JANET SILK
Artist ◆ Educator ◆ Writer
I am an artist and art educator with twenty years of experience teaching contemporary art theory, criticism, and practice. As a writing instructor, my breadth and scope of knowledge includes fine art, academic, professional, and creative writing.
Writer and Editor
Freelance 2024-present
My publishing history includes professional, creative, and academic writing. My love for the nuances of the writing process resulted in a seventeen year track record as an undergraduate and graduate writing instructor. I have professional skills and experience as a writing coach, tutor, editor, proofreader, and content evaluator.
HIGHLIGHTS
Teaching Experience
San José State University, Dept. of Art & Art History, San José, CA 2006 – 2023
Senior Lecturer – Taught undergraduate and graduate level writing seminar courses for fine art majors. Taught graduate seminars in contemporary art theory and criticism. Motivated students to identify and develop their unique voice and relationship with contemporary art practices.
International Teaching Experience
Academic Employment in the Middle East 2003 – 2006
Zayed University, Dept. of Art and Design, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Assistant Professor – Taught art history & studio courses to undergraduate students.
Assistant Chair – Represented Chair and Dean of department for on-campus and public events, and department meetings. Planned and coordinated faculty schedule.
Independent Art Tutor – Appointed to teaching position at satellite campus for Al Maktoum royal family.
American University in Cairo, Dept. of Visual and Performing Arts, Cairo, Egypt
Lecturer – Taught undergraduate modern & contemporary art history, drawing, and installation art courses.
Docent Experience
South of Market Cultural Center, San Francisco, CA 2000 –2003 (seasonal)
Art Educator | Docent – Teacher and instructional guide for Día de los Muertos art exhibition.
Other Professional Experience
San José State University, Dept. of Art & Art History, San José, CA 2019 – 2023
Lecturer Representative, California Faculty Association, San José State University, Dept. of Art & Art History, San José, CA Department of Art and Art History
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 2001 – 2003
Greene & Greene Virtual Archives Project
Project Manager – Hired as a Library Assistant/Cataloger in the College of Environmental Design and promoted to Project Manager to facilitate the creation of a multi-institutional online archive of artwork and other historical documents by the architects Greene & Greene where the public now has access to over 4,000 Greene & Greene images.
Early Career Experience
Lucasfilm, Nicasio, CA, Research Librarian - 11 years working for American filmmaker George Lucas, providing research material for producer, director, art and special effects departments for film and television productions and inventorying private art collection. Oversaw department operations including budget negotiation, accounting, and vendor relations. Wrote equipment operation manuals and cataloging guidelines, trained interns, educated patrons about the collection.
Education
MFA Art Practice, University of California, Berkeley
BFA Art, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia
Presentations
"Open a Vein: Suicidal Black Metal and Enlightenment," Legion of Steel Metalfest & Conference, Alternative Music Foundation, Berkeley California, 2015
"After Asher," (with Craig Hobbes and Keith Daly), Gallery III, San Jose State University, 2015
"Open a Vein: Suicidal Black Metal and Enlightenment," Art History and Visual Culture Colloquium, San Jose State University, 2013
“Notes on Community, Collaboration, Consensus, Communes and Cults,” California College of the Arts, San Francisco, Creativity and the Artist’s Process, Instructor: Christian Janowski, 2008
Artwork presentation, Art and Spirit Series, John F Kennedy University, Berkeley
“Frontier Mythology: American Science Fiction Film and American Landscape Painting,” San Francisco State University, Art 426 Art Survey, Instructor: Ian Pollock, 1999
Artwork presentation, California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, Sound Art, Instructor: Ed Osborn, 1997
“Intimacy, Concept, Interaction: Artistic potential of voice mail and the telephone,” Seventh International Symposium on Electronic Art, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 1996
Artwork presentation, San Francisco State University, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Art, Instructor: Yolanda Lopez, 1995
Certificates and Training
Making Better Decision by Thinking in Bets, LinkedIn Learning, 2026
Adult Mental Health First Aid, USA, National Council for Mental Wellbeing, 2023-2026
California State University, Mental Health Ally, 2023
San José State University Teach Online Summer Certificate Program, 2020
Professional Associations
International Society for Metal Music Studies (ISMMS), 2023-present
American Association of University Professors (AAUP), 2023-present
California Faculty Association (CFA), Lecturer Representative 2019-2023, Emeritus Member 2023-present
Software and digital tools
Fluent: iWork, Google Workspace, Canvas LMS, Adobe Acrobat, Zoom, CSU OneSearch (university library search engine) Barnes & Noble BookMaster (POS System)
Familiar: Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook; HTML, Claris Filemaker Pro, Refworks (citation management), Data Logic Memor 20 Scanner, Quillbot, Google Gemini
- Specializing in writing for the visual arts.
