Janet Goldner
Wealth in Africa
Have We Met? installation
Bamana / Bambara
Why Installation
ZigZag Installation
Granary, Segou, Mali
Can We Acknowledge?
Can We Heal?
Ideogram Book 1
People Book
Most of Us Are Immigrants
Negelan Installation, US Embassy, Mali
I am an artist whose work explores culture, identity and social justice working in various media: sculpture, photography, video, installation and writing. I consistently bridge diverse cultures, focusing on the unique beauty and genius of each as well as what we have in common. Cultural preservation is important to my work. My research takes the form of immersive field work.
Annual visits to Mali provide me with inspiration which is then transformed in my artistic practice. My social consciousness and deep and continuing interest in African art and culture also fuel the work.
My work in the US and internationally includes commissions, exhibitions, collaborations, residencies, teaching, community art projects, public art projects, cultural festivals and women’s empowerment projects.
As an undergraduate, I participated in an Experiment in International Living program to Ghana and traveled in West Africa for the rest of the year. I am a graduate of Antioch College (BA) and New York University (MA). I received a Fulbright Senior Research Fellowship and two Fulbright Senior Specialist grants as well as grants from the Ford Foundation and from the United Nations Special Committee Against Apartheid.