Jan
Kolenda was born and raised in the small town of Mt. Clemens,
Michigan. The middle child of 3, Jan was extremely shy and
introverted. She became very comfortable exploring the woods
surrounding her home. It became an escape for Jan and her
fondest and most powerful memories are summer days discovering
aspects of nature. One early memory from her childhood dates
back to when she was only 5 years old. She constructed a small
“sculpture” created from acorns that she had collected
from one of her excursions. She remembers being totally absorbed
in the process of design and construction.
At
one point in her youth, her father had to position a lock
on the tool shed to prevent Jan from using the tools when
he wasn’t home. Her passion for building and constructing
things from nature was part of her nature! Jan spent most
of her time outdoors collecting pinecones, rocks, feathers,
leaves, seedpods, bark scraps, and other amazing gifts of
the environment.
She
attended Central Michigan University where she majored in
Art Education and minored in Biology. It was there that she
took her first ceramics class. It was “love at first
touch, and the process of shaping this luscious material to
whatever form I desire, and then turning it into stone, never
failed to thrill me.” To this day, the excitement of
opening a kiln is still like Christmas morning for Jan.
After
graduating from college, she married her college sweetheart
and had two children, which she considers her most creative
achievement. As a stay at home mom, she found time to operate
a crafts business and to substitute teach. The family relocated
to South Florida in 1979 and she continued to work from her
home in various businesses from crafts to installing wallpaper.
She taught art classes at night and continued to keep her
love of art alive.
When
her children went to college, she knew it was time to rediscover
her true passion; clay. Being able to express her love for
nature through this very responsive medium is the energy that
drives her. She began to take classes at Broward Community
College and eventually became a ceramics assistant to John
Foster. Jan continued her presence at BCC for two years as
the Gallery Assistant. She constantly participates in numerous
workshops, as Jan is always enthusiastic about learning new
ways to express her art through clay and nature.
She’s
passionately working at the Coral Springs Museum of Art as
one of the 2003 Artists in Residence. She’s working
on The Everglades ~ A Relief Ceramic Tile Mural, which will
be installed on the exterior of the Museum this Fall. In addition
to the Wall, Jan teaches ceramic hand-building classes for
children and adults.
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