Dear friends,
We at Smack Mellon mourn the loss of Jane Walentas who passed away on July 5th. We extend our sympathy to Jane’s family.
Jane was a kind and generous person and a champion of the arts. Her support for artists and arts organizations made it possible for so many to make and share their work with the public. Since 1998, Jane, her husband David, and son Jed have supported Smack Mellon and so many other arts organizations in DUMBO, the thriving neighborhood they shaped where creativity is front and center.
Jane was an artist and she understood the importance of making a place for artists. To do so, she lent tremendous support to the people and institutions that allow artists to flourish and create. She reached thousands of artists and hundreds of thousands of people who visited nascent organizations like Smack Mellon and St. Ann’s Warehouse in the early years, and many others that moved to DUMBO through her space subsidy program.
Through the ongoing generosity of Jane and the Walentas family, Two Trees provides over 100,000 square feet of donated and subsidized space to artists and arts organizations like Smack Mellon, Sharpe Walentas Studios, ISSUE Project Room, Brooklyn Arts Council, Art in General, A.I.R. Gallery, NYFA, United Photo Industries, and many other small galleries, and non-profit organizations. I don’t know of any other developer that provides space on this scale in NYC. Their support for Smack Mellon since 1998 has enabled us to support hundreds of artists with exhibitions, free studio space and free art education programs for NYC public high school students. We would not be able to do any of this without the support of Two Trees.
Jane’s legacy continues. Her support for artists does not end when they leave their Smack Mellon or Sharpe Walentas studio, or when they complete a world premiere run at St. Ann’s. Having been given the chance to develop their work at an early stage of their career these artists are given the momentum they need to continue to produce and show their work. Jane’s investment in them is compounding, it’s growing and it is unstoppable.
Jane was the Founder and Executive Director of Jane’s Carousel, a 1922 carousel that she spent 27 years restoring. It lives at Brooklyn Bridge Park, between the bridges and brings joy to people, young and old. It is a monument to Jane.
Thank you, Jane. I am forever grateful to you and I will miss you.
Kathleen Gilrain, Executive Director, Smack Mellon
All photographs by Julienne Schaer.