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Marie Durand...
Marie Durand was born in Grenoble, France
December 4, 1871. Her father
was a glove manufacturer specializing in tanning and dyeing of
fur. In
1877 he immigrated to America and settled in New York city in
the
Bronx. In those days, this was a rural area-conditions were unsanitary,
the land was marshy and malaria was rampant. Assumedly, due to
those
conditions, her father became ill and lost his voice.
An advertisement on the new city of Vineland
by Charles K. Landis in a
Sunday newspaper was seen by the family who felt that the area
would be
much more healthy. Any city called "Vineland" promised
to be free of
diseases such as the malaria that threatened them in the Bronx.
On a
beautiful January day they traveled on the Central railroad and
came to
visit Vineland. It was love at first sight, and they soon moved
to this
area.
Marie attended the Vineland Public Schools
and then studied art. This
was followed by a summer of travel in England and France.
In 1898 she married Victor Durand, an industrious
young glass
manufacturer. Victor had established a glass factory in Vineland
in
1897. Eventually he established an artistic division which was
to
produce world famous artistic glass.
Marie had two daughters, Adele who died
at the age of eleven, and
Lorraine, who became the wife of Dr. Charles Cunningham.
At the start of the marriage, Marie helped
her husband in his glass
business. Later, she became interested in education and the school
system and helped found the first parent teacher's association
at the
Park and East school. She also worked on committees that raised
money
to build the new Vineland Hospital which was later named Newcomb
Hospital.
Because of her generosity and time spent
on worthwhile civic projects, a
school was named in her honor-the Marie Durand School.
Marie died at the age of 97 and is buried
in Siloam cemetery. Her life
attested to the fact that she was a proud American citizen who
was alert
to her surroundings and who had led a courageous and useful life.
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Janice Olivio...
Janice was born Janice Fioresi. She is
proud of her family name and
proud of the fact that she is "400%" Italian (all four
of her
grandparents came from the same area of Italy near Bologna).
She is so
proud of her family name that she always includes an "F"
when she signs
her artwork to represent her maiden name of "Fioresi."
Janice is an artist who is not afraid to
tackle a variety of artistic
challenges. She attributes her creative talents to "a good
mother and
father" who always fostered creativity by their own example
"through the
use of their hands."
Her father Frank started in the tile business
in 1924, setting up on
Wheat Road with his brothers. Specializing in tile, marble, and
terrazzo, the family business tradition continues through her
brothers.
She married her high school sweetheart,
Robert Olivio, who now serves as
Vineland's City Council President. Together they own and operate
a
seasonal business, Bayview Marina, in Villas, N.J.
They have three daughters, Monica-a media
buyer in New York City;
Amanda-an art student at the University of the Arts; and Andrea-a
student at the Vineland High School.
As a family, they enjoy fishing, which
is an obsession with Jan. Anyone
who knows her well thinks of her when it concerns fishing. Quite
often,
she will include some reference to fish in her artwork.
Jan was educated in the Vineland Public
Schools, the Philadelphia
College of Art, Glassboro State College (now Rowan College) and
Salem
Community College. Her weekly volunteer work at Millville's Wheaton
Village allows her to develop her most recent art medium GLASS!
Mostly
a self taught glass artist, she greatly admires the work of local
"greats" such as Anthony DePalma, Joe Luisi, Paul Stankard,
and Gerald
Lynch, and tries to follow in their footsteps.
A veteran Vineland Public School teacher,
Jan continues as a volunteer
in many activities and is current President of the Society of
New Jersey
Artists, Recording Secretary of the Art Educators of New Jersey
South, a
member of Zonta, and a dedicated member of the Friends of Historic
Vineland (a group dedicated to promoting the fascinating history
of
Vineland). As a member of this group, she impersonates Marie
Durand,
the wife of a famous glass blower of Vineland, Victor Durand.
By
coincidence (or is it???) she also teaches at the Marie Durand
School,
the school named after Marie, and often impersonates her when
teaching
at "her" school.
Jan loves to teach the creative thinking process of art history,
exploration of technique and materials, and the creation of original
works of art. She feel most at home when working with three dimensional
art mediums such as ceramics, stone, and glass.
Her dream for the future is to help benefit
her town of Vineland with a
wonderful Cultural Arts Center where anyone can go to appreciate
and
learn the arts.
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