By: Carrie Heath, December 29, 2023
The Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center is pleased to announce an opening reception for a new Main Gallery exhibit for January 2024, Mary Wise’s “Art From My Heart.” Mary is best known for her intricately painted Christmas ornaments, but she also works in glass, clay, fiber, altered books and more. Join us in celebrating a retrospective of a lifetime’s worth of artwork by Mary at the opening reception on Saturday, January 13 th from 2-4PM. Family, friends, and former students are all cordially invited. Light refreshments will be served at the reception, which is free and open to the public. Mary will give an artist’s talk at 3PM. This exhibit will be on display in the Atrium Gallery from January 13 through February 4.
Mary Janeski Wise is originally from Antrim. She graduated from Wellsboro Area High School in 1970, and then received a Bachelors in Home Economics from Mansfield College in 1974. Mary taught Home Economics in the Milton Area School District for 32 years and is very proud of the excellent culinary arts program that she helped build there. Mary has always been interested in art. When she was young, she loved everything from Van Gogh to the photographs in Game News magazine. When she was teaching, Mary always volunteered to chaperone trips to museums with the art teacher.
Mary’s journey as an artist began with a desire to paint on cookies. Unsure of her own skills, she signed up for a tole painting class at the Ben Franklin store in Clarkstown.
This class was so popular, it took her three years to get into it. Mary fell in love with the technique of tole painting. She found it relaxing, and was overjoyed at being able to finish a project quickly. Soon she was doing craft shows in the Milton area, mostly painting on wooden objects. Customer requests for glass ornaments led her to take a class on Victorian style lace painting from the PA Mountain Laurel Decorative Painters group in Hughesville. After she retired from teaching, Mary came back to her hometown.
She was encouraged by Charlie Messina to make an annual Wellsboro-themed Christmas ornament, which she has sold for years at the annual Dickens celebration.
Mary has become very involved in the arts since her retirement. She joined the Wellsboro Art Club about 10 years ago, and has served as both Vice President and
President of that group. She participates in their annual exhibit at the Gmeiner, helps with receptions, and has painted many chairs for the biannual “Chair-ity” auction. Mary created a yearly scholarship in memory of her uncle Paul F. Janeski who was a World War II veteran and an artist who specialized in lettering. It is awarded to the Wellsboro High School art student with the best work ethic. Mary has also volunteered with the Wellsboro Glass Historical Association, and painted one of Hamilton Gibson’s pianos.
She also currently volunteers as a docent at the Gmeiner and is on the Art Takeaway Packet committee for Art’s Friends which makes free kits with supplies and instructions for art projects that are given away to children who visit the Gmeiner each month. Mary frequently leads free classes for children in the Studio at the Gmeiner as well. If you can’t find her here at the Gmeiner, you might see her working on a painting at her other favorite place in town – Dunkin Donuts!
The Gmeiner is open from 12-6PM Tuesdays through Sundays and is located at 134 Main Street in Wellsboro behind the Green Free Library. Admission to the gallery is free. For further information contact Carrie at570-724-1917 or [email protected].