Janet Echelman in the studio. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Roser Brothers.
Janet Echelman (American). Study (Butterfly Rest Stop 1/9 scale), Rome, Italy, 2022.
Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Giovanni DeAngelis.
Janet Echelman (American). Study (Butterfly Rest Stop 1/9 scale), Rome, Italy, 2022.
Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Giovanni DeAngelis.
Janet Echelman (American). Enfold, Hill House Montecito, CA, 2022. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Joe Fletcher.
Janet Echelman (American). Noli Timere Looking Up, 2025.
Cyanotype, 22 x 30 in. Courtesy of the artist.
Studio Echelman.
Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Bruce Petschek.

Janet Echelman: Radical Softness

November 16, 2025–April 26, 2026

This exhibition is made possible, in part, with generous support from:


Platinum Sponsors
Judy and Fred Fiala


Gold Sponsors
Charlotte and John Suhler


Silver Sponsor
Gerald and Sondra Biller
Huisking Foundation
Audrey and Walter Stewart

Award-winning and internationally recognized artist Janet Echelman (American) is renowned for her soaring installations that merge ancient craft with cutting-edge technology. Using centuries-old fishing net knotting techniques, Echelman transforms humble materials into ethereal sculptures that visualize natural phenomena and the interconnectedness of humanity and the environment.

Radical Softness offers a rare, intimate look at Echelman’s artistic evolution, tracing her journey from early explorations in drawing, painting, and textiles to the monumental netted sculptures that have redefined public spaces around the world. This exhibition contextualizes the artist’s practice, revealing the narratives, influences, and processes that drive her work. At its core, the exhibition highlights Echelman’s use of softness as a powerful tool—not only in material but as a philosophy. Showcasing a selection of works from across all four decades of the artist’s path-breaking career, along with a series of never-before-seen cyanotypes, Radical Softness reveals how an artist’s work can bring people together and carve out space for reflection in an ever-changing world.

Founded in New York City and based in Boston, Studio Echelman’s impact is global. A recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship, Harvard Loeb Fellowship, Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award, Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellowship, and Fulbright Lectureship, her monumental sculptures span five continents. Recent commissions include Remembering the Future at the MIT Museum (2025), Butterfly Rest Stop in Frisco, Texas (2024), Current in Columbus, Ohio (2023), Bending Arc at the St. Pete Pier in Florida (2020), Earthtime Korea (2020), Impatient Optimist at The Gates Foundation in Seattle (2015), and 1.8 Renwick at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (2015), among others.

Janet Echelman: Radical Softness is organized by Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design and curated by Lacie Barbour, associate curator of exhibitions at Sarasota Art Museum.

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