MacLeod, Jan (Janet)
Item
Maker Name
MacLeod, Jan (Janet)
Marks
Biography
Jan has contributed enormously to the development of crafts in BC through near 60 years of practice as a potter, then as a paper-maker, and through many hours of volunteerism, and sharing her experience by serving on national, provincial and civic Arts Boards.
After studying art and education at the University of Victoria she taught in Delta before moving with her young family to Terrace in 1963.
In Terrace she joined a local group of potters who got together to experiment with the blue clay in the landslide that covered the highway and into Lakelse Lake in 1962. A kick wheel and electric kiln had been provided by the school district and set up in the basement of the high school. After two years of experimentation and struggles by the group, Walter Dexter arrived for a weekend workshop to offer guidance in glaze making, throwing and firing.
Jan soon developed a home studio and continued the daily practice of working with clay and learning and experimenting with techniques as she went along. She also attended classes by Leonard Osborne, Frances Hatfield and Fred Owen in wheel throwing, basic clay techniques and Raku and one by Hal Reigger on Primitive Pottery and another by Frank Colson on Kiln Building.
By the early 70’s Jan was teaching night school pottery classes and offering workshops in the surrounding communities. She also was very active in the Terrace Community in the late 60’s and 1970’s as a member of committees organizing large craft exhibitions, small art shows in the Lobby of the REM Lee Theatre, acting as contact person for the Vancouver Art Gallery traveling shows and helping set them up in what was eventually to become the very first local art gallery in the Terrace Library Basement. At this time she also had her pottery shown at Maple Leaf House and House of Ceramics in Vancouver and the Prince George and Smithers Art Galleries. In 2020/2021 one of her pots was included in the Modern in the Making Exhibition held at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
In 1978 she was appointed to the British Columbia Arts Board where she served until 1982. On that Board she became the chair of the Visual Arts Committee. She was also a board member of the Emily Carr College of Art and Design from 1981 to 1984 and The Canadian Crafts Council from 1982 to 1986, and chair of the organizing committee for the Canadian Craft Council’86 which was held in Vancouver.
Jan relocated to Vancouver in 1983 where she set up a paper-making studio in a downtown office building and gave up making pottery at the time. She continues to market across Canada, from her Plant Papers business, a line of cards, collages, and sculptural works made exclusively from plants gathered from local forests and gardens.
Her time in Vancouver has also been spent volunteering as an advisor and as a discerning craftsperson. She has served as a juror for the Circle Craft Christmas Market, a member of the Circle Craft Co-op Selections Committee, and a Board member of the Craftsman Association of BC (presently the Craft Council of BC).
After studying art and education at the University of Victoria she taught in Delta before moving with her young family to Terrace in 1963.
In Terrace she joined a local group of potters who got together to experiment with the blue clay in the landslide that covered the highway and into Lakelse Lake in 1962. A kick wheel and electric kiln had been provided by the school district and set up in the basement of the high school. After two years of experimentation and struggles by the group, Walter Dexter arrived for a weekend workshop to offer guidance in glaze making, throwing and firing.
Jan soon developed a home studio and continued the daily practice of working with clay and learning and experimenting with techniques as she went along. She also attended classes by Leonard Osborne, Frances Hatfield and Fred Owen in wheel throwing, basic clay techniques and Raku and one by Hal Reigger on Primitive Pottery and another by Frank Colson on Kiln Building.
By the early 70’s Jan was teaching night school pottery classes and offering workshops in the surrounding communities. She also was very active in the Terrace Community in the late 60’s and 1970’s as a member of committees organizing large craft exhibitions, small art shows in the Lobby of the REM Lee Theatre, acting as contact person for the Vancouver Art Gallery traveling shows and helping set them up in what was eventually to become the very first local art gallery in the Terrace Library Basement. At this time she also had her pottery shown at Maple Leaf House and House of Ceramics in Vancouver and the Prince George and Smithers Art Galleries. In 2020/2021 one of her pots was included in the Modern in the Making Exhibition held at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
In 1978 she was appointed to the British Columbia Arts Board where she served until 1982. On that Board she became the chair of the Visual Arts Committee. She was also a board member of the Emily Carr College of Art and Design from 1981 to 1984 and The Canadian Crafts Council from 1982 to 1986, and chair of the organizing committee for the Canadian Craft Council’86 which was held in Vancouver.
Jan relocated to Vancouver in 1983 where she set up a paper-making studio in a downtown office building and gave up making pottery at the time. She continues to market across Canada, from her Plant Papers business, a line of cards, collages, and sculptural works made exclusively from plants gathered from local forests and gardens.
Her time in Vancouver has also been spent volunteering as an advisor and as a discerning craftsperson. She has served as a juror for the Circle Craft Christmas Market, a member of the Circle Craft Co-op Selections Committee, and a Board member of the Craftsman Association of BC (presently the Craft Council of BC).
First name
Janet
Last name
MacLeod
Career dates (start and end)
1963
Date of Birth
1941
Place of Birth
Ladysmith, British Columbia
Studio location
Formal Education
Major Exhibitions
2020/21 Modern in the Making, Post War Craft and Design in British Columbia. Daina Augaitis, Allan Collier Stephanie Rebick, VAG
1980 Retropect Ceramics 80, PGBC 25th Anniversary.
Affiliated organizations
Links to Further Resources
Modern in the Making Post-War Craft and Design in BC catalogue, VAG 2020
Source
Allan Collier
Debra Sloan
Item sets
Linked resources
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