Mari Santana is a ceramic artist based in Jacksonville, Florida. Born in Carbondale, Illinois and raised in Venezuela, she grew up surrounded by music and the creative influence of her crafty grandmothers. After moving to Miami as a teenager, she discovered her love for working with her hands and began exploring art as a way to connect with identity, memory, and emotion.
She earned her B.F.A. in Studio Art with a concentration in Ceramic Sculpture from Florida International University in 2012. Since graduating, she has worked as a studio technician at several pottery studios across Florida and later joined the framing and production team at a prominent gallery in St. Augustine.
Today, she creates out of her home studio. Her work blends classical figurative traditions with experimental surface treatments and sound, inviting viewers into multisensory experiences that speak to healing, transformation, and presence.
MARI SANTANA, BFA
EDUCATION
2012BFA, Fine Arts (concentration: Ceramic Sculpture). Florida International University. Miami, Fl. Minors in Art History and Italian Language.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
2024 Drawing and Sculpture Program. Barcelona Academy of Art. Barcelona, Spain.
2020Skeletal and Muscular Anatomy for Artists. New York Academy of Art. Online
WORKSHOPS
2023 Cristina Cordova: The Figure in Clay Masterclass. Cordova Studios.
Bakersville, NC.
2019 Ariel Bowman: Animal Magnetism. City of Orlando Pottery Studio. Orlando, Fl.
2018Liz Zlot Summerfield: Soft Slab Construction. City of Orlando Pottery Studio. Orlando, Fl.
2017Chandra DeBuse: Sketch and Stretch. City of Orlando Pottery Studio. Orlando, Fl.
2016Phillippe Faraut: 3-Day Portrait. Ringling College. Sarasota, Fl.
2015Fong Choo: Demystifying Form. City of Orlando Pottery Studio. Orlando, Fl.
Andreas Goff: Extruded Raku Figures. City of Orlando Pottery Studio. Orlando, Fl.
Steven Hill: Throwing and Glazing Methods. City of Orlando Pottery Studio. Orlando, Fl.
2011Sean Erwin: Clay as a Means to an End. LOWES art museum/ Miami Ceramics League. Miami, Fl
ARTIST RESIDENCIES
2019 Jane’s Art Center. New Smyrna Beach, Fl.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2020 – Present. Phillip Anthony Fine Art. Fine Art Framer/ Production Assistant. St. Augustine, Fl.
2019 – 2020. Jane’s Art Center. Ceramics Instructor. New Smyrna Beach, Fl.
2014- 2019. City of Orlando Pottery Studio. Instructor/ Studio Tech. Orlando, Fl.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS AND AWARDS
2025UniCat Grand Opening. The UniCat. Jacksonville, Fl.
2025Making Waves II. Jane’s Art Center. New Smyrna Beach, Fl.
(2nd Place 3D category)
2023Form and Fire. Indian River Clay. Vero Beach, Fl.
2021Clay: A Southern Census. Clay Center NOLA. New Orleans, LA.
2020Workhouse Center Clay International 2020. Workhouse Arts Center. Lorton, VA
RED. Jane’s Art Center. New Smyrna Beach, Fl.
2019Tongue in Cheek. Albin Polasek Museum. Orlando, Fl.
Florida Sculptors Guild Exhibition. Art League of Daytona. Daytona Beach, Fl.
(3rd Place Award)
First Thursdays: The Power of She. Orlando Museum of Art. Orlando, Fl.
Florida Sculptors Guild Artist Exhibition at FAVO. Faith Arts Village. Orlando, Fl.
2018Sculpted, Thrown, and Fired. Orange County Regional History Center. Orlando, Fl.
2017City Artworks. City Hall Gallery. Orlando, Fl.
(1st place in professional category)
2015City Artworks. City Hall Gallery. Orlando, Fl.
(3rd place in professional category)
2014First Thursdays. Orlando Museum of Art. Orlando, Fl.
2012 Doxa. BFA Exhibition. Frost Museum. Miami, Fl.
Student Exibition. FIU Modesto Maidique Campus Graham Center. Miami, FL
2011 MBUS Student Exhibition. MBUS Gallery. Miami, Fl.
PUBLICATIONS
2025Life & Work with Mari of Mandarin. Voyage Jacksonville. Online Publication
