The Other Side of the Art World: One Woman’s Passion for Arts Administration
“Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Sure this sentiment might be considered a cliche, but some cliches become cliches for a reason — they’re true. While not everyone can achieve this perfect balance, some manage. When taking a look at the life of Janelle Ketcher, one can see that she does manage to bring passion into her work life as well as her personal life.
On a given day, Janelle can be found spearheading an event for Des Moines Performing Arts. This is the work she loves doing — reaching out to the community through art. ”I’m really interested in arts administration. Not a lot of people know what that is, but it’s essentially when you take a class or have some kind of engagement, the people that organize that — that’s arts administration.”
This joy for what she does shines through. While working an event called Tastes and Tidbits Thursdays on an unusually warm fall day, Janelle, her youthful energy mimicked by her choice of vintage pumps and hair clip, flutters around Cowles Commons assisting guests with the “tidbit” of the day,an easy to do craft. It’s hard to pin Janelle down as she navigates the event space, taking photos of those enjoying food from the provided food truck. She is even in her element as she corrals a wayward art supply swept up by the wind. About the event itself, Janelle says, “We’ve started these community events to try to activate it [Cowles Commons], let people know that it’s here for them to utilize and have fun with.”
Janelle says her interest in creative pursuits started young. She took advantage of the opportunities to feed that passion, and her parents were always supportive. When it came time for college, Janelle was drawn to the Kansas City Art Institute. There she studied painting, art history, and social practice. It was in college that Janelle became even more sure that Arts Administration was the career path for her. This was made clear through internships with various organizations such as the Nelson Atkins Museum and the Kansas City Public Art Foundation.
Janelle is also a core member of the DSM Girl Gang, which takes her community outreach even farther. The group focuses of female empowerment through art and creativity. They hope to empower female artists in the Des Moines area. Janelle initially connected with the group by offering to photograph one of the Girl Gang’s shows. She had just returned from college and was seeking a creative community. “I said I’m here. I see you’re growing; let me help. Part of it was that’s what I was passionate about, part of it was that I just needed friends,” Janelle recalls with a certain level of honesty.
It’s clear that a love of art and creation drives Janelle Ketcher, but her eyes also light up whenever she talks about one other thing: her hometown, Des Moines. “…I was writing a thank you letter to the staff at the [Des Moines] Art Center because I think that really motivated me to pursue the Arts.”
The community that Janelle has found among artists and art lovers in Des Moines has inspired he to try new things along her creative journey. She says,“Everyone I’ve worked with here whether it be artists or administrators or businesses or cultural organizations; they’re just so excited for people to do things and everyone has their back and everyone’s like, ‘Yes! Try painting that new. Try putting this show together. Try this funky dance experiment’.” It seems Janelle has taken this advice to heart. Janelle’s career path has allowed her to take on a very behind the scenes role in the art world; this fact doesn’t mean that she has abandoned all of her more obvious creative pursuits. She explains, “I believe that every arts administrator is the best administrator they can be when they have a creative practice of their own.” For Janelle, this “creative practice’ has taken the form of textile work, photography (one of her first loves), and dance. She has recently started taking ballet lessons, and took part in a friend’s dance production over the summer.
However, Janelle has decided to make a substantial change in her life. In November, she will be leaving Des Moines for Los Angeles, California. “I’m only 24…I’m going to Los Angeles to just try something new. There’s a lot of theatres and art centers there, so I just want to learn what else is happening in art communities.”
Though she has decided it is time to move on to a new place, Janelle hopes to maintain connections she has made in the Midwest, all the way on the West Coast. “Ideally, I’m moving away but I’m not actually going to be leaving. I’m still hopefully going to maintain a presence in Des Moines with my relationships.”
