Jan Downey is the daughter and granddaughter of a German-Jewish family, some of whom managed to escape the Nazi’s “Final Solution”. Presenting her family’s ordeal and escape, Jan will show original family documents the Nazi’s demanded and defiled, and documents related to their escape from Germany and their refugee status in the United States.
A tailor in Germany, Jan’s grandfather was also an artist who loved painting and photography. Once safe in this country, he created an amazing collection of small dolls representing countries invaded by Hitler. Jan will showcase the dolls as well as photographs of the original display her father helped build for his father’s appreciation of this country that took him in.
Raised in the Chicago area, Jan fulfilled her love of studying humans in all cultures by becoming a cultural anthropologist, working with different cultural groups, and teaching at the college level. After retiring, she turned to her other passion, the arts, working out of her home studio and exhibiting at The Finer Arts Gallery in Cave Creek, AZ.
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