Mary Corey March
Portfolio

photo courtesy of Vögele Kultur Zentrum

Mary Corey March

b. Los Angeles, 1977.

After living and traveling all over the US and outside of it, Mary now lives and works in San Francisco with her husband, daughter, cat, and rabbit.

 


Artist's Statement

I walk a tightrope between defined states in all of my work.  My work exists in spaces between "art" and "craft", "high tech" and "low tech", so-called "women's work" and "men's work".  Sometimes the expression of that liminality is in the concept, sometimes the materials.  In the case of my interactive pieces, the participant enters liminal space during their interaction.  They hover between definitions, making choices within a system which express something of their identity and experiences.  The results can be something like data visualizations.


Though I work in many mediums, fiber is increasingly dominant in my work.  Individual fibers become lines for drawing and ways to create connections between objects or ideas, to literally tie things together.  Different fiber techniques express concepts by their nature and history, like the way stitching expresses a technique for holding both fabric and the damaged body together, or how embroidery was used for centuries to record histories both national and personal.  Among the fiber techniques, weaving is the most compelling to me.  It is one of the earliest marks of civilization and at the same time the basis for computing (Jacquard looms were arguably the first computers).  This makes weaving an ideal  medium for exploring the intersection of high tech and craft. 


Process has always been important to me and I usually make it notable in the work if not visible in real time.  The labor of the handmade, the texture and layers, the improvisations and fumbles are all important expressions of humanity to me, especially in the face of the digital world.  Since coming to the Bay Area my work increasingly explores the intersection and exchange between the digital and the human, how binary data and computer interaction mediate and reframe human experience and self image.


The root of my work is exploring both the individual person and humanity through identity, relationships, diversity, and commonality.  How do we define ourselves and each other?  How to we frame our experiences?  How much of our humanity can come through in a data format?  Through our symbolic images?  Our words?  Our definitions?  Our bodies? These are the questions I delve into again and again.

From the Studio

(Artist's Blog)

CV (link to pdf)

Education

2014 MFA in New Genres, San Francisco Art Instititute, San Francisco, CA.
2004 MA in Integrated Arts Education, Plymouth State University, Plymouth, NH.
2003

Diploma in Fine Arts, Tufts/ School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston MA. (4 year studio program)

Semester abroad at AKI in Enschede, the Netherlands.

1999

BA in History of Religions, May 1999 Earlham College, Richmond IN.

Year abroad at Aberdeen University, Scotland.

Exhibitions

2-4/2018
Identity Tapestry, West Gallery, Marjorie Barrick Museum (UNLV), Las Vegas, NV.

10/2017-2/2018 Expressions of Identity- 40th Anniversary Show, San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, San Jose, CA.
10/2017 Sukkah Studio, Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco, CA. Refuge of Leaves, an interactive installation done in response to inhabiting/creating a Sukkah in the museum lobby for a single day of the holiday of Sukkot.
2-3/2017 Between the Lines (Experience Exchange). A mixed media participatory installation at College of the Redwoods, CA as a format for interactive response to "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
11/2016 SFAI Alumni Exhibition, Diego Rivera Gallery, SFAI, San Francisco. Curator Katya Min (Curator at the Yerba Buena Center, SF).
11/2016 PataDada Ha Ha!, Canessa Gallery, SF. Curated by Mark Petrakis of Paraphysical Studios in coordination with the Dada World Fair organized by City Lights.
5-9/2016 Identity: Who am I and why am I the way that I am?, Vögele Kultur Zentrum, Pfäffikon, Switerland.  Curators: Passaport, Zürich Jon Bollmann, Pia Marti, Alter Bahnhof Letten.  Exhibition Design: NAU GmbH.
5/2016
Dada Here and Now, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA. Curated by Hanna Regev Matt McKinley as part of the 2016 San Francisco International Arts Festival.
5-6/2015  Bearing Witness: Surveillance in the Drone Age, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA.
Curated by Hanna Regev Matt McKinley as pat of the 2015 San Francisco International Arts Festival.
1/2015 Living with Endangered Languages in the Information Age, Root Division, San Francisco, CA. Curated by Hanna Regev and Matt McKinley as part of the San Francisco International Arts Festival.
7/2014 I am. And You?, Zspace, San Francisco, CA. Curated by Domitille Bertrand.
5/2014 Principal (SFAI Graduate Thesis Exhibition), The Old Mint, San francisco, CA.
12/2013 Cubic (sound)2, The Lab, San Francisco, CA.
9/15/2013-permanent Identity Tapestry Iteration #8, Southern Vermont University, Bennington, VT.
5-6/2013 Wide Open4 at BWAC, Brooklyn, NY. Juror Carrie Springer, Senior Curatorial Assistant at the Whitney Museum.
4-5/2013 Interwoven Connections- Contemporary Fiber, Diego Rivera Gallery, SFAI, San Francisco, CA
2/21-24/2013 Wisdom 2.0 Conference, San Francisco, CA. Installation of Identity Tapestry.
1/25/2013 Reel Stories Film Festival, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA.  Installation of Identity Tapestry.
11/2012 Art by Telephone, Recalled, Swell Gallery, SFAI, SF. Curators : Sébastien Pluot & Fabien Vallos. Part of a collaborative project taking place at SFAI in San Francisco, the Emily Harvey Foundation in New York, the CNEAI, Chatou (France) and CAPC Boudeux (France)
8-9/2012 TEXT MESSAGE: the alchemy of text-based art, Bleicher Gallery (La Brea location), Los Angeles, CA. Curator Joella March (no relation).
2-3/2012 Momentum (WCA 40th anniversary show, juror Rita Gonzalez Associate Curator at LACMA), Los Angeles Art Association, Los Angeles, CA. (catalog)
2/2012 MFA now, Root Division, San Francisco, CA. (catalog)
12/2011 Snap to Grid, LACDA, Los Angeles, CA (open fundraiser show)
10/2011 You First, Orange County Contemporary Center for the Arts, Santa Ana, CA.
5-6/2011 Play, Textile Arts Center, Brooklyn, NY. Curator Joetta Maue.
6/ 2011 Harmony for Peace Foundation's Peace Fine Art Competition, Chelsea Art Museum, NYC, NY.
3-4/ 2011 "Interwoven: Icons and Ideas" as part of the Transcultural Exchange show, Hamden Gallery, UMass Amherst, MA.
4/2011 Here there and Everywhere, Transcultural Exchange Center, Boston, MA.
3/2011 Wide Open2, (juror, Nathan Trotman, curator at the NYC Guggenheim) BWAC, Brooklyn, NY. *received Best Installation award*
10/ 2009 Treasure Box, Treasure Island Music Festival, San Francisco, CA.
4/ 2009 New Work, Semi-Solo show at the Rathbone Gallery, Sage Colleges, NY. *included a collaborative piece I organized and participated in*
4/2009 Exquisite Corps, International Collaborative Piece shown by Constantin Severin at the Biblioteca Bucovine Suceava, Romania
4/2009 Here, There and Everywhere: Anticipating the Future of Art, The Transcultural Exchange Center's exhibition/conference, Boston, MA.
9/2008 Identity Tapestry, TI Music Festival
4/26/2008 Alchemy an installation of "Identity Tapestry", Cellspace, San Francisco, CA.
10-11/2007 Shaman, Gallery One, San Francisco, CA.
7-8/2007 Works on Paper Gallery One, San Francisco, CA.
12/2/2005 The Postcard Show, The Lab, San Francisco, CA.
9/2003 Huis op de bodem van de zee AKI University, Enschede, theNetherlands.
11/2002 Iconoclasm Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.
2000 Ceramic Sculpture Show, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA.

