Janis Ian plans Berea College Archive Celebration for October 17-20
Published
Janis Ian Plans Berea College Archive Celebration
For October 17-20
American Songwriter Names Ian
Most Underrated Folk Singer of All Time
Ian Asks Fans to Contribute her Letters,
Ticket Stubs, Action Figures, And More to The Archives
BEREA, Ky. — GRAMMY-winning singer/songwriter Janis Ian is planning a fun week for fans to celebrate the opening of her massive musical and personal archives at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky. After years of close collaboration with the archivists, Ian is “very proud of the relationship Berea and I have developed over the years and their incredibly involved, passionate student body.” From October 17-20, the Breaking Silence event will feature a once-in-a-lifetime series of activities including special presentations, classes, and other experiences to be confirmed shortly.
“Amazingly, we’ve been given the entire ground floor of Berea’s library building as part of the exhibits, including my father’s 1937 Martin D-18 guitar (which I wrote ‘Society’s Child’ on), a listening station, GRAMMY invitations and awards, first drafts, signed scripts, a timeline of my family in America and my own career, and tons more. So far our confirmed guests are award-winning poet Jane Hirshfield, photographer Peter Cunningham, and film director Varda Bar-Kar,” says Ian.
The part of this archival project she’s most proud of is the “service timeline.” Says Ian, “Berea is all about service – to the community and to the world at large. My elders taught me that in return for the opportunities I’d been given, part of my job was to give back. From the time I began writing songs (1963) to the earliest incarnation of the Pearl Foundation (1967) to my current projects, I’ve felt my job involves service.”
Ian’s small list of “current projects” includes a month-long Facebook series featuring cartoonists, particularly political cartoonists, designed to make people aware of how much we need them. She’s also writing memoriam for a book honoring the late Howard Waldrop, a piece honoring fantasy writer Charles de Lint, and a studio date in collaboration with Grant Malloy Smith on her song “Memphis” for his series American Stories. No longer able to sing due to vocal scarring, Ian will instead contribute piano and guitar to Malloy’s rendition of the song she originally recorded as a duet with Willie Nelson.
About Janis Ian:
“Amazingly, we’ve been given the entire ground floor of Berea’s library building as part of the exhibits, including my father’s 1937 Martin D-18 guitar (which I wrote ‘Society’s Child’ on), a listening station, GRAMMY invitations and awards, first drafts, signed scripts, a timeline of my family in America and my own career, and tons more. So far our confirmed guests are award-winning poet Jane Hirshfield, photographer Peter Cunningham, and film director Varda Bar-Kar,” says Ian.To further honor her parents, Ian’s father’s music will be represented and one of her mother’s early plays-in-progress will be performed by the school’s drama department. “There will also be a Santa Cruz Janis Ian Model guitar specially built for the occasion by Richard Hoover (the druid of guitar makers!), and a cafeteria full of good food,” adds Ian.
The part of this archival project she’s most proud of is the “service timeline.” Says Ian, “Berea is all about service – to the community and to the world at large. My elders taught me that in return for the opportunities I’d been given, part of my job was to give back. From the time I began writing songs (1963) to the earliest incarnation of the Pearl Foundation (1967) to my current projects, I’ve felt my job involves service.”Ian’s small list of “current projects” includes a month-long Facebook series featuring cartoonists, particularly political cartoonists, designed to make people aware of how much we need them. She’s also writing memoriam for a book honoring the late Howard Waldrop, a piece honoring fantasy writer Charles de Lint, and a studio date in collaboration with Grant Malloy Smith on her song “Memphis” for his series American Stories. No longer able to sing due to vocal scarring, Ian will instead contribute piano and guitar to Malloy’s rendition of the song she originally recorded as a duet with Willie Nelson.While the archives are already packed with thousands of items, Berea’s archives department is still looking for a few special items and asking fans for help. “They need my original song drafts and scores (some won at Pearl Foundation auctions), personal correspondence (especially letters to fans and colleagues), concert and tour programs, tickets, and posters, especially from the 1960s-1980s, along with unusual items like Janis Ian Action Figures.” So if anyone is willing to donate items, contact breakingsilence@berea.
Meanwhile, Janis Ian: Breaking Silence, the documentary by director Varda Bar-Kar (best known for Big Voice [Netflix, PBS] and Fandango at the Wall [Max]), has been slated for a June 2025 premiere on PBS’ American Masters after screenings at select film festivals worldwide. Attendees of the grand opening of the Janis Ian Archives at Berea College will have the opportunity to see a special, private screening of the documentary.
In other news, American Songwriter magazine has recently named Ian one of the top five most underrated singer/songwriters of all time. “Although Janis Ian’s style won her a lot of praise early on in her career, her 1975 studio album Between The Lines was the release that brought her some real commercial success. The album’s success likely came from the album’s first single, At Seventeen. The song nabbed Ian a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and the album peaked at #1 on the Billboard charts soon after,” writes Em Casalena. The other three singers on the list are Dave Von Ronk, Laura Marling, and Nick Drake.”
About Janis Ian:Janis Ian is a 10-time GRAMMY nominee (two-time winner) whose songs and performances have resonated with a diverse group of fans for more than five decades. She is one of just a handful of artists who have received nominations in eight completely different categories. Raised by activist Jewish parents on a New Jersey farm, she currently lives in Florida with her partner and wife of 34 years.
Ian received her first GRAMMY nomination in 1967 for “Best Folk Album” with Janis Ian, featuring “Society’s Child.” She took home her first GRAMMY in 1975 for “Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female – At Seventeen,” and her second for “Best Spoken Word Album – Society’s Child: My Autobiography” in 2013. Her 2023 GRAMMY nomination for “Best Folk Album,” The Light at the End of the Line, brought her full circle.
Two of her most powerful songs, “Society’s Child” and “At Seventeen,” were inducted into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame in 2002 and 2008, respectively. She received the International Folk Music Awards Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023 and was honored by Ireland’s Tradfest and Ireland’s Minister of Culture in 2024 for Outstanding Achievements In the Arts.
Ian has been mining her treasure trove of music and memorabilia for a massive archival project, the Janis Ian Archives, that will open in October of 2024 at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky, as well as preparing collections of rare and previously unreleased recordings. The first two releases, Live at the Calderone Theater 1975 and Worktapes & Demos Vol. 1, dropped last fall with more to come. She is also gearing up for the June 2025 broadcast on PBS’ famed American Masters of a documentary about her life and work. Janis Ian: Breaking Silence is helmed by award-winning director/producer Varda Bar-Kar, best known for Big Voice (Netflix, PBS) and Fandango at the Wall (Max). Along with Ian, the film features interviews with friends including Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Lily Tomlin, Jean Smart, Laurie Metcalf, and others.
###
