Visionary Sculptor & Urban Art Innovator; Creator of Monumental Public Installations; Guggenheim Fellow; Distinguished Visiting Professor University of Stuttgart IntCDC

Boston, MA, USA

Janet Echelman Biography

Janet Echelman sculpts at the scale of buildings and city blocks. Echelman’s work defies categorization, as it intersects disciplinary boundaries, from Sculpture, Architecture, and Urban Design, to Material Science, Structural & Aeronautical Engineering, Computer Science, and performance. Echelman’s art transforms with wind and light, and shifts from being “an object you look at, into an experience you can get lost in.”

Using unlikely materials from atomized water particles to engineered fiber fifteen times stronger than steel, Echelman combines ancient craft with computational design software to create artworks that have become focal points for urban life on five continents, from Singapore, Sydney, Shanghai, and Santiago, to Beijing, Boston, New York and London. Permanent works in Porto (Portugal), Gwanggyo (South Korea), Vancouver, San Francisco, West Hollywood, Phoenix, Eugene, Greensboro, Philadelphia, Seattle, Columbus (OH) and St. Petersburg (FL) transform daily with colored light.

Curiosity defines Janet Echelman’s nonlinear educational path. After graduating from Harvard College, she lived in a Balinese village for 5 years, then completed separate graduate programs in Painting and in Psychology. A recipient of an honorary Doctorate from Tufts University, Echelman has taught at MIT, Harvard and Princeton Universities.

Her TED talk, "Taking Imagination Seriously," has been translated into 35 languages with more than two million views. Recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship, Harvard Loeb Fellowship, Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellowship, and Fulbright Sr. Lectureship, Echelman received the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award in Visual Arts, honoring “the greatest innovators in America today.” In popular culture, Oprah ranked Echelman’s work #1 on her List of 50 Things That Make You Say Wow!, and Echelman was named an Architectural Digest Innovator for "changing the very essence of urban spaces."

"Radical Softness: The Responsive Art of Janet Echelman," published in September 2025, is a 288-page visual compendium of Echelman's oeuvre which accompanies a traveling mid-career museum retrospective.

BOOK Janet Echelman

Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 07/14/2026.

Janet Echelman Videos

Janet Echelman - 2025 Hofstra Presidential Symposium

Janet Echelman - 2025 Hofstra Presidential Symposium

Keynote address

Janet Echelman - Arts at MIT

Janet Echelman - Arts at MIT

Workshop with MIT CAST Distinguished Visiting Artist Janet Echelman.

Janet Echelman - TED

Janet Echelman - TED

Taking imagination seriously

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  • What are the speaker fees for Janet Echelman

    Speaking fees for Janet Echelman, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Janet Echelman are $20,000 - $30,000 for live events and $10,000 - $20,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Janet Echelman, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does Janet Echelman speak about?

    Janet Echelman is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Architecture, Architecture, Art & Design, Creativity, Influential Women, Innovation, Inspirational, Music, Professors, TED
  • Where does Janet Echelman travel from?

    Janet Echelman generally travels from Boston, MA, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
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Janet Echelman is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics. The estimated speaking fee range to book Janet Echelman for your event is $20,000 - $30,000. Janet Echelman generally travels from Boston, MA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Tiffany Shlain, Matthew Luhn, Alexa Meade, Beatrice Coron and Tania de Jong AM. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Janet Echelman for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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