Jennifer Angus facts for kids
Jennifer Angus (born in 1961 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) is a Canadian artist, professor, and author. She is famous for her unique art installations that use many insects arranged in beautiful patterns. She has been creating these amazing works since 1999. Jennifer hopes her art will help people understand and appreciate insects more, and perhaps even overcome their fear of bugs. She wants everyone to see how important insects are in nature.
Jennifer lives and works in Madison, Wisconsin, in the United States.
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Jennifer Angus's Education and Teaching
Jennifer Angus studied art at two different colleges. She earned her first degree (BFA) from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Canada. Later, she received her master's degree (MFA) from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Today, Jennifer is a professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She teaches in the Design Studies department, sharing her knowledge and passion for art with students.
Her Amazing Insect Art Installations
Jennifer Angus is best known for her special art projects called "site-specific installations." This means she creates art pieces that are designed just for one particular place, like a museum room. She uses thousands of real insects, carefully arranging them into detailed patterns. These patterns often look like designs you might see on wallpaper or fabrics.
Jennifer's goal is to make people think differently about insects. She often gives insects human-like qualities in her art, hoping to change people's fear of bugs (which is called entomophobia). She wants to show how important insects are to our planet's ecosystems.
Notable Exhibitions and Collections
Jennifer Angus's art has been shown in many places.
- In 2005, the Textile Museum of Canada featured her exhibition called 'A Terrible Beauty'. For this show, Jennifer used about 15,000 insects to create stunning patterns. This exhibition won an award in 2006 from the Ontario Association of Art Galleries.
- In 2008, a Canadian TV channel called Bravo made a short film about Jennifer's work. It was called 'Touch of Weevil – The Work of Jennifer Angus' and showed her creating an installation at the Tom Thomson Art Gallery.
- In 2015, Jennifer was part of a big exhibition called 'Wonder'. This show celebrated the reopening of the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C.. Jennifer's installation there was called 'The Midnight Garden'. She used about 5,000 dried insects that were collected in a way that didn't harm their populations.
You can also find Jennifer Angus's artwork in the permanent collections of important places like the Museum of Arts and Design and the fibre art collection at Idea Exchange.
Jennifer Angus: Author and Storyteller
Besides being an artist, Jennifer Angus is also an author! In 2013, she wrote a fantasy novel called In Search of Goliathus Hercules.
The story is set in the Victorian era. It's about a young boy who discovers he can talk to insects. He then goes on an exciting adventure to the Malay Peninsula to find a giant insect.
