Dates
- 1962-2008,
- bulk 1977-2007
Scope and Content Note
The Janet Indick Papers consist of 3.2 cubic feet of documents that chart her career as a New Jersey artist between 1962 and 2008, although the bulk of the material is from 1977-2007. Papers include correspondence, fellowship and grant applications, donation agreements, newspaper clippings, membership directories, slides, exhibition catalogs, newsletters, magazines, journals, fliers, postcards, and pamphlets. Awards, fellowships, and solo and group exhibitions are among the subjects represented. The papers also prominently feature Indick's involvement in, and support of, Jewish and religious institutions, including Hadassah and the Interfaith Forum on Art and Architecture (IFRAA), as well her participation in organizations for female artists, such as the National Association of Women Artists (NAWA). Pictures of Indick's work (in slides and in promotional materials) and several different versions of her artist's statements are included, making this collection useful for researching the growth of her professional career as a painter and sculptor. Researchers interested in the New Jersey art scene between 1977 and 2007, especially in regards to sculpture, Jewish art, or women artists, may also find the collections of exhibition catalogs and promotional materials helpful. Few materials pertain to Indick's personal life or family, with a few exceptions, such as correspondence between Indick and Temple Beth Rishon discussing the Yahrzeits (memorial ceremonies) for her parents and the fact that Indick is an attendee of Beth Rishon. No original art or sketches are included.
The papers of Janet Indick are arranged into five series: SUBJECT FILES (1962-2007, bulk 1977-2007), SLIDES (undated), EXHIBITION CATALOGS (1975-2007), PUBLICATIONS (1983-2007), and EXHIBITION PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS(1981-2008, bulk 1981-2007).
Janet Indick's personal documentation of her artistic career is found in SUBJECT FILES (1962-2007, bulk 1977-2007). These records include publicity materials and press about her work, materials for applications to grants and fellowships, awards documentation, and her involvement with artistic, religious, and other organizations and institutions.
Color slide photography of some of Indick's sculpture is found in SLIDES(undated).
Indick's collection of materials that discuss or chart her artistic activities are included in the EXHIBITION CATALOGS (1975-2007), PUBLICATIONS (1983-2007), and EXHIBITION PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS (1981-2008, bulk 1981-2007) series. These series include information on exhibitions, both group and solo, that Indick participated in as well as critical reactions to and promotional materials generated in support of these exhibitions.
Extent
3.2 Cubic Feet (9 manuscript boxes and 1 oversized box)
Language of Materials
English
Conditions Governing Access
There are no access restrictions on this collection.
Acquisition and Processing Note
The Janet Indick Papers were accessioned by Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries, on March 10, 2008.
Most of the arrangement of the Janet Indick Papers was imposed during processing, as the collection was originally in no clear order, although some materials were loosely grouped in subject folders. Records have been divided into five series, the first of which, SUBJECT FILES (1962-2007, bulk 1977-2007), attempts to incorporate most of Indick's original folder headings. The other four series were arranged based upon the format of the material, separating SLIDES (undated), EXHIBITION CATALOGS(1975-2007), PUBLICATIONS (1983-2007), and EXHIBITION PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS (1981-2008, bulk 1981-2007). The slides were kept in the original order in which they were received, since the individual slides did not have dates written on them. Exhibition catalogs were distinguished from EXHIBITION PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS using the Getty Art and Architecture Thesaurus's definition of exhibition catalogs ("Publications that document the works displayed in an exhibition")
Some oversized materials have been removed from their original folders and placed in the Oversized Box, which contains materials from three of the five series. Notes have been placed both in the physical folders and in the container list to mark where the materials were removed and where they have been relocated
Abstract
The Janet Indick Papers document Indick's career as a New Jersey painter and sculptor. They contain records relating to awards, fellowships, exhibitions, donation and sale of artworks, publicity and press materials, and artistic organizations. Types of materials include correspondence, exhibition catalogs, applications, donation agreements, fliers, pamphlets, postcards, newsletters, and magazines. The collection highlights Indick's identity as a Jewish artist and as a woman artist.
