John Thrasher is an artist and professor of Art, and Co-director of The Pearl Conard Gallery at the Ohio State University’s regional campus in Mansfield Ohio.  After completing undergraduate studies at the University of Kentucky, he worked as a free-lance medical illustrator and an art teacher from 1984 to 1990.  In 1990 he began graduate work at the OSU’s Columbus campus, with a focus on ceramics and drawing. He completed his Master of Fine Art in 1992.

 John joined the department of art as a faculty member in 1995 and teaches drawing, ceramics, two-dimensional, and three-dimensional design. His studio practice encompasses a variety of techniques, materials, and styles. His varied portfolio includes hand-formed ceramic sculpture, life drawing, portraits, illustration, murals, stagecraft, experimental drawing, performance, painting, and calligraphy.  John received The Ohio State University Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1999 and has been the recipient of outstanding teaching awards four other times throughout his career. In 2018, he received the Mansfield Campus Award for Excellence in Service, and in 2023, the Mansfield Campus Award for Excellence in Scholarship. He has exhibited his work in local, regional, national, and international venues for over 35 years. For John, art and teaching are a way of life.