Jeanette Oleksa

Jeanette Oleksa was born and raised in the first house in the first subdivision of Port Clinton, Ohio. After finishing Port Clinton High School, she attended the University of Toledo, graduating with a BA in Costume and Scenery Design. She went on to get her MFA in Costume Design from Carnegie Mellon University, then moved to New York City. She established a career in theatre, film, and television before opening the largest costume rental house, ODDS Costume Rental, Incorporated, in New York. She owned and operated ODDS for 22 years.

 

After being in the city for 33 years, she headed to Los Angeles to teach costume design at the California Institute of the Arts. Five years later, she retired back to Lake Erie. Jeanette lives in Sandusky and works at her pottery at The Arts Garage.

 

 

Mission Statement:

I lived in New York City for 33 years. Things move at a faster pace there. Thoughts must be razor sharp and cutting edge. This was always reflected in my designing and now in my ceramics. 

 

“I want to stay as close on the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can’t see from the center. … Big, un-dreamed of things – the people on the edge see them first.” -- Kurt Vonnegut