Mary McFerran is an artist who lives and works in Westchester NY, with a studio in Peekskill, NY.She received a bachelor’s degree from Empire State College, a Masters in Printmaking at University in Albany, NY, a Masters in Fine Art at Ohio State University and a Masters of Science in Educational Technology at NYU. McFerran is a teaching artist at ArtsWestchester and in the past, through New York Foundation for the Arts. She also teaches as an adjunct professor at Westchester Community College and at local libraries.
As a visual artist Mary has worked in video, painting, drawing, installation and fiber arts. Her work is usually narrative in style and incorporates social themes through history, current events and personal memoir. She states: “Drawing and collage have always been natural choices for me, but while living in London from 2009-2014, I discovered artists working with textiles as their primary medium. I made the connection that stitching and embroidery are essentially a 3D form of line making. Furthermore, sewing enables me to attach foreign elements into my compositions, instead of gluing them. These discoveries were exciting for me and transformed my work.” As part of her interest in art, McFerran curates art shows. She is the exhibition coordinator for the Croton-Free Library. She recently curated and was represented in the “Cloth and Memory” show at the Howland Cultural Center in Beacon, NY. For that show, McFerran integrated family heirlooms with textiles, photographs and family stories.The show portrayed a body of work that included themes of immigration and loss.McFerranenjoys collaborating with other artists. She participated in the group COLAB in lower Manhattan during the 1980’s and is a co-founder of thePeekskill based artist collective, In_Question, whose collaborative artworks address the current social and political climate.
Artist Statement: Mary McFerranTextiles, embroidery and multi media are my favored mediums. Drawing, as mark making and space defining, remains at the core of my work. I feel comfortable working with materials that have been familiar to me since childhood and they offer me an artistic freedom I don’t feel with pure painting and printmaking. I am also interested in the story telling and memories that they conjure up for me.Research aids my practice as it pushes me to reach beyond myself. Two recent art installations began with research and evolved into multi media works. Clarissa Pinkola Estes’ analysis of fairytales and archetype in “Women Who Run with the Wolves,” inspired my installation, ”Wolves, Brides and Fairytales"and my own genealogy research evolved into “The Ancestor Museum.”I have an enduring devotion for Louise Bourgeois for her compelling work with autobiography, drawings, fabric and installations. I love Tracy Emin’s irreverent drawings and feminist work and Agnes Martin for her joy in imperfection.
Mary McFerran
78 Lexington Drive
Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520
914-862-2163
maryk.mcferran@gmail.com
www.marymcferran.com
