Jane Walentas (1944 - 2020)

With tremendous sadness, we write with the news of the passing of Jane Walentas, executive director of the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program.

We will miss Jane’s extraordinary leadership, marked by her generosity, enthusiasm, and dedication to fellow artists.

In 2014, Jane and the Walentas Family Foundation became stewards of the Studio Program, determined to continue its mission of supporting working artists.

An accomplished artist herself, Jane received her BFA from Moore College of Art & Design and MFA from NYU. She is perhaps best known for the carousel that bears her name in Brooklyn Bridge Park, which she restored by hand over 27 years in her own Dumbo studio.

We are lucky to have known Jane and borne witness to her uncompromising commitment to the arts. Her legacy will live on with the hundreds of artists who have worked in our studios and all those to come.

We extend our deepest sympathy to the Walentas family as we mourn the loss of our brilliant friend.

Kate Gavriel, Program Director
Randy Wray, Studio Manager

Artist Advisory Committee:
Phong Bui
Chuck Close
Matthew Deleget
Tara Donovan
Mark Greenwold
Deborah Kass
Philip Pearlstein
Joel Shapiro