Bio
Mark Cowardin is a father, a husband, an artist, and an educator. His studio practice
consists of an essential and delicate balance of these four jobs. Mark’s sculptural work
observes the complicated, sometimes troubling, and always compelling intersection between
humans and the natural world. His graceful sculptures juxtapose materials and conflicting
ideas, and as a native U.S. Midwesterner, Cowardin examines the complex relationship to
natural resources that the Midwest sometimes embodies. The implications of Cowardin’s
narratives are sometimes alarming, complex and layered, and often ultimately tinged with
yearning for a connection to the past and a hope for the future.
Mark Cowardin received an MFA in sculpture from the University of Arizona and a BFA
from the University of Kansas. Department Chair and Professor of Art at Johnson County
Community College in Overland Park, Mark currently resides with his family in Lawrence,
Kansas. His work is included in numerous private and public collections including the John
Michael Kohler Art Center, Kohler Corporation, the Nerman Museum of Contemporary
Art, and Rockhurst University.