Jan Steward
Born
Janis June England

January 2, 1929
Missouri
DiedJuly 1, 2020
Van Nuys, California
Occupation(s)Photographer, artist, writer

Jan Steward (January 2, 1929 – July 1, 2020), born Janis June England, was an American photographer, artist, graphic designer, and writer based in Los Angeles, California.

Early life

Janis June England was born in Missouri and raised in Los Angeles, the daughter of Sherman Alexander England and Pauline Marie Hoppes England. She attended John Marshall High School in Los Feliz. As a young woman, she studied koto with musician Kimio Eto in Little Tokyo. Beginning in 1958, she took night classes in art from Sister Corita Kent at Immaculate Heart College.[1][2]

Career

Dark Horse Records ad, 1974; logo designed by Jan Steward.[1]

Steward wrote a book with her mentor Corita Kent, Learning by Heart: Teachings to Free the Creative Spirit (1992, revised 2008), published after Kent's death.[3][4] Steward's graphic design work included the logo for George Harrison's Dark Horse record label, banners for the 1984 Summer Olympics,[1] and a mural at the Lou Harrison House in Joshua Tree in 2009.[5] She photographed and made cover art for musicians including Harrison, The Mother Hips, Hariprasad Chaurasia,[6] Ravi Shankar, Lakshmi Shankar, and Jitendra Abhisheki, and sometimes accompanied them on recordings. She opened her home in Los Feliz for art exhibits and intimate concerts,[7][8] and rented studio space to younger artists.[9]

In 1969, Steward spoke at the Pasadena Art Museum about collecting Indian art.[10] In 1970, she and another woman sponsored Indian artist Shanti Dave's sons Mayur and Amul to receive medical care in the United States.[11]

Personal life

Janis England married Frank Herbert "Herb" Steward in 1951. They had two children, Sean and Tina. Herb Steward died in 1992. Jan Steward died in 2020, in Van Nuys, California, aged 91 years. Her memorial service was held at the Senshin Buddhist Temple.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Gelt, Jessica (2020-08-10). "Jan Steward, artist and Corita Kent book coauthor, dies at 91". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  2. "Corita Kent". Hammer Museum. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  3. Kleon, Austin (July 23, 2020). "How Jan Steward wrote Learning by Heart". Austin Kleon. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  4. Hay, David (2009-05-07). "Tapping Sister Corita's creative process". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  5. "2008/09 Season". Lou Harrison House. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  6. "Gallery". HariSongs. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  7. Twair, Pat McDonnell (September 2013). "Music & Arts: Indian Fabrics Viewed". Washington Report on Middle Eastern Affairs. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  8. Morris, Nomi (2010-04-19). "Finding Spiritual Unity in Sitar". The Los Angeles Times. p. 17. Retrieved 2020-12-14 via Newspapers.com.
  9. Gellman, Paul (February 2011). "Tiny Creatures". ArtForum. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  10. "Collecting in the East". Pasadena Independent Topics. 1969-05-28. p. 12. Retrieved 2020-12-14 via Newspapers.com.
  11. Murphy, Jean (1970-05-14). "Good Samaritans in Action". The Los Angeles Times. p. 74. Retrieved 2020-12-14 via Newspapers.com.
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