Janice Wu

On Janice Wu’s studio table, paper valentine pins are scattered among clippings from a book entitled, “Microbes and Morals.” Such whimsy is a luxury for Janice. “I take my practice quite seriously,” she says. “I’d never be doing this in my studio at home. I don’t usually attend to the humorous crafty bits that are a part of me.”

In her work, she likes to set boundaries, work within them, and let her imagery emerge from a strict adherence to process. Even the microbes book, found at the Stowe dump, has transformed into something that typifies Janice’s urge to be both exact and fluid in her art. She’s meticulously cut all words (word by word) out of its pages--not with any specific idea of what should result, but rather with a trust that the process would result in something, a new image or idea.  

A recipient of a VSC sculpture fellowship, Janice’s previous work with fibers and textiles also explores repetition. A weaver, she appreciates how mundane action, over time, can build an object. “Stitches represent time,” she says, and both are paradoxically cumulative and lost.

Janice sought out a residency at VSC because it would allow her time to process new ideas and try new things. To play.

That is not to say she isn’t working intensely in Schultz-- just differently. The environment at Vermont Studio Center is unlike an academic or gallery setting, says Janice: “The slide talks and [critiques by] visiting artists bring an intensity without the pressure. It makes me dig deeper when I’m not thinking about impressing others.”