Janice Tanton
Encyclopedia
Background
Tanton was born on October 25 1961 in Oshawa, OntarioOshawa, Ontario
Oshawa is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario approximately 60 kilometres east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of both the Greater Toronto Area and the Golden Horseshoe. It is now commonly referred to as the most...
and is the daughter of George and Jacqueline Tanton. Her birth parents were Doug Hunter and Louise Brown, both deceased, of Toronto. After graduating from R.S. McLaughlin C.V.I., she attended the BFA (Acting) program at the University of Windsor
University of Windsor
The University of Windsor is a public comprehensive and research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has a student population of approximately 15,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate students and over 1000 graduate students...
for two years and continued her post-secondary education, graduating from the Graphic Design Program at Durham College
Durham College
Durham College of Applied Arts and Technology is located in the Durham Region with campuses in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada and Whitby and additional locations in Uxbridge, Port Hope, Port Perry and Beaverton...
. Tanton continued her interest in the arts, working professionally in theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, graphic design
Graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
, and sales, culminating in a launch of her own art publishing and design company in 1989.
She quickly developed a wide sales network for her original and published artwork throughout Canada and into the United States, garnering major corporate accounts and licensing opportunities while operating two commercial galleries in Burford and Stratford, Ontario in addition to her art and design studio. Her work can be found with numerous galleries and retailers across the world. Her entrepreneurial success and visioning led to an invitation as a delegate to the first ever 1999 Businesswomen's Summit between Canada and the U.S., as well as a nomination for the Rotman Women Entrepreneur of the Year. She has represented and published many Canadian artists, championing their intellectual property rights, and continues to be an advocate in entrepreneurial and business export issues for women. She has held membership in the Society of Tempera Painters, Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT), and WEC (Women Entrepreneurs of Canada) and has participated on Team Canada Trade and Export missions.
She continues to oversee her company and from 1996 - 2006 was the creative director and illustrator of Country Home Candle, developing that brand and providing illustration for numerous products, moving the company forward in their branding worldwide. She has had great success in illustrating plates for the Bradford Exchange, resulting in two sold-out series, "Some Beary Nice Places" and "Christmas Memories".
Art
Janice mentors and instructs a number of Canadian artists and youth community arts programs. She maintains a studio practice in Canmore, AlbertaCanmore, Alberta
Canmore is a town in Alberta, Canada, located approximately west of the City of Calgary near the southeast boundary of Banff National Park. It is located in the Bow Valley within Alberta's Rockies. The town shares a border with Kananaskis Country to the west and south and the Municipal District of...
.
She now creates only original works of art in contemporary themes and works primarily in oils.
Her current practice focusses upon cross-cultural, intergenerational and multi-disciplinary examination, employing both traditional indigenous and western contemporary aesthetics around possessive identity.
Awards and honours
Moving to Canmore, AlbertaCanmore, Alberta
Canmore is a town in Alberta, Canada, located approximately west of the City of Calgary near the southeast boundary of Banff National Park. It is located in the Bow Valley within Alberta's Rockies. The town shares a border with Kananaskis Country to the west and south and the Municipal District of...
with her family in February 2005, Janice joined The Banff Centre and works as the Program Manager for Aboriginal Leadership and Management in Leadership Development. In April 2008, Janice, in conjunction with Elder Tom Crane Bear of Siksika First Nation (Blackfoot) dreamed and designed the tipi to mark the 75th Anniversary of The Banff Centre just a few weeks ahead of the historic residential school apology by the Canadian government to Aboriginal people. The design was transferred to her and Brian Calliou (Program Director for Aboriginal Leadership) and their respective families in a ceremony conducted by Blackfoot Elders Bruce and Anne-Marie Wolfchild, and witnessed and attended by their Excellencies Governor General Michaëlle Jean and her husband Jean Daniel Lafond. Janice and her family were greatly honoured by being adopted by Elder Tom Crane Bear and she was given the Blackfoot name, "Iniskimaki" (Buffalo Stone Woman).
In 2008, she was honoured by Durham College
Durham College
Durham College of Applied Arts and Technology is located in the Durham Region with campuses in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada and Whitby and additional locations in Uxbridge, Port Hope, Port Perry and Beaverton...
as an Alumnus of Distinction and delivered an inspiring address to the graduating class of communication arts, design, health & community service and career development and continuing education.
In 2009, she received a Canada Council for the Arts individual visual arts project grant to produce The Community Fusion Project.