Akron Art Museum 

Created by Ashli, a gallery teacher at Akron Art Museum. Special thanks to Jasmine, Sekoya, and Sloane for their aid in the creation of this resource kit. A HUGE shout out and thank you to the artist Janet Macoska, who provided additional insight and allowed the author to interview her for this project. 

You are on the photography team with Janet Macoska for a concert. However, you've accidentally locked yourself in the dressing room! Use the information you've learned about Macoska and her photos to figure out the keypad code. You have only ten minutes before the concert, so hurry! 

Escape the Dressing Room!

Janet Macoska provided some amazing tips for getting your own AWESOME photos! Follow the steps in the activity to get started. 

Try it Yourself!

Janet Macoska was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, later the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Take a look at how this city shaped her childhood. Then follow her career as she becomes one of the most well-known photographers in Rock and Roll history! 

Janet Macoska: Her Life

Janet Macoska often took pictures of the same performers several times. One such group is Devo, a band from Akron, Ohio. Compare these two pictures of Devo in the same setting but with different color schemes. How does the addition of color change the emotions in the picture? Why do you think Macoska chose to make two versions of the same photo? 

Group Shots: Devo

Janet Macoska is best known for her photographs of single performers, including David Bowie, Ted Nugent, and Michael Hutchence. Check out these photos and take a look at the differences in pose and direction of light and shadow! 

Single Performer Shots

Janet Macoska is known for her photography skills, especially her work documenting Rock and Roll artists. This resource kit explores various aspects of her work, including color, light and shadow, timing, and message. 

How does Macoska use color or lack of color to highlight her subjects? 

How does her manipulation of light and shadow change the perspective of her subjects? 

How does she show the emotional context of Rock and Roll in a standstill photo? 

How does Macoska's choice of photo timing change the message of a photo? How does it affect the viewer's interpretation of the performer?

Hello educators! This resource kit is fairly self-sustainable - there are no outside resources or printed materials. Students are encouraged to discuss the provided questions in groups to help facilitate greater meaning. Also, it's Rock and Roll! There's meant to be a little music and excitement around this kit. The try-it-yourself activity will require a camera, but can be completed by sharing the technology between students. 

Links have been provided to some songs from each artist featured, and we have tried to include clean versions of each song.

This document exapnds on these ideas, the goals for learning, and provides links to all the songs in the kit. 

Janet Macoska: Rock and Roll Photos

Music

The Arts

Visual Arts

The Montgomery Bus Boycott protests the treatment of African Americans in Alabama and the U.S.

Apollo 11 and NASA land the first man on the moon

Elvis Presley dies of a heart attack in his home

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is Founded

Terrorists use three planes to attack the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. A fourth plane crashes in Pennsylvania.

Michael Jackson, the so-called "King of Pop", dies in his Los Angeles home.

Donald Trump wins the 2016 American election for president

States begin passing "Shelter in Place Orders" to curb the spread of a new disease called the Coronavirus.

Janet Macoska was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1954. 

Janet Macoska's Birthday!

Macoska often credits her early interest in Rock and Roll to her discovery of the Beatles in 1964 at 10 years old. She figured if they could make a difference, so could she!

Janet Finds the Beatles

Macoska's first well-known photograph was taken in 1966. This photo features the rock duo Sonny and Cher at the WKYC radio studio in Cleveland. 

Macoska's first photograph

Macoska and her classmates at Cuyahoga Community College were charged with interviewing someone near them or whoever seemed cool for a class assignment. While most students went with a family member or neighbor, Macoska had bigger ideas. She interviewed one of the biggest names in early Monday Night Football reporting: Howard Cosell. She got her interview, and blew away the rest of her class in the process!

Janet Interviews Howard Cosell

From 1975 to 1985, Janet Macoska split her time between shooting photos for the occasional Rock and Roll concert and taking photos for the Cleveland Indians. Never a huge fan of baseball, Macoska faced significant backlash as a woman amongst the male photographers. She didn't let that stop her, though. 

Janet Macoska gives baseball a swing

In 1977, Macoska traveled to England for the first time, where she met with her friend and mentor, Alex Harvey of The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. He introduced her to other British photographers, who helped her find an agent for her work. 

Janet Goes to England

In the 1980s, music artists and their agents started getting more particular about who could take photographs and when at their shows. Macoska recalls a Madonna concert in 1987 that picked up on a then-popular policy of "three songs and you're out". Photographers could shoot the first three songs, and then they were kicked out of the concert unless they had a regular ticket and put down their camera. It made Rock and Roll photography challenging but not impossible. 

Photography gets Stricter

In 1989, Macoska got to shoot Paul McCartney at a press conference and concert. Later, one of her shots of McCartney performing would be brought into the collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London. 

Macoska Gets THE McCartney Shot

In 1988, Frank Sinatra was invited to receive a special Cleveland Cavaliers jersey with his name embossed on the back. Macoska was invited to take two - and only two - photos of Sinatra receiving the jersey. When she accidentally snapped a third, Sinatra's producer turned with anger. Macoska panicked and thanked Sinatra for his time. In all his glory, Sinatra noticed his producer closing in on Macoska and took action. He kissed Macoska on the lips! Then he walked away to begin his concert. Everybody on his team left her alone after that. 

The Sinatra Incident

In 2003, Janet Macoska and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum collaborated on an exhibition, titled "It's ALWAYS Rock and Roll." It featured many of Macoska's photos from at least three decades of Rock and Roll concerts. The exhibition toured across the United States and even went to some international venues, like The World Intellectual Property Conference held in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2015. 

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Exhibition: "It's ALWAYS Rock and Roll."

In 2006, Macoska became the offical/unoffical photographer for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, shooting events and concerts held on site. 

Macoska Joins the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

With Bruce Springsteen's vibrant 1985 concert gracing the front cover, Janet Macoska's first collection of Rock and Roll photos is published in 2015. 

ALL ACCESS CLEVELAND Published

In 2017, Janet Macoska was inducted into the Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame for her work with Rock and Roll photos. 

Resource Kits

Object Library

Museums

Janet Macoska: Rock and Roll Photos

Janet Macoska: Her Life

Background Knowledge

December 1955 CE - December 1956 CE

The Montgomery Bus Boycott protests the treatment of African Americans in Alabama and the U.S.

1954 CE

1964 CE

July 1969 CE

Apollo 11 and NASA land the first man on the moon

1966 CE

1973 CE

1975 CE

August 1977 CE

Elvis Presley dies of a heart attack in his home

1983 CE

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is Founded

1977 CE

1987 CE

September 11, 2001 CE

Terrorists use three planes to attack the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. A fourth plane crashes in Pennsylvania.

1988 CE

2003 CE

June 2009 CE

Michael Jackson, the so-called "King of Pop", dies in his Los Angeles home.

2006 CE

November 2016 CE

Donald Trump wins the 2016 American election for president

2015 CE

2017 CE

March 2020 CE

States begin passing "Shelter in Place Orders" to curb the spread of a new disease called the Coronavirus.