John P. Gardiner is a Maine based woodworker, currently residing in the coastal town of Bath, though he spends most of his time in Portland teaching the next generation of aspiring woodworkers as a member of Maine College of Art’s Woodworking and Furniture Design Department. Although John has called Maine his home for the majority of his life, he was born in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England. He immigrated to the United States in 1986 and has spent time living in the suburbs of Chicago, San Diego and Boston. John holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Fine Art, in Woodworking and Furniture Design and Studio Art, respectively, both from Maine College of Art. John’s work spans a spectrum from fine furniture and studio crafts to larger scale sculptural work and installations. 

Gardiner’s work has been featured at the ICA at Maine College of Art, the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, the UMVA Gallery in Portland, First Street Gallery in New York City, and The Boston Young Contemporaries Exhibition at Boston University.  A prominent furniture piece can be seen and used at DiMillo’s On the Water Restaurant and Lounge in Portland, Maine. John was also featured in a 2012 publication by Brigitte Martin titled Humor in Craft and was a recipient of a Project Grant from the Maine Arts Commission for the 2018/19 award cycle. Most recently John has been invited for residency opportunities at Hewnoaks Artist Colony in Lovell, Maine and the Baie St. Marie Residency in Nova Scotia, Canada, postponed until 2021.