James Jankowiak

Chicago, Illinois

b. 1969

Chicago-born artist and educator James Jankowiak’s current paintings and installations focus on the role of color and familiar form as a means of communication in our day-to-day environment. His emotive abstract paintings and public artworks explore the intersections between color, visual rhythm, spirituality, and music.

Jankowiak has utilized contemporary painting practice as a vehicle for social engagement with under-resourced Chicago Public Schools students and teachers across the entire city for over two decades. He has been an Artist Guide in the Museum of Contemporary Art of Chicago’s Learning and Public Programs Department since 2004, integrating contemporary art into a social and emotional learning model for students and teachers alike. Due to his dedication to his teaching artist practice, he was chosen to design and fabricate the entrance to the Harvey L. Miller Family Youth Exhibition at the Illinois Holocaust Center in Skokie. He was also awarded a commission by the CTA for his artwork The Consolation of Color at the Union Station Transit Center, in the heart of downtown Chicago.

Jankowiak’s work has been exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art, SAIC’s Roger Brown Study Collection, the Hyde Park Art Center, Johalla Projects, Western Exhibitions, and the Chicago Cultural Center. He has also received numerous grants over the years, including a 2020 Individual Artist Program Grant from DCASE.