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Janet Ellen Morgan

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Janet Ellen Morgan
Born
Ann Arbor
Known forVisual arts; expeditionary art
Websitehttp://janetmorgan-art.net

Janet Ellen Morgan is an American artist, author, and teacher noted for her landscapes and the creation of a pantheon of 150 original deities.[1][2][3] Her work spans environmental education and public art.[4] She is also the author and illustrator of children's books.[5][6]

Education

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Morgan received her BFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and her MFA from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.[5]

Work

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Sacred landscapes

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Morgan's expressionist landscapes in watercolor and pastel are depictions of geology, weather and movement of all kinds within the environment. Her travels have profoundly influenced her artistic vision, allowing her to capture the unique qualities of various landscapes, including those in Antarctica, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Bolivia, Peru, Patagonia, Death Valley, Eastern Oregon, the Canadian Rockies, and southern Utah.[3][7][8] Morgan's landscapes have garnered critical acclaim, with writer and ecologist Rowland Russell praising her ability to "convey, with stirring luminosity, the vivid textures of our primal relationship with place and the wonders of those landscapes mirrored within us."[7] Of her Death Valley Art, film director Ken Burns wrote, "These are beautiful works evocative of the great beauty of our land."[7]

God and Goddess series

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Morgan's God and Goddess series, which began in January 1988, consists of large-format watercolor portraits that celebrate aspects of the divine and the human, offering a way for the viewer to see themselves as sacred. The series features a variety of deities, from serious figures like The God of War to irreverent ones like The Goddess of the Joys of Petty Thievery, and even contemporary ones like The God of Safe Sex or The Bee Goddess.[1][2][9]

Public art

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Public art installation for PS 273, commissioned by New York City Public Schools

In 2010, Morgan created a public art project for an early childhood center in Queens, New York, commissioned by New York City Public Schools. This project, funded with a budget of $50,000, featured three circus-inspired designs. These designs were transformed into large tiles and installed in the stanchions of the school's fencing, alternating between right-side-up and upside-down orientations. The architect for this project was Andrzej Dudziński.[10][11][12]

Residencies

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Morgan has done a number of artistic and teaching residencies.[13][5] Among the residencies are Death Valley National Park,[14][3] Weir Farm National Historic Site,[15] the Babayan Cultural Center in Cappadocia, Turkey,[16] Hanksville Elementary School in Utah, and the Luminous Bodies Residency Toronto.[17]

Morgan is a current member of the New York Artists Circle (NYAC).[18]

Books and Exhibition Catalogs

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Morgan has authored and illustrated two children's books:

She has also illustrated more than fourteen books, including:

Further contributions include:

  • Three Artists in the Andes [26](2010) and Death Valley Peaks [27][28] by Gregory Frux (2023)

Morgan has created exhibition catalogs for a number of shows including:

  • Quintessence Three Visions for the Omega Institute (2014) in Rhinebeck, New York. In the introduction to this catalog, author Kim Stanley Robinson praised Morgan's work, stating:

"Morgan’s images display our own felt electricity, the crackling auras and fields that we know for sure are there, not just from new scientific sensors, but from the way our bodies so often feel.  We are not only stardust, but wild patterned energy, dust devils swirling through space for just a time".[29]

Exhibition Catalogs including Morgans work include:

  • Crossed Destinies: A Tarot of the Artists: Creative Adventures Through the Major Arcana [30](2005) by Williamsburg Art Center
  • Music to My Eyes[31] (2006) and Sanctuary[32][33] (2016) by Tabla Rasa Gallery
  • The Art of Coney Island[34] (2021) by Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition
  • Mirror, Mirror[35] (2019), Femme Fatale [36](2019), Sotto Voce[37] (2021) by Artfront Galleries.

Press

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Exhibitions including Morgan's work has received coverage from prominent publications and organizations, including The New York Times,[38] Hyperallergic,[39][40] Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition,[41] and Brooklyn Eagle.[42] A 2025 exhibition entitled Biophilia, curated by Morgan received press from BK Reader[43] and Canarsie Courier.[44]

The book What Art Can Do: A Conversation with Janet Morgan by Heather Sanderson has been reviewed by Ann Japenga.[45]

Teaching

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Morgan has taught at the Art Students League of New York,[46] the Rubin Museum of Art,[9][47] and the Omega Institute and Death Valley National Park.[5] She also worked as an Expressive Arts Therapist with adult cancer patients at Memorial Sloan Kettering for 18 years.[48][49]

