Janet Morgan M.F.A.

Documentary The Paintings of Janet Morgan on You Tube by the Artist Archive

ARTIST'S STATEMENT

The multi-faceted artist and Nelson Howe said to me recently while we talked around my kitchen table “it is in the nature of the god(desse)s to be limitless and without agenda.” That is how I like to be, as a creator of deities and a portraitist to the earth. He also told me that my art is about the “underlying energy source.” That is the best description of my work I have ever heard. It rings true - for my depictions of deities and humans, and for my paintings that capture our ever transforming planet. I have been making art in my own way all of my life.

My “figurative” work (some day I will find a better word) is of gods and goddesses, healers, wild women, musicians and dancers - those who rise above the mundane while participating in it. These large watercolors grew out of a desire to find the sacred in the everyday and the transcendent in our lives - while being embodied and with our eyes open, not afraid of the shadow.

My landscape artwork is of volcanoes, deserts, arctic whites, flashfloods and the sacred places we humans have created within geologic upheaval. It was inspired by travel and the realization that the way we see the earth can be as personal and expressive as anything we paint - and to truly experience place there is no better way that to learn to truly see and feel and touch and smell and hear it.

The quest for the “underlying energy source” runs through all of my work - paintings, books, stage sets, dance and teaching. Geology, history, mythology, religions, architecture, dance - it all mixes in to create a world view full of color and force.

RESUME

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2016	‘Scapes and Mysteries’ Water media by Janet Morgan. The TAI Group, New York, NY
2015	Meditations for Peace (Fundraiser). Artist-in-Residence Exhibition. The Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, New York.
2014	Long Pond by Moonlight . Artist-in-Residence Exhibition. The Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, New York.
2013	New Meditations. Artist-in-Residence Exhibition. The Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, New York.
2012	Spirits of Cappadocia Artist-in-Residence Exhibition. Babayan Culture House, Ibrahimpasa, Turkey. Meditations Artist-in-Residence Exhibition. The Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, New York.
2011	The Healers. Shambala Yoga and Dance Center, Brooklyn, New York. The Wild Woman Book. Artist-In-Residence Exhibition. The Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, New York.
2010	Landscapes Around the World. Artist-In-Residence Exhibition. The Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, New York. Shambala Yoga and Dance Center Anniversary Celebration. Brooklyn New York.
2008	1st Annual Mother’s Day Blessing Celebration. Official Artist St. Bart’s Church, New York, New York The Sensuous Feast (Environment) One Touch, New York, New York
2007	Tales from the Other Side: A Retrospective for Halloween Madame X, New York, New York Artist-In-Residence Exhibition. The Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, New York. Gods & Men: Musings on the Divine Masculine Madame X, New York, N.Y. Plus a Permanent Installation. Dunya’s Art & Dance Celebration. The Metropolitan Building, Long Island City, New York. Munchkinland Murals at the Kostume Kult Theme Camp, Burning Man, Black Rock City, Nevada.
2006	Goddesses: the Art of Janet Morgan Microcosm Gallery, An Interactive Exhibit. Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, New York City. Curated by Alex and Allyson Grey. OrigIN Femme at the Brooklyn Lyceum, Brooklyn, New York. Curator Jillann Hertel.
2004	The Art of Empowered Bliss. *Official Artist* of the Omega Institute’s Women and Power Conference, New York Sheraton Hotel. Food for Eyes and Soul The Deities Dine at Omega. Paintings from Morgan’s Supreme Beings The God and Goddess Project. The Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, New York. The Art of Belly dance: Paintings by Janet Morgan The Lafayette Grill, New York City. Performances by the artist and three guest dancers. Reviewed in Zaghareet Magazine.
	(Earlier solo shows upon request - 13 entries)

SELECTED TWO PERSON SHOWS

2015 2013	Open Studio, fundraiser for Musicians Without Borders. Brooklyn, New York. Utah In Brooklyn, Open Studio Exhibition. Brooklyn, New York, with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.
2012	Death Valley -An Ongoing Exploration, Furnace Creek Visitors Center, Death Valley National Park, April. Catalog. Go Brooklyn! Open Studios Brooklyn, NY.
2009	Monadnock Literary & Arts Festival Exhibition Camp Glenbrook, Keene, New Hampshire
2007	Paintings of the Antarctic Peninsula. Onboard the Orlova in the Drake Passage, Quark Expeditions.
2005	Death Valley Artist in Residence Open House with Gregory Frux, Brooklyn, New York.
2000	Two New York City Artists Exhibiting in Bishkek: Janet Morgan and Gregory Frux National Museum of Art of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. (Central Asia).