- Project management experience in archive and library settings: ability to organize, catalog, inventory, display, conserve, preserve, and celebrate art in a variety of forms.
- Comprehensive experience with art exhibition lifecycle, from initial concept development and proposal writing to budget allocation, timeline management, and milestone tracking.
Writer and Editor
Freelance 2024-present
My publishing history includes professional, creative, and academic writing. My love for the nuances of the writing process resulted in a seventeen year track record as an undergraduate and graduate writing instructor. I have professional skills and experience as a writing coach, tutor, editor, proofreader, and content evaluator.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Researcher and essayist: publishing record includes academic, peer-reviewed, cultural research journals such as Public Culture and Helvete: A Journal of Black Metal Theory.
- Served as a peer reviewer for the Oxford University Press and for The International Journal of Art and Design Education.
- Advanced knowledge of and experience with English grammar, writing for general and specialized audiences.
- Expert in academic essay writing: brainstorming, research, content development, outlining, organizing, editing, proofreading.
- General knowledge of style guides with substantial knowledge of Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) and Modern Language Association (MLA).
Teaching Experience
San José State University, Dept. of Art & Art History, San José, CA 2006 – 2023
Senior Lecturer – Taught undergraduate and graduate level writing seminar courses for fine art majors. Taught graduate seminars in contemporary art theory and criticism. Motivated students to identify and develop their unique voice and relationship with contemporary art practices.
- Conceptualize and plan graduate seminars in contemporary art history and theory; energize and activate public space on campus with series of performances inspired by course readings and discussion.
- Design writing exercises based on sensory awareness, improving students’ descriptive writing skills 100%.
- Introduce experimental research paper resulting in less plagiarism and marked advancement of students’ research skills.
- Courses taught: Writing Workshop: Fine Art, Writing Workshop: Design, BFA Seminar, Graduate Seminar in the Theory and Criticism of Contemporary Art, Graduate Seminar in Contemporary Art, Graduate Seminar in Professional Writing in Contemporary Art.
International Teaching Experience
Academic Employment in the Middle East 2003 – 2006
Zayed University, Dept. of Art and Design, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Assistant Professor – Taught art history & studio courses to undergraduate students.
Assistant Chair – Represented Chair and Dean of department for on-campus and public events, and department meetings. Planned and coordinated faculty schedule.
Independent Art Tutor – Appointed to teaching position at satellite campus for Al Maktoum royal family.
- Chaperoned students on a private art-focused field trip to London.
- Practiced sensitivity to cultural diversity while encouraging independent artistic expression.
- Courses taught: Painting II, An Introduction and Exploration of Installation Art, Contemporary Art and Design, Arts of the Modern World, World Cultures in Art and Design, Art Appreciation.
American University in Cairo, Dept. of Visual and Performing Arts, Cairo, Egypt
Lecturer – Taught undergraduate modern & contemporary art history, drawing, and installation art courses.
- Introduced contemporary art history course culminating in a series of experimental art works – final collaborative project resulted in lively campus dialogue about Cairene culture.
- Developed course content and grading standards; evaluated student writing and artwork.
- Courses taught: An Introduction and Exploration of Installation Art, Drawing 1, Modern and Contemporary Art History.
Docent Experience
South of Market Cultural Center, San Francisco, CA 2000 –2003 (seasonal)
Art Educator | Docent – Teacher and instructional guide for Día de los Muertos art exhibition.
- Led K - 12 students through exhibition and taught art projects following State of California educational objectives.
