Jane Ingram Allen

Sculptor/Installation Artist

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UPCOMING EXHIBITION

Jane Ingram Allen and Marcia Widenor: Still Waters" - Tenri Gallery, Tenri Cultural Institute, 43A W. 13th St., New York City, NY - May 7 - May 31, 2008

Opening Reception: Thursday, May 8, 6-8 pm

Jane's recent series of works about water and the environment are featured in this two-person exhibition in New York City. Jane will be doing site specific installations that emphasize the importance of water and the need to conserve water resources. For the installations Jane is using plant fiber handmade paper pulp containing seeds for wildflowers. All of the installations will be recycled into the earth after the exhibition to come back as living blooming wildflowers.

UPCOMING ARTIST IN RESIDENCY PROJECTS

Mass Audubon Society Visual Arts Center, Canton, MA (Boston area) - July 7 - 31, 2008

Jane will again this summer be the artist in residence at the Mass Audubon Society Visual Arts Center. Jane will be working on new installations focused on butterflies and the concept of transformation. She will be collaborating with performance artist Sharon Wyrrick to create a performance/installation artwork and using local plant materials and sites at the Mass Audubon Society wildlife center in Canton. While working as artist in residence at the Center Jane will also teach some classes for the children's summer camp on papermaking with plants and present an Artist's Talk and an exhibition of her work in progress at the end of the residency. For more information about Jane's activities and about the Mass Audubon Visual Arts Center, visit the website at

Artist's House, St. Mary's College, St. Mary's, MD - October 6 - 31, 2008

During the month of October Jane will be an artist in residence at St. Mary's College Artist's House along with performance artist Sharon Wyrrick. The two artists will be working together on a collaborative project about butterflies and transformation. They will work with art and environmental studies students as well as theater students at the college and make a presentation at the end of the residency about their new collaborative work.

RECENT ARTIST IN RESIDENCY PROJECTS

Qiyan Community, Taipei, Taiwan - March 3-15, 2008

Jane was invited to be an artist in residence at Qiyan Community in the Beitou area of Taipei and worked with many community volunteers to make handmade paper from local plants and create a Qiyan Site Map featuring natural and cultural highlights of the community. During the two-week residence Jane and the community volunteers worked at Qing Jiang Elementary School in Qiyan, and with the help of the volunteers and excellent cooperation from the principal and the teachers, all of the students in the school had an opportunity to participate in papermaking activities and meet the artist. Jane exhibited her work at the school and also in the White House Community Center. The name "Qiyan" means "amazing rock," and so Jane and the volunteers made paper and put it to dry on some of the huge rocks at a local park to capture the impression of the sedimentary rocks that give the community its name. The volunteers collected and prepared paper pulp to make unique handmade paper from 22 different plants, and that must be a record for number of plants used in two weeks!

Warm Heart Arts Tanzania, Arusha, Tanzana, Africa - January 24 - February 21, 2008

Jane was invited to be an artist in residence at Warm Heart Arts Tanzania (WHAT) http://www.warmheartart.com/what/what.html in Arusha , and her residency was supported by a grant from the Lighton International Artists Exchange Program, Kansas City Artists Coalition http://www.kansascityartistscoalition.org/index.html. During this residency Jane worked with artist/ papermaker and studio owner Seppo Hallavainio and other Tanzanian artists to make handmade paper from local plants and develop new work inspired by this place. She created a Tanzania Site Map and a piece based on the Tanzania flag using her handmade paper created from local plants. During this residency Jane also made a sample book of paper from 12 different local plants.

Click here for a daily log and photos of Jane's activities in Tanzania.

Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei National University of the Arts, Taipei, Taiwan - Nov. 25 - Dec. 16, 2007

Jane was selected to be an artist-in-residence at the art museum at this Taipei art univeristy for three weeks to do a project with the art students focused on an environmental issue. Jane worked on a new series of handmade paper artworks about the importance of water. She created an installation called "Still Water" that involved the students in creating about 200 handmade paper castings of various plastic water bottles. The installation focused attention on the importance of clean drinking water and also the pollution caused by so much plastic. The handmade paper is made from plant materials and colored with non-toxic dye and contains seeds for wildflowers. After the gallery exhibition of this work in Taipei and in New York City, Jane plans to let it recycle into the earth. Since everything is biodegradable the installation will be "planted" at a selected site to dissolve into compost and sprout growing blooming flowers.

