After decades as a respected Christiansted business leader and artist, Jan Mitchell Larsen passed away on Saturday. According to her husband Steffen Larsen, she died in her sleep, days before her 80th birthday, Sept. 17.
Mitchell Larsen grew up in Atlantic City, N.J., and graduated with a degree in sculpture and design from the Philadelphia College of Art. She relocated to St. Croix in the 1980s.
She relocated to the island with her first husband and set up a small pottery studio in Christiansted with a kiln. Over the years, she not only ran and expanded her business in Christiansted, but created commissioned sculptures that brought her national recognition.
Her work is on display in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution and the Thompson Museum in Kentucky.
For the last decade, Mitchell Larsen’s glass ornaments have adorned the White House Christmas tree in the Blue Room and many have been purchased locally and by visitors.
The recognition by national organizations was “not a big deal to her,” Larsen said.
Artist Elisa McKay knew Mitchell in the early days. She remembers housesitting with her daughter, Ayanna. The living quarters were upstairs over the pottery studio and it seemed like a vacation for the McKays.
“My friendship with Jan stretched far beyond the 1980s. Although we have seen less of each other with the busy days and months rolling into years, whenever we exchanged a short chat, we were always reminded of our kindred souls. I miss her already,” McKay said in an email.
One of Mitchell Larsen’s accomplishments, rarely mentioned, was her appearance in the 1987 Pan Am Games, firing a pistol, as seen in the photo from the Mitchell Larsen Studio.
Some of her artwork is part of the history of the territory. Mitchell Larsen was commissioned to sculpt a bust of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt for the St. Thomas Veterans Memorial Park and one of Verne Richards for the Veteran Memorial Park in Frederiksted. Also, there is a life-sized bronze, “Lady of Justice” dedicated in 1993, at the entrance to the U.S. Federal Court Building.
Mary Hayden Carr worked with Mitchell Larsen for more than 20 years and thought of her as a mother figure. She spoke with the Source on Monday and said she learned a lot about the art and the business. The artist was beloved by many business neighbors and the entire community.
“I felt like I had lost my soul when I went to work today,” she said.
Nellie Rivera O’Reilly, who owns Sonja’s Ltd., a jewelry store across the street, said Larsen was a “great neighbor, who supported the other downtown businesses and will be missed.”
“She was a woman ahead of the times, with an opinion I respected,” the former V.I. senator added.
The Larsens donated to anyone who asked, Carr said, including the St. Croix Animal Welfare Society, the Women’s Coalition of St. Croix, the Christmas Boat Parade, the St. Croix Yacht Club, and the St. George Botanical Garden. Larsen said they responded to several calls from the shelter by adopting another homeless dog — bringing the total to 10.
The Larsens were married in 1997. He said the St. Croix yacht club commodore hosted a party to introduce the couple to each other.
“From that day after, we were together like Siamese twins,” Larsen said.
First, the couple bought a historic ruin in Christiansted — a fixer-upper. While she produced art, Larsen worked for the V.I. Senate and focused on creating the photography for which he is known.
Over the years, they restored the studio’s historic building and built a house on the South Shore of St. Croix. Larsen said they were the first house on the island to use wind power and developed, with the V.I. Water and Power Authority, the idea of net metering used later by WAPA.
Larsen and Carr said the gallery on King Street will open, during normal hours, on Tuesday for people to stop by and celebrate the artist’s 80th birthday. At the end of the week, they will reopen the store for business.
No plans have been made for a memorial or burial for the artist. Larsen said his wife will be cremated and he will be the only one in attendance.
“I want to have a last word with her,” he said.