Biographical Sketch
Artist Janet (Suslak) Indick was born in 1932 in New York. She attended Hunter College and the New School in New York, where she studied painting. Janet married Benjamin Indick and they had two children, Karen (Indick) Maizel and Michael (now a Broadway lyricist and librettist under the name Michael Korie). The family moved to Teaneck, New Jersey, where Janet Indick worked as director of the Teaneck Jewish Center's nursery school for over 20 years. (1)
In the early 1970s, Indick began a class on stone sculpture, but soon realized that her interest lay in steel sculpture.(2) She has used the technique of arc-welding steel extensively since then. Indick was awarded a New Jersey State Council on the Arts fellowship in 1980, which she used to develop works combining painting and sculpture.(3) During the 1980s and 1990s, Indick began bolting together some sculptures rather than exclusively welding, creating lighter, more portable works.(4) Indick's work is geometric and often architectural; The Star-Ledger described one exhibit as "fanciful, abstracted skylines and landscapes in bronze and aluminum."(5) Indick's 2002 artist statement reads, "As an artist and as a woman, I react to what is around me. Nature, art, architecture, music and even current events motivate me to create my metal sculptures."
Indick regularly showed her work in group shows and exhibited in several solo shows from the 1970s-2000s. Venues that have displayed her work include the Bergen Museum (Paramus, NJ), the Morris Museum (Morristown, NJ), Grounds for Sculpture (Trenton, NJ), and many other galleries and museums in NJ and NY. Indick has also exhibited work abroad, including shows in India, Greece, and Canada.
Indick's Jewish faith is a major influence on her work, and she has referenced topics such as the Holocaust and Yom Kippur War. Indick won the Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art, and Architecture (IFRAA) Merit Award in 1984 for the sculpture "Tree of Life," which she donated to Temple Beth Rishon (Wyckoff, NJ). She has also taken part in Jewish-themed exhibitions, and participated in groups such as Hadassah.
Indick is a long-standing member of several artistic organizations, including NAWA, the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, the Sculptors Association of New Jersey, and the New York Society of Women Artists. From 1997-1998 Indick served as president of NAWA. She is featured in Who's Who In American Art (2009), Contemporary Women Artists (1999), Dictionary of American Sculptors (1984), and Women Artists in America (1984), among other publications.
Notes
(1) Susan Rosenbluth, "Janet Indick—Artistic Reflections in Steel," The Jewish Standard, August 12, 1985, 4. (2) Rosenbluth, "Janet Indick," 4. (3) Lisa Collado, "Indick, Janet: American Sculptor," in Contemporary Women Artists, ed. Laurie Collier Hillstrom and Kevin Hillstrom (Farmington Hills, MI: St. James Press, 1999), 311. (4) Ibid., 312. (5) Eileen Watkins, "Exhibit Takes Viewer Exploring," The Star-Ledger, December 22, 1995.
Chronology of Artistic Activity
The following chronology provides a reference for some of the shows, awards, and other artistic accomplishments that are prominently represented in this collection. It is not meant to be a comprehensive listing of all of Indick's artistic activity.
- 1975
- Awards: Pauline Law Prize, NAWA.
- 1977
- Shows: Fairleigh Dickinson University.
- 1978
- Shows: "Three New Jersey Women," Morris Museum of Arts and Sciences.
- 1980-1981
- Indick was corresponding secretary of the Sculptors Association of New Jersey. Awards: New Jersey State Council on the Arts Fellowship (and accompanying exhibition); Sculpture Prize, National Association of Painters and Sculptors.
- 1983
- Awards: IFRAA Merit Award. Shows: Mari Art Gallery (solo).
- 1985
- Shows: "Interplay," Summit Art Center.
- 1989
- Shows: "100 Years—100 Works: A Centennial Exhibition of the National Association of Women Artists," Nassau Museum; NAWA "Small Works."
- 1990
- Shows: "Modern Masters/New Artists," Lillian Heidenburg Gallery; "Sculpture/Landscape Series," Maurice M. Pine Library (solo).
- 1991
- Shows: "Janet Indick, New Work," Quietude Gallery (solo).
- 1992
- Shows: "For Art's Sake: A Celebration to Benefit the Jersey City Museum," Jersey City Museum; Jain Marunouchi Gallery.
- 1993
- "Mourning Star" was commissioned and installed at North Shore Synagogue in Syosset, New York.
