Jean Louise Berg Thiessen

Artist Biography

The Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries brought about the production of art focused on craftsmanship using traditional craft media: ceramic, wood, glass, metal, and textiles. Thiessen’s on-edge felt mosaics were traditionally considered to be rugs and crafted by sewing multiple layers of felt strips together through the side and then placed on edge. Thiessen was a seamstress who, along with her sister Mim, made dresses until widespread manufactured clothing became available. Married to Charles Leonard Thiessen, the couple’s only surviving son, Leonard, was an artist and one of the founders of the Museum of Nebraska Art. In 1989, Leonard gifted seven of the eight works known to be in existence by Jean Thiessen to the Museum. The works she created range from those that contain botanical imagery, geometric design, to one that is thought to be a self-portrait.