Image in header courtesy of Mia Cross
Here at the Cambridge Art Association, we have an incredible staff that works hard to ensure the success of our Art Rental Program, education and professional programs, exhibition opportunities, fundraisers and SO much more. We want to take a moment to celebrate and re-introduce these individuals. Keep reading to learn more!
Mary Edsall, Art Administration Intern | Mary is currently a senior attending Lesley Art + Design in Cambridge, Massachusetts and is a candidate for her BFA in photography. She is from Smithfield, Rhode Island and developed her passion for the arts there. She has been photographing since she was very young, and has always felt like her place in the world was in the arts, as it has been an outlet for her for as long as she can remember. In her free time, Mary enjoys spending time with her family and friends, singing, and being outside in nature.
If you are interested in contacting Mary you can email her at mary@cambridgeart.org
Q & A
Where are you from? Smithfield, Rhode Island, about 15 minutes outside Providence (like many places in Rhode Island since it’s so small)
What inspires you? I most often find inspiration from the people I surround myself with. Whether it be great friends, family or coworkers, I end up sourcing a lot of my energy from the people around me and it often is where I find motivation for my work. Nostalgia, things from the past, staring up at the sky, and long walks outside (especially in autumn weather) are also sources of inspiration for me.
My younger siblings and I (and one of our dogs, Petunia)
Do you make art? Tell us about it! Yes! I’ve been making work in school as I’ve moved forward studying photography at LA+D. In the past I have made photographs talking about my relationship with my family. The past year though I have been working with archival material, specifically found letters written by soldiers from World War II. I have a nostalgic heart, and I am fascinated by antiques, so when I discovered old letters that were written by relatives of mine in the 1940s I knew I wanted to work with them. I find great joy in digging through these archives. I love working with film photography and try to shoot with my 35mm camera whenever I have the chance.
Mary Edsall, “Positions”
Is there another form of making/creating that you love? Favorite hobbies? All sorts! I enjoy embroidery a lot, and have recently been getting more into painting with watercolors. I also like video editing a lot and have been trying to develop my skills in that as well.
Music has also always been a huge passion of mine since I was young. I love singing in my free time as well as with my a cappella group, and going to see musicals at the theater. Back at home I love taking care of my plants and also started a garden over the summer which was a lot of fun to learn about!
What are you most looking forward to learning about at CAA? I am very excited about learning what goes into the logistics of artist coordination and marketing at CAA! Being able to learn about and connect with more artists along the way will be great as well, especially right now since we are all looking for creative ways of learning from each other during these tough times.
What is your favorite thing about going to art school? The community and bond that is created through making art alongside my peers who I have been with since my first day. Like I said, I find a lot of inspiration and motivation from the people around me, so getting to work with and know the people I go to school with has been an amazing experience and has helped me so much in developing my own art.
What is your favorite public art piece in Boston? I’ve always liked to walk through “Graffiti Alley” in Central Square in Cambridge. I think it’s really cool that it is a public and open art space that is always changing.
What’s the coolest art-related happening you’ve seen pop-up in the last year? I visited Yayoi Kusama’s “Love is Calling” exhibition at the ICA back in February and was blown away. It was an awesome and immersing experience.
Me inside of Yayoi Kusama’s Exhibition “Love is Calling”
Do you have any favorite artists? Tierney Gearon, Abelardo Morell, Ansel Adams, Vivian Maier, Wes Anderson and Cheryl Dunye (specifically her film “The Watermelon Woman”) are a few whose work I love to look at and who have inspired my own practice