The Janis Ian Archives
The Janis Ian Archives is a unique resource for music history research, offering unfettered access to Ian’s life, publishing, and recording. Beginning with her grandparents’ immigration papers, circa 1916, the Archives will follow the journey of Ian’s 1937 Martin D-18 guitar, chronicle the HUAC years with insights into her parents’ FBI files (and what FBI surveillance cost Ian’s family over the decades), and then travel through the civil rights, women’s, and LGBTQ movements. Visitors to the Archives can view Ian’s correspondence with other musical artists, famous friends, and collaborators.
About the Archives
The Janis Ian Archives opened in 2024 and offers a unique behind-the-curtain view of the music industry, beginning in the mid-1960s, when Janis was a young teen. The Archives provide a record of her spectacular rise in popularity, sold-out concerts (domestic and international), relevance through the decades and negotiations with record companies — as well as career setbacks. Janis is a prolific singer-songwriter and feminist icon; her songs are known for their social significance and speak volumes to fans, including her half-million Facebook followers. She has won two Grammy awards, one in 1975 for “At Seventeen” and the second in 2013, in the Best Spoken Word category for her autobiography, “Society’s Child.” She has received a total of ten nominations in eight different categories.
Ongoing support is needed to preserve, catalog, and periodically display the priceless items housed in this vital one-of-a-kind resource. Unlike most archives, this resource is open to professionals and non-professionals alike. While many artists have received significant amounts of money for turning over their archives, The Janis Ian Archives are entirely different – Ian’s belief in Berea College is so strong that she has donated all materials without compensation. Her only stipulation is that records remain open to the public, not just scholars and Ph.D. candidates.
Plan a Visit
We hope you will plan to visit the Janis Ian Archives and experience the exhibit on display on the first floor of the Berea College Hutchins Library. The exhibit will be on display until Spring of 2025.
Nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Berea, is a place where art, craft, music and the imagination thrive. Berea, KY offers a variety of hotels, lodging, and unique accommodations.
Berea is one of the fastest-growing towns in Kentucky, so dining options are aplenty. On the Berea College campus, there is the restaurant in Boone Tavern (reservation suggested/limited seating-book with OpenTable), Mountaineer Dining Hall, Sandella's Flatbread Cafe, The Farm Store, The Pinnacles Cafe, as well as a suite of local eateries on College Square. Local foodie fare includes Native Bagel/Nightjar, Apollo Pizza, Papaleno’s, Doña Maria's Tamales, and Honeysuckle Dining and
Bourbon House among others.
