mary jean canziani

BIO

Mary Jean Canziani holds a BFA from Marymount College in Tarrytown, NY with a concentration in Printmaking, but her education in the arts has been continuous through her career pursuits. Her first professional experience was in visual merchandising, creating interior and window displays for major department stores. Working in this field cultivated a keen design sense and an ability to work in 3-dimensional design on a large scale. Canziani’s next career step was owning a decorative painting business, executing a myriad of faux finishing techniques, murals and specialty plaster applications for residential and commercial clients. Completing these projects increased her repertoire of capabilities, resulting in a veritable storehouse of creative experience to call upon.

She returned to her personal art practice in 2010 and began exploring ways to express her ideas.  Decorative painting had provided an opportunity to work on non-traditional surfaces- murals and faux finishes had made their way onto anything from a brick wall to an air conditioning unit. She experimented with painting her own concepts on wood, plaster, metal and velvet, etc., which led to her current series of using books as a canvas.  Canziani has participated in numerous exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad, having had three solo shows in Venice, Italy. Her pieces are in collections in the U.S. and Europe. Most recently she has been sharing her experience and skills to teach adult studio art classes. Fittingly, her art education continues as she finds there is much to learn from her students.

REVIEWS:

https://jcitytimes.com/static-motion-at-gallery-14c/

https://hyperallergic.com/450336/oh-what-a-world-what-a-world-containment-visual- arts-center-of-new-jersey/


https://hyperallergic.com/477663/the-pursuit-of-art-2018/

http://artspiel.org/nj-visual-arts-center-global-angst/

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2023

STATIC MOTION / Gallery 14C Jersey City, NJ (group)

I WOULD PREFER NOT TO / Gallery14C Jersey City, NJ (group)

Art Fair 14C Jersey City, NJ

2022

Art Fair 14C / Jersey City, NJ (juried exhibitor)

SMALL SACRIFICES / Visual Arts Center of NJ- Summit, NJ (solo)

SMALL SACRIFICES / Scuola Grande de San Teodoro/Venice, Italy (solo)


2019

RE-COVERED BOOKS / Scuola Grande de San Teodoro/Venice, Italy (solo)

LET’S BELIEVE! / Visual Arts Center of NJ-Summit, NJ (solo)
2018 OH, WHAT A WORLD! / Visual Arts Center of NJ-Summit, NJ (group)

2017

Open Orange Annual / Valley Arts Gallery- Orange, NJ (group)
PORTRAITS (MOTHER & CHILD) / The Rectangle Gallery- Orange, NJ (group)

2016

MARY JEAN’S LIBRARY / Scuola Grande de San Teodoro/ Venice, Italy (solo) Contemporary Artists Forum Exhibit XII / 1978 Gallery- Maplewood, NJ (group)

Visual Arts Center of NJ Members Show / Summit, NJ- Awarded Martha Barnes Prize (group)

Studio Montclair Members Show / Montclair, NJ (group)

2015

Passage Gallery@MONDO / Summit, NJ (solo)

International Juried Show- Center for Contemporary Art- Bedminster, NJ (group)

PORTRAITS Exhibit / Monmouth Museum- Lincroft, NJ (group)


BODIES & SOUL / Studio Montclair- Montclair,

NJ
Open Orange Annual- Orange, NJ- Awarded Best in Show (group)

ENDANGERED / Hamilton Street Gallery- Bound Brook, NJ (group)

ARE BOOKS AN ENDANGERED SPECIES? / Summit Public Library Summit, NJ (solo)

2014

Contemporary Artists Forum XI Exhibit- 1978 Gallery- Maplewood, NJ (group)

TUNNEL / Contemporary Art Fair- Tunnel Building- NYC Red Eye Cafe / Montclair, NJ (solo)

2013

SOMETHING WICKED / Gallery U- Westfield, NJ (group)

SHOW OF HEADS / Limner Gallery, Hudson, NY (group)

NOTA BENE / Artspace@MONDO- Summit, NJ (solo)

2012

CONTRAST SHOW / 320 Studios- W38th St., NYC (group)

C.A.F. Exhibit X / 1978 Gallery- Maplewood, NJ (group) Red Eye Cafe / Montclair, NJ (solo)

2011

HAPPY FEET AND THE ANGRY INCH / One Gallery- Newark, NJ (group)

ILLUSTRIOUS / One Gallery/ Newark, NJ (group)
PERSPECTIVES / Art Alliance- Redbank, NJ (group)
Art Bazaar/ Lyons Weir Gallery- W20th St, NYC (group)

CONTRAST SHOW / 320 Studios- W38th St., NYC (group)

CONTRAST SHOW / 320 Studios- W38th St., NYC (group)

Art Bazaar/ Lyons Weir Gallery- W20th St., NYC (group)

2010

Orchard Windows Gallery / Orchard St., NYC (group)
CREEP SHOW / Framing Mill Gallery- Maplewood, NJ (group)

Affordable Art Fair / Lyons Weir Gallery- W20th St, NYC (group)

C.A.F. Exhibit IX / 1978 Gallery- Maplewood, NJ (group)
Art Bazaar / Lyons Weir Gallery- W20th St., NYC (group)