Janet McKenzie

Home Museum Exhibits* About Janet McKenzie- *Now Including Video* Jesus of the People New! Stained Glass Paintings Studies Prints/ Greeting Cards Galleries Nativity Project African American Women Celebrated Project Upcoming Events Links

Upcoming Event: Harvard University - The Memorial Church William Belden Noble Lecture Longing and Hope — My Journey into the Sacred Lecturer: Janet McKenzie, Artist When: Monday, April 29, 7:00 p.m. Where: Sanctuary of the Memorial Church Janet McKenzie will speak about her life as an artist and her original sense of call to create sacred art. She will share her path as the artist of the controversial Jesus of the People, which will be on view in Cambridge at the Memorial Church for the first time. Several additional original paintings will be exhibited as well and some of Ms. McKenzie's other art will be projected during her talk on Monday evening. It is her hope that her work may remind of the needed and valuable role art plays in contributing to positive change. No ticket required; the Noble Lecture is free and open to the public. Please note: Ms. McKenzie will have her artwork on display in the church during ARTS FIRST from Thursday, April 25 – Sunday, April 28. She will also speak at the Faith & Life Forum on Sunday, April 28 at 9:30 a.m. Learn more about ARTS FIRST Artist Statement: "My paintings reflect my hope for greater love among all of us, for seeing with honest eyes, about having an open heart, and an open mind. It is about taking that extra step with open arms and recognizing what is the same, rather than what is not. I strive to create art that celebrates our inherent similarities rather than our differences. What lies beyond skin and gender, within the depth of our universal soul, is more alike than we’ll ever know. "I started on the path to honoring women in my art after the death of my mother when I was 24. Out of suffering began a long journey back to hope, to life, to God. Encouraged by the blessing of new life given to me through my child, gifted with belief in my work by strangers and friends alike and a determination to work for good, my art has grown evermore to reflect the mystery and blessing that life really is." Janet McKenzie, Vermont The Memorial Church - One Harvard Yard - Cambridge, MA phone: 617-495-5508 Click here for more information Harvard University - William Belden Noble Lecture Holiness and the Feminine Spirit - The Art of Janet McKenzie was selected winner of the 2010, 1st place award for Spirituality (hard cover) by the Catholic Press Association at its annual meeting in New Orleans. Now Available Holiness and the Feminine Spirit The Art of Janet McKenzie Book Description 28 full-color paintings by award-winning artist Janet McKenzie with accompanying reflections by leading women writers. Published by Orbis Books. $28 All images in the book "Holiness and the Feminine Spirit" are available as custom prints including the book cover image "Holy Mother of the East". Click here to go to the Prints page. I'd love to hear from you if you'd like to share your thoughts about my book and my work, jmckenzie2000@hotmail.com and I am also on Facebook. Holiness and the Feminine Spirit - The Art of Janet McKenzie explores how holiness can empower women and how empowered women work to bring about the reign of God. The paintings of Janet McKenzie and the accompanying reflections follow the life of Jesus through the women who gave him birth and carried his message to the world. The form and color of the images astound and the words of the text inspire! The 28 contributors include well-known writers such as Joyce Rupp, Joan Chittister, and Diane Butler Bass, theologian Elizabeth A. Johnson, art critic Sr. Wendy Beckett, best-selling novelist Ann Patchett, social activist and writer Helen Prejean, feminist Chung Hyun Kyung, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori of the American Episcopal Church, and many others. Artist Janet McKenzie has committed her life's work to creating inclusive art celebrating women. Creator of the controversial and well-known dark interpretation of Christ, Jesus of the People, she lives and works in Vermont. To order copies of Holiness and the Feminine Spirit - The Art of Janet McKenzie go to Orbis Books. All images in the book, Holiness and the Feminine Spirit - The Art of Janet McKenzie, are available for sale in custom print form. If you do not see the custom image you want listed on this web site please email Janet McKenzie at jmckenzie2000@hotmail.com or call (802) 723-4122 to order. To visit the Print page go to Prints. Vermont artist Janet McKenzie pays homage to the feminine figure through sacred and secular imagery. Ms. McKenzie's paintings depict an inner strength that often challenge and comfort the viewer. Using a variety of female forms including African American, Asian, and Caucasian women Ms. McKenzie is able create empowering images of women that are beautiful, thought provoking, and often haunting. Through her paintings Ms. McKenzie strives to convey the heart of the feminine being as a universal symbol of hope. "Women are for me sacred beings that are the foundation of life, subjects that have the power to captivate my imagination and inform my expression." Ms. McKenzie's work is collected and exhibited around the world. At the Millennium Ms. McKenzie's image of Jesus, “Jesus of the People”, was selected winner of the National Catholic Reporter's "Jesus 2000” competition, by judge Sister Wendy Beckett. The painting was revealed for the first time on the "Today Show" during an interview with Matt Lauer and NCR editor, Michael Farrell. "Jesus of the People" confronts stereotypical thinking by celebrating Jesus as African American. The feminine aspect is served by the fact that the model for this painting was a woman. Email Ms. McKenzie at jmckenzie2000@hotmail.com or call (802) 723-4122 Home Museum Exhibits* About Janet McKenzie- *Now Including Video* Jesus of the People New! Stained Glass Paintings Studies Prints/ Greeting Cards Galleries Nativity Project African American Women Celebrated Project Upcoming Events Links

"Mary Magdalene and Jesus" February 2007 America Magazine Cover