Not many people realize their mission in life during their
childhood years. The transformative power of art is a concept that Janet McCall
grasped early in life. “The power of art enabled me to make sense of the world,
deal with stress, process emotion, experience joy, and figure out who I was,”
Janet explains. “As I got older I saw that so few of the other kids had that
orientation. It became obvious to me that art is a birthright we should all
have access to. My goal is to use my communication skills to make more people
aware of the importance of this.”
As the Executive Director of the Society for Contemporary
Craft, Janet strives to bring her inclusive view of art to people of all walks
of life by exhibiting the work of artists from all different backgrounds. She
says, “The purpose is to bring together a group of people to respond to the
works of art and initiate a dialogue.” In
her time as director, Contemporary Craft has had installations dealing with
gender identity and bullying, a Latino exhibition that emphasized art as a shared
language, and an Alzheimer’s themed exhibition. The upcoming exhibition Enough Violence :
Artists Speak Out is slated for September.
Sarah Ceuvorst, a co worker at Contemporary Craft , who
nominated Janet McCall, says, “Janet strives to encourage diversity of opinions
and perspectives. Borders are crossed and preconceived notions and stigmas are
overcome through the universal power of artistic expression under her
leadership. “
“Receiving this award is an honor,” Janet states. She
furthers, “I try to get people thinking how much of our artistic heritage has
been informed by many different cultures and is a product of their shared
journeys. This reflects a belief in the inherent worth and dignity of every
person.”
