The Art of Janet McKenzie: Holiness and the Feminine Spirit

Janet McKenzie’s work celebrates our inherent similarities rather than our differences
because what lies beyond skin and gender is more alike than we’ll ever know. Her painting “Jesus of the People” was selected First Place Winner of the National Catholic Reporter’s global competition at the Millennium by Juror Sister Wendy Beckett of BBC fame. The worldwide response to this dark interpretation of Christ, which was modeled by a woman, has been hateful, unaccepting and vicious, but at the same time celebrated for its inclusivity. “Jesus of the People” has been carried forward into the world through museum exhibitions, documentaries and film, written about in books, magazines and online from South Africa to Iceland, Vietnam, Australia and Russia, and beyond.

The artist will share images of her work and a bit of her journey as a contemporary artist working to confront stereotypical thinking and prejudice through art.

Sponsored by the Scott Center for Spiritual and Religious Life. For more information, contact Ellen McKay at emckay@middlebury.edu.