Janet Echelman

The Janet Echelman keynotes promote the need to experiment and use unlikely materials in order to discover hidden potential. Echelman strongly believes that her own experiences of rejection motivated her to pursue her creative dreams, which have led to her current successes.

Echelman is now a highly sought-after sculptor who has been approached by numerous city planners and urban developers to develop her sculptural works. In terms of her education, Echelman graduated with degrees in psychology and painting from Harvard; although, she never studied sculpture. Echeman's loyalty to experimentation is clearly echoed both in her artwork, as well as her career choices. As an artist and Principal at Studio Echelman and a Guggenheim Fellow, Echelman understands the trials and errors every artist must face before they finally reach success -- as she experienced them first hand.

Echelman's artistic talents were commissioned on an international scale, debuting at both the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games and the 2010 Biennial of the Americas. As a result of her artistic endeavors and passion towards taking risks, Echelman has been the recipient of fellowships from the 'Rotary International Foundation,' and 'Harvard Graduate School of Design Loeb.'

Currently, Echelman holds the position of Resident in Visual Arts at the American Academy in Rome and was selected to speak at the TED2011 conference. Without experimentation and risks individuals will never see their potential and hidden creative ability, this theme is echoed throughout the Janet Echelman keynotes.