About Jackie...

Jackie grew up a "western girl" in Williston, ND, in a family with 8 children.  She is married to Eric Uthus, a research scientist, from Minot, ND.  They met at the University of North Dakota and have three grown daughters, Jennifer, Sara, and Amy.

Jackie first graduated from UND with a BS degree in Occupational Therapy.  However, she was never fond of that discipline and stuck with it mainly because her parents didn't feel it was a good match for her!  They were right...she sold real estate, did home day care and never held an Occupational Therapy job.  In 1993 she earned a BA degree from UND in Visual Arts.  It took 20+ years but she finally found what she loves to do!

One of Jackie's interests has been embellishing giant gourds.  These are all hardshelled gourds, grown in the southern states.  They require a long growing season.  Hardshelled gourds are the types used by many different people all over the world for hundreds of years as bowls, containers, birdhouses, baby cradles, scoops, and maracas.  (Gourds grown in ND are a different variety, usually ornamental.  Ornamental gourds usually rot before they dry out, rendering themselves functionally useless.)

Jackie is also interested in fiber arts, such as weaving, felting and knitting.  She has a floor loom and table looms and also weaves on small lap looms and box looms.  Jackie belongs to the local fiber guild.

Jackie's newest love is throwing pottery.  Ceramics continues to be an area she pursues that demands patience and lots of practice!

Jackie has also created stone sculptures.  However, bad joints necessitated a change in art forms, thus painting and weaving.

Jackie Uthus was Artist-in-Residence for 12 years in the public elementary schools in Grand Forks, ND.  She traveled to 12 schools in the district during the school year, teaching a multi-cultural art program in a mobile art classroom.  The classroom was a 14 x 50' trailer that was moved from school to school.  It was purchased with grant money that Jackie secured.  Jackie has 12 years full time teaching experience and began teaching part-time in her home studio in 2005.