Janet Henry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Janet Henry
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Janet Olivia Henry (R) with artist Sana_Musasama (L)
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| Born | |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Visual Artist |
| Years active | 1975-present |
| Awards | 2001 Penny McCall Foundation Award |
Janet Henry is a talented visual artist from New York City. She creates art using many different materials and styles. Her work often shares important messages about American culture.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Janet Henry grew up in East Harlem, a neighborhood in New York City. Later, she moved to Jamaica, Queens, where she still lives today.
She studied art at the School of Visual Arts and the Fashion Institute of Technology. She also joined a program called Harlem Youth Opportunities Unlimited (HARYOU). There, she met an important teacher named Betty Blayton Taylor. In 1974, Janet received a special award called a Rockefeller Fellowship. This allowed her to learn about museum education at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Art Career and Contributions
Janet Henry's art is very diverse. She makes collages, which are artworks made by gluing different materials together. She also creates text-based art, jewelry, and sculptures. Her sculptures and installations use many different kinds of materials.
Her art often looks at American culture, especially how white male power is shown. She sometimes uses toys, dolls, and miniature objects in her art to make her points. In the 1980s, she became known for making and photographing unique necklaces and bracelets. Her art has been shown in many solo and group exhibitions over the years.
Janet Henry also worked with filmmaker Linda Goode Bryant to create a magazine called Black Currant. This magazine featured new and experimental art from artists shown at the Just Above Midtown Gallery. The magazine later changed its name to B Culture. In the 1970s, Janet also worked at the Studio Museum in Harlem. There, she collaborated with another artist, Carrie Mae Weems.
Beyond creating art, Janet is also an educator and supporter of the arts. She has worked with organizations like the New York State Council on the Arts. She also teaches at the Brooklyn Heights Montessori School.
Speaking Up for Fairness
Janet Henry is also known for her activism. She has spoken out about unfairness in the art world. For example, she protested an exhibition that many artists felt was unfair. Artists like Carl Andre and Howardena Pindell also joined these protests. This event showed how important it was to fight for equality in the art world. Janet also spoke up about unfairness within the Women's Action Committee.
Exhibitions
Janet Henry's artwork has been displayed in many important art shows and places. These include the PPOW Gallery, the New Museum, the Studio Museum in Harlem, and the Newark Museum.
Solo Exhibitions
Janet Henry has had many exhibitions where only her art was shown. Here are a few examples:
- Lower Eastside Girls Club Community Gallery, "Two's", NYC, 2004
- PPOW, "American Anatomy and Other Work", NYC, 2002
- Public Art Fund, "Messages to the Public: Eventually," NY, 1988
- Studio Museum in Harlem, "From the Studio: Artists-in-Residence," NYC, 1983
- Just Above Midtown Gallery, "Janet Henry Retroactive," NYC, 1982
Group Exhibitions
Her art has also been part of many shows featuring multiple artists. Here are some of them:
- Jamaica Center for Learning and Arts, "What Comes out of Our Textbooks," Queens, New York 2021
- Queens Museum, "Queens International 2018: Volumes," NYC, 2018
- Brooklyn Museum, "We Wanted a Revolution," NYC, 2017
- Exit Art, "Choices 99," selected by Carrie Mae Weems, NYC, 1999
- The Drawing Center, "Cultural Economics: Histories from the Alternative Arts Movement," NYC, 1996
- New Museum, "Bad Girls," NYC, 1994
- Artists Space, "Activated Walls," NYC 1993
- White Columns, "Resistance (Anti-Baudrillard)" NYC, 1987
- Studio Museum in Harlem, "En Route," NYC, 1981
Awards
Janet Henry has received several awards for her artistic work:
- Penny McCall Foundation, Award, NYC, 2001
- Art Matters Foundation, Artist's Fellowship, NYC, 1994
- Public Art Fund, "Messages to the Public," NYC, 1987
- School of Visual Arts, Scholarship, NYC, 1964
Residencies
Artists often participate in residencies, which are programs that give them time and space to create new work. Janet Henry has completed several residencies:
- Light Work Visual Studies, Syracuse, NY, 2000
- Yaddo, Saratoga Springs, NY, 1998
- Studio Museum in Harlem, Artist-in-Residence, NY, 1983
