Jan Owen collection, 1995-1997

Full finding aid (pdf)

Collection Scope and Content

The collection is a single folder containing two artists’ book collaborations with Jennifer Craig.

Biographical/Historical Note

Jan Owen was born in New York City and grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. She lives with her husband in Belfast, Maine and they have two grown daughters living in Boston and San Francisco. Jan was an art major in college and a musician. She played string bass with the Bangor Symphony Orchestra for many years. She taught at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Oregon College of Art and Craft and in many school and museum workshops. Her work is shown internationally and is in the collections of the Library of Congress, National Museum of Women in the Arts, and university special collections. She was a recipient of a Maine Artist Fellowship. From Jan Owen’s artist statement: “Hand lettering is the craft of gestural, abstract line becoming letter. The letters combine to make words and a visual conversation begins between writer and reader. I select words that have rhythm and meaning, then letter them into artist books and panels. I want to call attention to words through design and form in an object of beauty. I write on handmade papers, colorful paste decorated paper and on translucent Hollytex. My tools are metal pens and fine brushes dipped in sumi and acrylic inks. For more texture, I weave painted Tyvek shapes into the paper. My work is inspired by Medieval and Asian arts and calligraphy, music and literature.”