Jan and Mark were Art educators for 39 years. They currently reside in Cincinnati, Ohio.
About Mark
AAll art starts a conversation. My pieces encourage the viewer to ask questions
and to return, again and again too discover more of the story.
My work explores transformation—of materials, of meaning,
and of our relationship to the everyday. I sculpt primarily with cardboard and other discarded objects, materials that are often overlooked yet deeply familiar. Cardboard, in particular, has shaped my imagination since childhood—fragile yet enduring, mundane yet magical.
Through meticulous craftsmanship, I reclaim these materials from the waste stream, assembling them into forms that challenge perception and evoke new contexts. When these fragments are no longer seen as discarded, but as part of a harmonious whole, they are resurrected. That moment of reawakening—that shift in meaning—is where my art comes to life.
Words are my starting point.
An incidental phrase, an overheard remark, a sharp-witted comeback - these fleeting moments of language are what spark my sculptural storytelling. I catch them, write them down, hoard them like treasures. They are the seeds of emotion and meaning.
As an author in clay, I translate these collected fragments into physical form. Each piece I create is part of a larger conversation - linked by narrative, emotion, and intent. A series begins to take shape, each sculpture a chapter in the unfolding story. Infused with humor, my work gives voice to thoughts and behaviors that often go unspoken. There is joy in the transformation—from spoken word to sculpted form.
The power lies in the telling of the story,
and clay becomes my language.
About Jan
Bio
Mark Wiesner
EDUCATION . . .
1972 - 1976 B.A.
Edgecliff College, Cincinnati
1995 M.A.R.
Athenaeum of Ohio, Cincinnati
EXHIBITIONS . . .
- 2025 'Biennial Juried Exhibition', Riffe Gallery, Ohio Arts Council
- 2025 ‘The Corridors of Memory’, The Dublin Arts Center, Dublin, Ohio -2025 ‘Better Together’, Eisele Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio
-2025 'Art in Action’, Off Ludlow Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio - 2024 Hoyt Art Center, 'Orchestration of Movement', New Castle, Pennsylvania
- 2023 Kroner Art Gallery, Cincinnati two-person exhibition
- 2023 'Summerfair Select', AIA Award Exhibition, Weston Art Gallery, Cincinnati
- 2021, 2022 'A Walk in the Woods' Cincinnati Nature Center
- 'Cardboard' Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati, 2021
- 2021 Weston Art Gallery, 'Summerfair Select' Exhibition
- 60th Annual Mid-State Art Exhibition, Evansville Museum of Art / 2021
- 2020 Stay & Wonder Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio
- 2019 Historic Bears' Mill Gallery, Greenville, Ohio
- 2019 'Best of 2019', Ohio Craft Museum & The Springfield Art Museum, Ohio
- 2019 'A Walk in the Woods' Cincinnati Nature Center
- 2019 - ‘Wonder II’ Christ Cathedral invitational exhibition, Cincinnati, Ohio
- 2019 - ‘The Mind Garden’ Caza Sikes Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio - 2018 'Constella Festival', group exhibition, Memorial Hall, Cincinnati, Ohio
- 2018 'A Walk in the Woods', group exhibition, Cincinnati Nature Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
- 2018 'Riffing Picasso', group exhibition, Caza Sikes Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio
- 2018 'Seven Artists - Seven Paths', Joe Stewart Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio
- 2018 'The Makers' Marks', four person exhibition, The Barn Woman's Art Gallery, Mariemont, Ohio
- 2018 'Face the Sun' two person exhibition, Caza Sikes Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio
- 2017 Kennedy Heights 11th Annual Juried Exhibition, Cincinnati, Ohio
- 2017 Rosewood Gallery, Kettering, Ohio two person exhibition
- 2017 Evendale Fine Arts Exhibition, Evendale, Ohio
- 2017 'Reused + Recycled', Brazee C-Link Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio
- 2017 'Turn & Alter', Xavier University, A.B. Cohen Art Gallery
- 2017 'Alchemize', University of Mount Saint Joseph, Studio San Giuseppe Gallery
- 2016 Golden Ticket Exhibition, Clifton Cultural Arts Center
- 2016 'Black & White', Pop Revolution Exhibition, Mason, Ohio
- 2015 Figurative Folklore Exhibition, Covington Arts Center
- 2013 Golden Ticket Exhibition, Clifton Cultural Arts Center
- 2011 'Interior Structures', two person exhibition, Awakenings
- 2010 'Angels & Saints', two person exhibition, Awakenings
- 2008 'Recent Work', Awakenings
- 2010, 2012 'Parallel Visions',
Mount Saint Joseph University
- 2005 'A Single Guy"s Dating Diary', two person exhibition,
Playhouse in the Park, Eden Park, Cincinnati
- 2003 'Sacred Geographies', two person exhibition, Risch Gallery,
Ft. Thomas, Kentucky
- 2002 'Threshold', two person exhibition, Classical Music Hall of Fame, Cincinnati
- 2000 'Working Within the Frame', two person exhibition,
Mind & Matter Gallery, Covington
EDUCATIONAL RECOGNITIONS . . .
2015 Recipient of the Ohio Art Education Association 'High School Teacher of the Year Award'
2005 Recipient of the Ohio Art Education Association 'Middle School Teacher of the Year Award'
1998 Recipient of the Shilderink Family Chair Award for Distinguished Teaching
2002, 2001,1996 Recipient of Ohio Arts Council Fellowships
2005 Recipient of a National Gallery of Art Fellowship
1985 Achieved the Rank of Master Teacher
Jan Wiesner
EDUCATION . . .
1979 B.F.A.
University of Cincinnati