References

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  1. ^ a b Majestic Wisdom Podcast. "Episode 22 – The Outrageous, the Foolish, + the Divine with Janet Morgan." Majestic Wisdom Publishing.
  2. ^ a b dchanat (2007-03-07). The Paintings of Janet Morgan. Retrieved 2024-08-23 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ a b c Japenga, Ann (2011-10-26). "Janet Morgan: Secrets of the Energetic Landscape". California Desert Art. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  4. ^ "Visual Artist Bios 2011 · Earth Celebrations". Earth Celebrations. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  5. ^ a b c d "Janet Ellen Morgan - Biography". www.askart.com. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  6. ^ "Morgan Releases Second Children's Book | Minneapolis College of Art and Design". www.mcad.edu. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  7. ^ a b c McElhinney, James Lancel, Rowland Russell, Janet Morgan, and Terry Baldino. Death Valley - An Ongoing Exploration: The Paintings of Janet Morgan & Gregory Frux, Artists in Residence. CreateSpace, October 2015.
  8. ^ a b Japenga, Ann (2011-06-15). "Janet Morgan and Gregory Frux: Bringing Back Expedition Art". California Desert Art by Ann Japenga. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  9. ^ a b admin. "Getting Creative with Janet Morgan | Education at the Rubin". Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  10. ^ "Janet Morgan". NYCSCA Official Website. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  11. ^ "Public Art Archive - Make Public Art More Public". publicartarchive.org. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  12. ^ "The Circus, PS 273 - CODAworx". www.codaworx.com. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  13. ^ "TELEPHONE". phonebook.gallery. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  14. ^ Japenga, Ann (2011-07-04). "Death Valley Children's Book Animates the Arroyos". California Desert Art by Ann Japenga. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  15. ^ "- YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  16. ^ Willemijn, Bouman (2012). "2nd Babayan Culture House AiR artists video 2010-2012". Vimeo. p. minute 20:33.
  17. ^ "Janet Morgan – Luminous Bodies". Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  18. ^ "Janet Morgan". nyartistscircle.com. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  19. ^ Japenga, Ann (2011-07-04). "Death Valley Children's Book Animates the Arroyos". California Desert Art by Ann Japenga. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  20. ^ Story time with Miss. Humphrey (2024-08-13). Reading of Coney Island Awakes at BWAC. Retrieved 2024-08-27 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ "Coney Island Book Reading and Signing with Susanna Plotnick, Janet Morgan and Dana Humphrey". Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition. 2024-08-11. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  22. ^ OpenLibrary.org. "Coney Island Awakes by Janet Morgan | Open Library". Open Library. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  23. ^ "Top 20 Book Covers – Childrens Book Cover Award". Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  24. ^ "Morgan Releases Second Children's Book | Minneapolis College of Art and Design". www.mcad.edu. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  25. ^ "What Art Can Do: A Conversation with Janet Morgan (Illustrated Edition)". Majestic Wisdom Publishing. 2025-03-05. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  26. ^ "Three Artists In the Andes: The Ghosts of Licancabur - …". Goodreads. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  27. ^ "Climbing Death Valley Peaks: Traveling the Amargosa River on Amazon".
  28. ^ "Climbing Death Valley Peaks: Traveling the Amargosa Riv…". Goodreads. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  29. ^ Morgan, Janet, Amina Eagle, David Rubin, Michael Schneider, John Sims, Kim Stanley Robinson. "Introduction." Quintessence: Three Visions. Create Space.April 4, 2014.
  30. ^ "Williamsburg Art and Historical Center: Events & Exhibits". www.wahcenter.net. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  31. ^ "Music to My Eyes". tablarasagallery.com. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  32. ^ "Sanctuary by Tabla Rasa Gallery on Amazon".
  33. ^ "SANCTUARY". tablarasagallery.com. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  34. ^ "The Art of Coney Island Paperback – July 19, 2021 by Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition".
  35. ^ "Mirror, Mirror by Artfront Galleries on Amazon".
  36. ^ "Femme Fatal by Artfront Galleries on Amazon".
  37. ^ "Sotto Voce by Artfront Galleries on Amazon".
  38. ^ Cotter, Holland (2024-10-03). "Brooklyn Museum at 200 Celebrates Beauty and Art's Hidden History". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  39. ^ Liscia, Valentina Di (2024-08-29). "An Art Exhibition That Makes Rejection Look Good". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  40. ^ Short, Aaron (2024-10-07). "Red Hook's Arts Scene Is Worth the Trek". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  41. ^ "The Arc Project: Humans from Mundane to Mythical". Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  42. ^ Chau, Mandie (2024-07-23). "Premium ContentBWAC brings Coney Island to Red Hook with new juried art exhibition". Brooklyn Eagle. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  43. ^ "Brooklyn Exhibits Where Art and Nature Collide". BKReader. 2025-05-30. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  44. ^ "The Natural World Takes Center Stage in BWAC Art Shows". Canarsie Courier. 2025-05-28. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  45. ^ Japenga, Ann (2025-05-20). "Agnes Pelton's Fish Story, Billie's Cabin, Sharon Ellis Show, Tribute to Jan Rindfleisch and more". California Desert Art by Ann Japenga. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  46. ^ “'Art Workout:' The Shapes of the Middle East: Belly Dance and Its Music." The Art Students League of New York.https://theartstudentsleague.org/workshop/art-workout-shapes-middle-east-belly-dance-music-one-night-december-7/
  47. ^ "Tapping Into Inner Deities with Janet Morgan – Rubin Museum of Art". rubinmuseum.org. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  48. ^ "What Art Can Do: A Conversation with Janet Morgan". Majestic Wisdom Publishing. 2022-10-13. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  49. ^ Kleinfield, N. R. (2009-11-27). "The Cancer Lounge". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
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