During the residency at the art university Jane also had "Open Studio" times for the public to have an opportunity to make some handmade paper. Jane also offered public lectures and workshops in papermaking during her stay at the university.

ONLINE INTERVIEW ABOUT JANE'S ENVIRONMENTAL ARTWORKS

Sam Edsill, Editor of the online art magazine MENTAL CONTAGION, interviewed Jane about her environmental art projects for the Spring 2007 issue of the magazine. The interview with Jane is featured in the "Cause and Effect - Art and Environment" section.

To go directly to the interview, click here

CURRENT CURATORIAL PROJECTS

2008 Guandu International Outdoor Sculpture Festival: Focus on Global Warming, Guandu Nature Park, Taipei, Taiwan, April 6 - September 14, 2008

Opening Press Conference: Friday, April 18, 10am

Public Opening and Activities with the Artists: Saturday and Sunday, 2-5 pm, April 19 and 20, 2008

Jane is the curator again this year for an international outdoor sculpture exhibition at Guandu Nature Park, Taipei, Taiwan. Jane started the Festival at Guandu Nature Park in 2006 with her own installation and 5 other international artists she invited to join her. The Sculpture Festival expanded in 2007 to include 12 international artists. For 2008 Jane reviewed proposals from 165 artists from all over the world to select 8 artists to come to Guandu Nature Park in Taiwan and create their works on site from April 7-18. The artists worked with volunteers and staff and used local natural materials to create their works, each focused on some aspect of the environment and global warming.

For more information about the Guandu International Outdoor Sculpture Festival, visit these websites

www.gd-park.org.tw and www.colorfultree.com.tw/gdpark/arist.htm

The following artists were selected for the 2008 Guandu International Outdoor Sculpture Festival- Focus on Global Warming, and these are photos of their finished installations at Guandu Nature Park. The works remain on view till September 14, 2008.

Aihua Hsia - Taiwan - To the Flowing Time and Weather that Changes Human Desire

Chung-ho Cheng and Chia-ping Liu - Taiwan - Every Drop Counts

Donald Buglass - New Zealand - Talisman for Change

Firman Djamil - Indonesia - Zero Chimney

Francois Frechet - France - Girasol (Sunflower)

Kaoru Motomiya - Japan - Dragon and Sky Hole

Roger Tibon - Philippines

Istvan Eross - Hungary - Pen

"Frolic: Humor and Mischief in Contemporary Taiwanese Art," Taiwan Culture Center Gallery, Tenri Gallery and 2-13 Gallery/Chelsea, New York City, NY - October and November 2007

Jane and co-curator Thalia Vrachipoulos curated an exhibition of works by contemporary Taiwanese artists who use humor and a sense of mischief in their works. Jane worked from her base in Taiwan with NYC curator Thalia Vrachipoulos, who originated the idea for this exhibition. The exhibition was supported by the Taiwan Council for Cultural Affairs and was shown in three New York City galleries: Taiwan Gallery, Tenri Gallery and 2x13 Gallery, Chelsea. The exhibition contained works in all media by 27 emerging artists from Taiwan and opened consecutively in October and November. Jane coordinated the exhibition from her base in Taiwan and also traveled to NYC in October to help with the installations and attend the openings.

"Frolic: Humor and Mischief in Contemporary Taiwanese Art" - Traveling show

With support from the Taipei Cultural Center and the Council for Cultural Affairs the "Frolic" exhibition is traveling to selected university galleries throughout the United States during 2008 and 2009. The complete schedule for the traveling exhibition will be posted here soon. The first stop for the traveling show will be Lamar University Gallery, Beaumont, Texas, with an opening set for February 2008.

For information about Jane's Other Recent Curatorial Projects, click here. 

Fulbright Scholar Award, Artist in Residency Project in Taiwan - 2004-05

"MADE IN TAIWAN" PROJECT - FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR AWARD FOR RESEARCH IN TAIWAN - Grant  from January 2004  through July 2005 with sponsorship by the Taiwan National Endowment for Culture and Arts and co-sponsorship by the Foundation for Scholarly Exchange/Fulbright Foundation.

During this one and a half year project Jane traveled to 14 different places in Taiwan. She was an artist in residence for several weeks in each community to make "site maps" with handmade paper created from plants collected in each place. During her time in each community Jane was working with a host organization and local participants teaching a "cultural citizenship papermaking art workshop" to exchange ideas, share processes, exhibit her work and make new works for exhibition in Taiwan. 

