One shaped by light and porcelain, the other by memory and clay.
By Anna Liza Denny
When Jack Hein, M.A., M.F.A., and Jason Thing, M.A., M.F.A. walked across the stage this May, the University of Dallas celebrated
something rare: twin brothers who earned their Master of Arts and Master of Fine Arts
degrees at the University of Dallas, on full scholarships, from the same program,
yet each working in entirely different materials to create distinct artwork.
Even their names tell two different stories.
The boys were born five minutes apart in Myanmar; Jack arrived first. The brothers explained it is customary in Burmese culture to receive different last names. In Burmese, Hein means "great" or "grand," conveying strength, prosperity and peace. Thing means "famous" or "renowned," a name that carries a celebratory weight. Two brothers, two names, two meanings and two entirely different artists.
Jack works primarily in translucent porcelain, a refined and delicate material that responds to light and demands precision. Jason works in stoneware clay, a more tactile and expressive medium that lends itself to texture, weight and raw detail. While all porcelain is ceramic, not all ceramics are porcelain, a distinction that speaks volumes about how differently these two brothers approach their craft.
"Though shaped by shared histories of migration, memory, family and food, Jason and Jack move through those inheritances in profoundly different ways. Together, their works reveal how shared origins can unfold into entirely separate visual languages, each carrying its own emotional weight and way of remembering," said Kelly O'Briant, MFA, art department chair and associate professor of ceramics.
When asked if professors ever mixed them up, the brothers laughed. "Twins do run in the family," Jason said. "Sometimes it is a good thing. People who know Jack already feel like they know me. But professors would mix us up, and when they did not acknowledge me, I would think, "you don't like me, not realizing they just did not know which one I was," he added with a smile.
Jack Hein: light, memory and porcelain
One of Jack's most vivid childhood memories is of walking through the countryside before sunrise, waiting and watching as the light slowly emerged from the mountains. Perhaps it is no surprise, then, that he works in translucent porcelain, using light as his medium.
Inspired by his favorite artist, Do Ho Suh, as well as Burmese architecture and the traditional motifs of his homeland, Jack's work lives at the intersection of tradition and innovation, merging centuries-old craft with contemporary technique. Working in translucent porcelain, his work uses fragility, atmosphere and sensory experience to explore food, scent, communal connection and the layered feeling of belonging to many homes at once. His sculptures reflect on how fleeting sensory experiences can hold memory, even as certain images and connections begin to fade.
His research explores the structural and aesthetic possibilities of clay, incorporating glazing, painting and carving to produce forms that are as conceptually rich as they are visually striking. For Jack, ceramic art is not merely a craft but a mode of inquiry, a way of asking what clay can become when tradition and experimentation are held in tension.
His work has been featured in a student exhibition in Japan, the 3D Tour Online Exhibition and the 150 Years/150 Artists exhibition at Contemporary Gallery in Fort Worth.
Last summer, Jack and Jason co-directed the University of Dallas Summer Art Academy, an experience that deepened Jack's thinking about art education. "How can I inspire young kids?" he said. "Not following rules creates great things," he joked.
Beyond the studio, one of Jack's most treasured memories at the University of Dallas was something simple: having lunch with fellow graduate students and friends.
Jason Thing: clay as memory, migration and identity
Where Jack looks to fragility and sensory memory, Jason looks inward, to migration, political history and the weight of lives uprooted and rebuilt. Born in Burma, Jason spent five years in Malaysia as a young man, navigating an unfamiliar language and culture before relocating to the United States as a teenager. Those years of transition, of being between worlds and between languages, became the foundation of his artistic identity.
One of his most vivid childhood memories is of the tides rising by the shore near his home, the salt in the air, the water climbing high in the early morning. "You get about two hours to just enjoy it," said Thing. "And because of the full moon and the gravity, you can see the fish coming in. It is one of those moments that stays with you."
"I started as a pre-med student," said Thing. "In tenth grade, I first touched clay and realized I was good at it. You can tell a story with clay in a way that goes deeper than words. The touch, the color, the texture. It just makes sense to me."
For Jason, clay is not simply a material. It is a language, one capable of expressing what words cannot. Inspired by his favorite artist, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, his highly rendered sculptures of elephants, symbolic stand-ins for the self, alongside carefully detailed botanicals, intertwine personal memory with political histories, pop culture references, civil conflict and intimate reflections on motherhood, care and inheritance.
Among his most poignant works is a herd of elephants sculpted in different sizes, each one distinct, and at the heart of it, a mother reaching out to her child, a cry across an impossible distance. "The work is powerful precisely because it is personal, rooted in lived experience and rendered with unflinching honesty," O'Briant said.
His other handmade pieces carry their own storytelling power as well. His hand-built bags crafted in leather-like clay, rich in color and texture, are among his favorites. "Sometimes it is harder to tell a story through a small handmade piece than through a large sculpture," he said. "But that is exactly what draws me to it."
When asked about his most treasured moments at the University of Dallas, he said he loved having art receptions and seeing people enjoy his work. "I loved feeling that I accomplished something, and I loved firing the kilns," said Thing.
Following graduation, Jason will pursue an artist residency, a step he sees as essential before teaching at the university level. "Just like a medical residency, you do your research, gain experience and make more connections," said Thing. "It prepares you for what comes next."
"As immigrants, we wanted to make the most of every opportunity given to us," said Thing. "I seek those opportunities out."
Inspiring the next generation of artists: twins as mentors, makers and friends
"Jason and Jack have brought an extraordinary presence to the department through their generosity, technical skill and care for those around them. As mentors, makers and friends, they have continually welcomed others into their joy of learning, materials and making. Their warmth, curiosity and constant encouragement have left a lasting impact on the undergraduate community and on everyone fortunate enough to work alongside them," O'Briant added.