Other Professional Experience
San José State University, Dept. of Art & Art History, San José, CA 2019 – 2023
Lecturer Representative, California Faculty Association, San José State University, Dept. of Art & Art History, San José, CA Department of Art and Art History
- “The duties of the Lecturer Representative are: to assist the lecturers on the SJSU campus in accessing the full range of union support to which they are entitled; to provide ongoing information to lecturers on academic matters that concern them both specifically and as part of the larger academic community; and to represent lecturers and their specific concerns before the general union membership, the administration, and the community that SJSU serves.” (See calf.org)
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 2001 – 2003
Greene & Greene Virtual Archives Project
Project Manager – Hired as a Library Assistant/Cataloger in the College of Environmental Design and promoted to Project Manager to facilitate the creation of a multi-institutional online archive of artwork and other historical documents by the architects Greene & Greene where the public now has access to over 4,000 Greene & Greene images.
- Implemented workflow, milestones, and deadlines with design team to launch project on time and on budget.
- Improved collaboration between participating entities by establishing clear goals and realistically assessing each stakeholder’s time and resources for the project.
- Managed process for creating digital surrogates for document archive and conducted QC of digital images.
- Expedited archival document delivery with library technical services and preservation photography units.
- Collaborated with programmer to finalize interface design of a searchable image database.
Early Career Experience
Lucasfilm, Nicasio, CA, Research Librarian - 11 years working for American filmmaker George Lucas, providing research material for producer, director, art and special effects departments for film and television productions and inventorying private art collection. Oversaw department operations including budget negotiation, accounting, and vendor relations. Wrote equipment operation manuals and cataloging guidelines, trained interns, educated patrons about the collection.
- Liaised with production team and research staff and developed film, video, and music collection.
- Compiled relevant visual and textual material in response to production team requests (artists, writers, designers, public relations staff, television and movie directors and producers).
- Archived and cataloged production art, photography, posters, film, and video; cataloging and quality control of digital records; library collection circulation and inventory management.
- Edited production photography for three film productions: Tucker, Willow, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Education
MFA Art Practice, University of California, Berkeley
BFA Art, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia
Presentations
"Open a Vein: Suicidal Black Metal and Enlightenment," Legion of Steel Metalfest & Conference, Alternative Music Foundation, Berkeley California, 2015
"After Asher," (with Craig Hobbes and Keith Daly), Gallery III, San Jose State University, 2015
"Open a Vein: Suicidal Black Metal and Enlightenment," Art History and Visual Culture Colloquium, San Jose State University, 2013
“Notes on Community, Collaboration, Consensus, Communes and Cults,” California College of the Arts, San Francisco, Creativity and the Artist’s Process, Instructor: Christian Janowski, 2008
Artwork presentation, Art and Spirit Series, John F Kennedy University, Berkeley
“Frontier Mythology: American Science Fiction Film and American Landscape Painting,” San Francisco State University, Art 426 Art Survey, Instructor: Ian Pollock, 1999
Artwork presentation, California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, Sound Art, Instructor: Ed Osborn, 1997
“Intimacy, Concept, Interaction: Artistic potential of voice mail and the telephone,” Seventh International Symposium on Electronic Art, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 1996
Artwork presentation, San Francisco State University, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Art, Instructor: Yolanda Lopez, 1995
Certificates and Training
Making Better Decision by Thinking in Bets, LinkedIn Learning, 2026
Adult Mental Health First Aid, USA, National Council for Mental Wellbeing, 2023-2026
California State University, Mental Health Ally, 2023
San José State University Teach Online Summer Certificate Program, 2020
Professional Associations
International Society for Metal Music Studies (ISMMS), 2023-present
American Association of University Professors (AAUP), 2023-present
California Faculty Association (CFA), Lecturer Representative 2019-2023, Emeritus Member 2023-present
Software and digital tools
Fluent: iWork, Google Workspace, Canvas LMS, Adobe Acrobat, Zoom, CSU OneSearch (university library search engine) Barnes & Noble BookMaster (POS System)
Familiar: Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook; HTML, Claris Filemaker Pro, Refworks (citation management), Data Logic Memor 20 Scanner, Quillbot, Google Gemini
