A professional artist for over 40 years, Thomas Mann is best known for his "techno-romantic" jewelry which juxtaposes technological references, forms and construction techniques with romantic imagery. Originally from Pennsylvania, the artist exhibited his work at Jazz Fest in 1977 and has called New Orleans home ever since. Over the last few years, he has moved away from his signature techno-romantic design vocabulary toward jewelry designs that are models for large-scale sculpture.

These days, he attends as many as 15 nationally juried craft and art festivals each year, in addition to overseeing a jewelry studio and gallery. He has also expanded his role as veteran american craft artist to include a focus on education by teaching hands-on jewelry making workshops as well as entrepreneurial thinking to artists of all media.