- 1994
- Shows: Bergen Museum (solo).
- 1996
- Shows: "Works of the National Association of Women Artists," Athens, Greece; "Works in Metal," Gallery Emmanuel.
- 1997
- Indick served as president of NAWA from 1997-1998. Awards: Jeffrey Childs Willis Memorial Award, NAWA.
- 1998
- Shows: "Sculptures," Boathouse Café Restaurant Gallery (solo).
- 1999
- Awards: Artist Showcase Award, Manhattan Arts International. Shows: "Cityscapes," Interchurch Center Gallery.
- 2000
- Shows: "Sculpture by Janet Indick," Broadfoot & Broadfoot (solo); "FIDEM/AMSA International Medal Exhibition," Goethe Museum, Weimar, Germany.
- 2001
- Awards: CLWAC Medal of Honor; Gretchen Richardson Memorial Award, NAWA; Charlotte Dunwiddie Memorial Award Medallic Art, Pen and Brush. Shows: "Glue: First Annual Members Exhibition," Collage/Assemblage Society; The New York Society of Women Artists.
- 2001-2002
- Shows: "Hands Across the Sea," Colorado Springs, Colorado, Wroclaw, Poland, University Park, Pennsylvania (traveling).
- 2002
- Awards: CLWAC Medal of Honor in Sculpture for "Homage to Paul Klee." Shows: "New York Independent Art Fair"; Noho Gallery; "FIDEM/AMSA International Medal Exhibition," Monnaie de Paris, Paris, France; "Cities: Architectural Sculptures by Janet Indick," Bergen County Jewish Community Center Atrium Gallery (solo).
- 2002-2003
- Shows: "Medallic Art Society of Canada," Ottawa, Canada
- 2003
- Shows: "The Art of Collecting Fine Art," Morris Museum; "Unique Artworks," Johnson & Johnson (solo)
- 2004
- Shows: "FIDEM/AMSA International Medal Exhibition," Seixal, Portugal; "A Joyful Noise," Yeshiva Museum (solo); "Urban Horizons," Grounds for Sculpture; "Sculpture," Kerygma Gallery; "NAWA Presidents Exhibition," Gallery 928.
- 2005
- Indick's work "Sidewalk" appears on the cover of the textbook Interpersonal Communication: Relating to Others.
- 2006
- Indick was commissioned to create eight sculptural medallions for the Diabetes Foundation of New Jersey.
- 2007
- Indick donates a sculpture ("Ark") to the Rutgers University Libraries. Shows: "Moving Forward," Belskie Museum; "The Female Gaze: Women Artists Interpret the World," Iona College; Yeshiva University (solo); "Zen of the Artist," Broome Street Gallery.
Bibliography
General
(1) Susan Rosenbluth, "Janet Indick—Artistic Reflections in Steel," The Jewish Standard, August 12, 1985, 4.
General
(2) Rosenbluth, "Janet Indick," 4.
General
(3) Lisa Collado, "Indick, Janet: American Sculptor," in Contemporary Women Artists, ed. Laurie Collier Hillstrom and Kevin Hillstrom (Farmington Hills, MI: St. James Press, 1999), 311.
General
(4) Ibid., 312.
General
(5) Eileen Watkins, "Exhibit Takes Viewer Exploring," The Star-Ledger, December 22, 1995.
General
(1) Susan Rosenbluth, "Janet Indick—Artistic Reflections in Steel," The Jewish Standard, August 12, 1985, 4.
General
(2) Rosenbluth, "Janet Indick," 4.
General
(3) Lisa Collado, "Indick, Janet: American Sculptor," in Contemporary Women Artists, ed. Laurie Collier Hillstrom and Kevin Hillstrom (Farmington Hills, MI: St. James Press, 1999), 311.
General
(4) Ibid., 312.
General
(5) Eileen Watkins, "Exhibit Takes Viewer Exploring," The Star-Ledger, December 22, 1995.
- Title
- Inventory to the Janet Indick Papers, 1962-2008, bulk 1977-2007 MC 1418
- Status
- Edited Full Draft
- Author
- Caitlin Servilio
- Date
- May 2011
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English
- Sponsor
- Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University received an operating support grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State.
Part of the New Brunswick Special Collections Repository