Today we’d like to introduce you to Janice Williams.
Hi Janice, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was trained as an historian, with a lot of background in education and working experience in business. Originally, from Virginia, I moved to Texas due to my husband’s job in 2019. My work here started in Grapevine at a living museum, and I eventually made my way to the IPAT Museum of Porcelain Art.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Is there a such thing as a smooth road?
Probably the biggest personally came in 2019 as I moving here. Our daughter was in her senior year of high school, so my husband was here and I was going back and forth so she could graduate. In the middle of the school year, I was diagnosed with a rare aggressive breast cancer. By that point, our home had sold, so I was living in my parents spare room with my daughter, cat and dog and my husband was 1200 miles away. A week after she graduated, I moved to Texas full time. A week after that I had surgery–which took a different type of cancer out from the same place. I like to say the universe was having a BOGO. But it is six years later and I am now healthy.
Professionally, where I am now, the museum is part of an international organization for an art that is declining in the US. Until I recently hired weekend help I was the only person running the whole ship in this part of the world–from the facilities, membership liaison, daily tours, marketing, magazine layouts, you name it. My whole staff was three people–me, myself and I–for a really long time.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
IPAT was founded in 1958 by artist Lucretia Donnell. In 1978, it opened a museum in Dallas and moved to the current location in Grapevine. While most museums have porcelain as only a small part of their collection, or focus on a particular factory, artist or era, our collection spans the centuries, with artists from over 40 countries and is 98% porcelain. The few pieces that aren’t are for the best parts by artists known for their porcelain works. We also have the largest collection of antique figurines in Texas, and one of the largest in the US. We also offer a variety of ornaments for the public to make using different mediums. It started out just for Christmas, but after selling out last year, we have expanded to year-round. Admission is free. I always say that we are one of Grapevine’s hidden treasure’s, and after touring, most people agree.
We publish a quarterly magazine, issue an email newsletter, host lessons via Zoom (which are available on our website later), and starting next year, will host multiple artists throughout the year to give lesson for both seasoned and new painters. Trying to show that porcelain painting isn’t just for little old ladies, last year we published a children’s book that is available at our museum, Princess China and the Art Museum.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I love how welcoming most people have been. I wasn’t here too long before I found myself in friend groups that became like family.
What I like least are the allergies. I am allergic to so much here, I had to start with allergy shots and it can’t all fit in one syringe.
Pricing:
- Admission free
- Make and take ornaments $10
- Fired ornaments $15
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ipatinc.org/museum
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ipatmuseum/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087976410209
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ipatmuseum1991
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/ipat-museum-of-porcelain-art-grapevine-2?osq=ipat+museum
Image Credits
Photo of me by Faith Williams. I took all the others.