GROUP SHOWS

2016	Art Heart Fashion for Fashion Week. Angel Orensanz Center, New York, New York. Art Slope, Brooklyn, New York., Buddha, Gaia Gallery, Brooklyn, New York. Parks 2016, 100 Years of National Park Service. Wisconsin Lutheran College, Milwaukee. Wi. Baba Yaga. Six Summits Gallery, New York, NY. Urban Legacy. ArtFrontGalleries, Waterfront Recreation Center, Newark, New Jersey. Art and Chaos, a Response. Studio 5404 Massapequa, Long Island, New York.
2015	Sodom By The Sea Salon. Coney Island Museum, Brooklyn, New York. Brooklyn Art: Micro-Retrospectives. Supercollider Lounge, Brooklyn, New York. Flatbush Artists Exhibition. Brooklyn, New York. Glover’s Fine Arts Summer Exhibition. Clover’s Fine Arts, Brooklyn, New York. Mountain: Art of U.S. National Park Artists in Residence. Wisconsin Lutheran College, Milwaukee. Wi. Sensory: A RAW Artists Event. Brooklyn, NY. Holding Ground Conference Art Exhibition, The Commons, Brooklyn, NY American Alpine Club 2015 Annual Benefit Dinner Silent Auction Exhibition. New York, New York.
2014	Quintessence - Three Visions. Ram Dass Library, the Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, NY. Catalog (on Amazon). Access Art - Juried Fundraising Exhibition for the Brooklyn Arts Council, Brooklyn, NY. 9th Annual Canyon River Runners Art Show John Wesley Powell River History Museum, Green River Utah.
2013	Women: Where Art Meet Spiritual Practice. Liberation in Truth Social Justice Center, Newark, N.J.
2012	12 Artists at the Henle Studio Christiansted, St. Croix, USVI February Women’s Show, Woodstock Goddess Festival, Varga Gallery, Woodstock, NY.
2011	Balance Hive at 55, New York, N.Y. Hudson River Contemporary: Works on Paper Boscobel Exhibition Gallery, Garrison, New York. Exhibition catalog. Curated by James L. McElhinney And Katherine E. Manthorne. Three Artists In the Andes, Exhibition and Book Launch Maria Henle Studio, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands Three Artists In the Andes, Exhibition and Book Party Open Studio in Brooklyn, NY. Salon de Refuse Pen and Brush, New York, NY. Earth Celebrations , ACA Gallery, New York, NY.
2010	The Divine Feminine Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, Wappingers Falls, NY. Broome Street Gallery Invitational Exhibition Broome Street Gallery, New York, NY. New Works by Gallery Artists Tabla Rasa Gallery, Brooklyn, NY.
2009	Painting the Americas, North and South of the Border El Taller Latino Americano’s Grady Alexis Gallery, NY. Umbrella! (Commission) Forecast Public Art Silent Auction, Historic Union Depot, St. Paul, Mn. Broome Street Gallery Invitational Exhibition Broome Street Gallery, New York, NY. Paradigm Shift- in Honor of Kinji Akagawa. Minneapolis College of Art and Design Gallery, Minneapolis, Mn.
2008	Yosemite Renaissance. Traveling exhibition starting at the Yosemite Museum. HONORABLE MENTION Fish Follies Cordova Historical Society and Museum, Cordova, Alaska. Generations VI. A.I.R. Gallery, New York, NY.
2007	Singular Objects: from the Artistsbook Library and Kentler Flat Files at Proteus Gowanus Brooklyn College Library. Chakra Paintings at the Dance and Draw. The Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, New York. The Original Face. Microcosm Gallery, New York, New York.
2006	Urban Shaman: Visualizing Spirit Liberation in Truth Social Justice Center, Newark, N.J. Music to My Eyes Artwork inspired by music. Tabla Rasa Gallery, Brooklyn, New York. 7th ANNUAL MERMAID SHOW Sideshow Gallery, Williamsburg Brooklyn, New York. Small Works Show Brooklyn Artist’s Gym Gallery, Brooklyn, New York. Why We Gather Times Square Gallery, New York City. Wish You Were Here AIR Gallery, New York, NY. An Odyssey: UW-Madison MFA Printmakers Return, U.W.M. Memorial Union Gallery, Madison, Wisconsin. Woodstock Goddess Festival Exhibition The Varga Gallery, Woodstock, N Y.
	(Earlier group shows available upon request – over 100 entries)

RESIDENCIES


2016 - 10, 8, 7, & 3	Artist in Residence at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York. Workshops for staff, exhibitions, and events.
2013	Artists in Residence, Hanksville Elementary School, Hanksville, Utah. One week of teaching art.
2012	Artist in Residence at the Babayan Culture House, Ibrahimpasa (Cappadocia) Turkey. Two weeks with exhibition.
2012 - 2009	Artist in Residence for Earth Celebrations, Hudson River Procession, workshops with students, creation of robes, headdresses, banners and puppets.
2008	Artist in Residence at Saint Bartholomew’s Church, Sunday Series, New York, New York.
2008, 6 & 5	Artist in Residence at Death Valley National Park, California. Ranger talks and workshops.
2001	Artist in Residence at the Weir Farm National Historic Site, Wilton, Conn.

