media to support groups working on social and environmental issues. In 2017 and 2018, AMPL!FY put up posters in Manhattan and Harlem. These posters were designed by artists working with non-profit organizations. An exhibition at the Museum of Arts and Design had public programs. These programs aimed to "amplify" social and climate issues. Educational programs also taught students about topics like criminal justice reform, Islamophobia, and disability rights. They also discussed how activist art has shaped US history.
Beyond Borders
As a visiting artist at the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA), Janeil created Beyond Borders. This project explored connections between artworks. It focused on cultures and traditions that are not well-known or are misunderstood. The project started when new travel rules affected people coming to the United States. It also began when a wall was ordered to be built on the Mexico–United States border.
Janeil made laminated cards with images of six artworks from the DMA's collection. Each card had an image on the front and a phrase Janeil wrote or found. Her thoughts on the artwork were on the back. The cards were in Spanish and English and included a map for a tour. Beyond Borders also had public programs for museum visitors.
Art and the Environment in Eastern and Central Europe
Janeil was a guest producer for a special online issue of the MIT journal ARTMargins. This issue focused on environmental art from former Eastern Bloc countries. It looked at how art connects to capitalism, globalization, climate change, and the history of socialism. Artists and cultural producers shared their ideas about the "natural environment."
Peace Room / Make Room for Peace
After the September 11 attacks, Janeil sent surveys to people in North America, Europe, and the Middle East. She asked for their ideas about peace. People sent her poetry, stories, images, and music. This material was put into a book. Then, a public space was designed with furniture and tableware inside a gallery.
This exhibition space was used to discuss different ideas of peace. It explored how peace can be real for individuals and groups. The Chicago Tribune newspaper also featured "Peace Room / Make Room for Peace." Readers were asked to design their own "peace plate." Families, schools, church groups, and individuals from Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana sent in designs. A panel, including Janeil, chose the winning designs.
Peace Signs / Visualizing Violence
Janeil worked with Mark Randall of World Studio to create Peace Signs. This was a media art project about youth gun violence. It took place in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., New York, and Chicago. Each project included workshops for high school and college students. These workshops taught about design, media literacy, and violence prevention.
The project created billboards, transit posters, exhibitions, and public talks. It also included a peace parade.
Identity/Identité
This year-long project was created with Canadian artist Deborah Bennett. It took place in Montréal and Toronto. Identity/Identité explored the connection between language, cultural identity, and nationalism in English and French speaking Canada. Art from this project was shown in galleries and libraries. It was also projected from storefronts in Toronto and Montréal. Partners included Toronto Public Library and Concordia University.
Make Art with Purpose
In 2010, Janeil founded Make Art with Purpose (MAP). MAP works with different groups and fields. It invites communities to help design and create art projects. These projects focus on international social and environmental issues.
Awards and Honors
- Artist Residency Thailand, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 2024
- COIL Fellow, University of Washington, 2023
- Red Bull, Artist Grant, 2020
- Nasher Sculpture Center, Artist Grant, 2020
- Laźnia Centre for Contemporary Art, Gdańsk, Poland, Artist in Residence, 2019
- Dallas Museum of Art, Visiting Artist, 2017
- Dallas Mastermind Award, 2014
- Fulbright Scholar, Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Bratislava, Slovak Republic, 2006
