Advanced Amateurs

At the age of 36, Janet was diagnosed with Stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. With an eye patch and hair loss, she resembled a pirate. To cope with the effects of cancer and its treatment, she began walking along her favorite spot: the shores of Lake Michigan. One day, Janet built a small sandcastle. Though it wasn't particularly impressive, she was captivated by the experience. Finding the book Sand Castles Step-by-Step at her local library changed her life. Every summer has become a time of teaching “Magical Memories” to vacationing families. Teaching grandparents, parents, and kids how to play together for 20 summers has been a good life. Her passion for the sand also ignited a five-year commitment to protecting the shoreline. Janet founded the Cherry Beach Project and helped raise $4.1 million to purchase and preserve acres of critical dune land for ChikamingTownship, creating a wildlife corridor and extending the public beach in 2020. But not all sand is created equal. In 2019, Janet lost the love of her life to cancer. Looking for fun and a desire to meet other artist souls, she decided travel would help her learn to live with grief. Playing in sand other than Michigan’s clean quartz has been the biggest eye-opener for this land artist—she's discovered that Texas sand can do so much more (ask her how). Competing is fairly new to Janet, and this is her first year as an Advanced Amateur at Texas SandFest. Finding a new tribe and making connections with other sculptors has been the best part of this new chapter—and a reason to look forward to the next pile of fun.