TEACHING, WORKSHOPS AND LECTURES

An Art Workout: The Shapes of the Middle East: Belly Dance and It's Music. Art Students League, New York, NY. 2015 & again in 2016.
Creating Deities: Exploring Inner Guides of Strength, Love and Insight. Four sessions. The Rubin Museum of Art, New York, NY. 2014. Plus one session for the teen workshop.
Making the Invisible Visible - Art of the Body’s Energy. Talk at the exhibition Quintessence, the Ram Dass Library of the Omega Institute. June. 2014. Catalog available on Amazon.
Re-visioning our bodies. Omega Women’s Leadership Council for the participants of the Women Serving Women Summit; Nourishing Body, Mind, and Spirit. 2014.
Five Day Painting Intensive in the Utah Desert, Escape Goats Guide Service, Escalante, Utah. 2013 and 2014.
Hanksville Elementary School, five days of teaching kindergarten through fifth grade. Hanksville, Utah, 2014.
The Energetic Landscape at Art Church, Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, Wappingers Falls, New York, 2013.
Guest teacher at PS 273 Early Childhood Center, Queens, New York. 2013.
Guest teacher with Lifetime Adventures in Las Vegas, with J.T. Reynolds, retired Superintendent of Death Valley National Park. 2013.
Guest teacher at Live Art in Death Valley, with Spoke the Hub Dancing of Brooklyn, Amargosa Opera House, Death Valley Junction, to benefit Marta Becket. 2013,
Substitute teaching, figure drawing. The Art Students League, New York, 2009 - 13.
Annual Three Day Painting Workshop. Conducted at the Fire Island Appalachian Mountain Club Cabin. 2007, 8, 9, 10,12 and 13.

(earlier workshops on request – over 50)

COMMISSIONS

2012 The Goddess Serendipity. Painting.
2008 New York City Public Art for Public School, Early Childhood Center, Queens. Terracotta relief plaques.
2008 Private Commission: Portrait of Sarasvati, acrylic on canvas.
2006 Madame X Lounge, New York, New York. Portrait of the God Pan, permanent installation.

PUBLICATIONS, ARTICLES AND REVIEWS, BY AND ABOUT

Quintessence: Three Visions. Exhibition catalog edited by Janet Morgan, show at the Omega Institute, 2014. Amazon.
Documentary Film The Paintings of Janet Morgan by the Artist Archive
Ann Japenga Janet Morgan: Secrets of the Energetic Landscape
Ann Japenga Death Valley Children’s Book Animates the Arroyos
Welcome to Death Valley! A Guided Tour Through California’s Death Valley National Park, Children’s book written
and illustrated by Janet Morgan, 2012 Art & Adventures Publications.
Death Valley - An Ongoing Exploration - Exhibition Catalog for the show at the Furnace Creek Visitors Center in
Death Valley National Park, April 2012, Art & Adventures Publications. Essays by Terry Baldino, Chief of Interpretation,
DVNP. James McElhinney, and Rowland Russell PhD.
The Art of Janet Morgan Fuse: A Tribal and Tribal Fusion Belly Dance Magazine, Issue #9, 2013
Tiffany Shaw-Diaz The Art and Dance of Janet Morgan The Belly Dance Chronicles, April 2012;
Weird World: The Strangest Stories & Oddest Images from around the world. (Photo published). 2009 Bradt and Wanderlust.
Brooklyn Artists Fall in Love with Death Valley National Park International Business Times March 2, 2012
Ann Japenga Janet Morgan and Gregory Frux: Bringing Back Expedition Art
Gregory William Frux Landing a Residency in a National Park Art Calendar March 2009
En Couleur California Plein Air Magazine December 2005
Alex Littlefield Death Valley National Park Attracts Brooklyn ArtistsBrooklyn Eagle, July 20, 2005
Death Valley National Park Hosts Visiting Artists Pahrump Valley Times, July 2, 2005

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Recreation Therapist Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Patient Recreation Department, with the Adult population.
Supervision of art and music therapy interns. Publisher of creative arts magazine The Creative Network.
Yearly patient art exhibition. 1988 through 2006.
Director of the Poetry and Small Press Department at the Gotham Book Mart, New York City. Manager of Poetry and
Small Press Department. In-house graphics, catalog production, exhibitions, university accounts. 1979 - 1987.

EDUCATION

Master of Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, 1979. Warrington Colescot, Jack Damer.
One-Year Intensive Program in Art Therapy at the Studio Workshop School, New York City. Dr. Erika Steinberger.
Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, 1976. Kinji Akagawa, Siah Armajani.
Junior Year at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Eric Fischl, Mira Schor, Gary Kennedy.