For information about the "Made in Taiwan" project and about each place Jane visited, click here.

For information about other "Made in Taiwan" project exhibitions in Taiwan and other countries, click here.

ARTS IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Jane offers arts in education programs that include exhibitions of her work and artist in residency projects.  She is an experienced teacher and has done many arts in education programs in the United States and other countries working with schools, colleges and universities. She has been a teaching artist and presenter for Arts in Education Institutes (Aesthetic Education Institutes) in Albany, NY; Utica, NY; Rochester, NY; Binghamton, NY; and Palm Beach, CA, as well as in many colleges, universities, art centers and museums. For more information and photos from previous arts in education programs, click here.

RECENT WRITING PROJECTS

Jane has written a review of the Asian Contemporary Art Fair in New York City during November 2007 that will be published in an upcoming issue of SCULPTURE magazine.

Jane has also written a review of the exhibition by sculptor Chico McMurtrie at Andrew Edlin Gallery, NYC, that will be published in an upcoming issue of SCULPTURE magazine.

Jane's article about Dongba paper is in the Winter 2008 issue of HAND PAPERMAKING magazine. This article tells about Jane's January 2007 residency at Lijiang Studio, Lijiang, Yunnan province, China. While in Yunnan Jane visited the local papermaking expert Mr. Li, who still makes paper in the traditional way as practiced by the Dongba, or priests/shamen of the local tribal culture. A sample of the Dongba paper created by Mr. Li is also included in the magazine.

Jane's interview with Helen Mayer Harrison and Newton Harrison was published in the December 2007 issue of SCULPTURE magazine. Jane interviewed the Harrisons during their April 2007 visit to Taiwan and talked with them about their current work in Taiwan and recent projects as environmental artists/consultants/thinkers. Jane is also writing an article about the collaboration aspects of the Harrisons' work that will be published in an upcoming issue of PUBLIC ART REVIEW.

Jane's interview with sculptor, Nancy Rubins was in the April 2007 issue of SCULPTURE magazine. This issue of Sculpture also has a sculpture by Nancy Rubins on the cover. Jane's feature article is entitled "Pushing the Structure." For more information visit the website of www.sculpture.org and click on to SCULPTURE magazine and then "Archives." Jane interviewed Nancy Rubins while she was in the USA in June 2007 and saw Rubins' work at the SculptureCenter, Long Island City, NY and the public art installation at Lincoln Center, NYC. In the interview Nancy Rubins talked with Jane about her development as an artist and the ideas behind her work.

Jane's article titled "Ephemeral Environmental Art" is in the April 2007 issue of ART CALENDAR magazine. In this article Jane writes about the concept of ephemeral environmental art., installations that do not last and that change with nature and audience participation. The article includes information and photos of some of her recent environmental art installations that are designed to change over time and eventually disappear. The article also includes information and photos about other artists who are creating ephemeral environmental art installations.

Book on "Made in Taiwan" Project Now Available

A review of Jane's book "Made in Taiwan - an American Papermaking Artist's Journey Around Taiwan" is in the Winter 2007 issue of HAND PAPERMAKING magazine. The review is written by Loreto Apelado, a papermaking artist from the Philippines. For information about this review click here for the website of HAND PAPERMAKING.

Jane's book was published in December 2005 with a grant from the Taiwan Council for Cultural Affairs.  The 264-page book is in English and Chinese and contains information about the 14 places where Jane worked as an artist in residence during this 18 month long Fulbright Scholar Award grant project sponsored by the Council for Cultural Affairs from January 2004--July 2005.  The book gives information about the 135 plants Jane used to make paper for her work and contains many photos taken by Jane's husband Tim who accompanied her on this journey.  The book tells about the process, the plants, the paper made from them and the 55 artworks Jane created in the 14 different areas of Taiwan.  The book is available direct from Jane.  You will receive a copy signed by the author along with a sample of handmade paper made by Jane for this project.  The price of the book is NT$450 each or US$15.00 plus shipping and handling. The shipping charge for Taiwan orders is NT$50 and for shipping to the USA US10. For orders of 10 or more books to the same address, books are NT$300 each or US$11 each.  To order the book, click here.

Click here for more information about Jane's past writing projects.

Enjoy exploring the other pages by clicking on the words in the image at the top of this page or at the bottom, to find out more about Jane and her art work.

You can contact Jane Ingram Allen via Email at info@janeingramallen.com

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All Images and Text ©Copyright Jane Ingram Allen 1997 - 2008