Awards

7/2011 Sustainable Arts Foundation Award
3/2011 Best Installation, BWAC Wide Open2 show. Awarded by Nat Trotman, curator at the NYC Guggenheim.
2010 Honorable Mention, London International Creative Competition.

Commissions and Collections

Work is in private collections in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Vermont and New York.

2/2018 Identity Tapestry (Iteration #12). Commissioned by the Majorie Barrick Museum for permanent collection.
2/2017 Between the Lines (Experience Exchange). A mixed media participatory installation commissioned for permanent collection by College of the Redwoods, CA as a format for interactive response to "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
10/2014 Living Guestbook- interwoven lives, a mixed media participatory installation commissioned by a private collector.
8/2014 Gateway, a site specific mixed media particapatory installation commissioned by Southern Vermont College, Bennington, VT.
9/2013 Identity Tapestry Iteration #8 commissioned for permanent collection by Southern Vermont College, Bennington, VT.

2/2013

Identity Tapestry Iteration #7 commissioned for Wisdom 2.0 Conference, SF, CA
1/2013 Identity Tapestry Iteration #6 commissioned for Pepperdine University’ “Reel Stories” Film Festival, Malibu, CA.
10/2009 Scales commissioned for Noisepop Productions (Treasure Island Music Festival), SF, CA.
5/2009 Dream Blanket purchased for the collection of Sage Colleges, Troy/Albany, NY.
9/2008 Identity Tapestry Iteration #2 commissioned for Noisepop Productions (Treasure Island Music Festival), SF, CA.

Press

2/1/2018 The Scarlet and Gray Free Press "Identity Tapestry Gives Students Opportunity to Reflect" by Emily Jurbala http://www.unlvfreepress.com/identity-tapestry-unlv-gives-students-opportunity-reflect/
2/1/2018 Las Vegas Weekly "Barrick Museum's Latest Exhibits Explore Identity, Culture and Local Vision" by C. Moon Reed https://lasvegasweekly.com/ae/fine-art/2018/feb/01/barrick-museums-latest-exhibits-explore-identity/
2/1/2018 Las Vegas Review Journal "5Picks for Art in Las Vegas" By Carol Cling https://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/arts-culture/5-picks-for-art-in-las-vegas-14/
3/14/2017 Del Norte Triplicat "Sculpture at College Invites Participation" by Jessica Cejnar http://www.triplicate.com/features/5149471-151/sculpture-at-college-invites-participation
2/22/2017 Radio Interview on "Artwaves", KHSU (an NPR member station).
1/25/2015 Art Practical ("Shotgun Review of "Living with Endangered Languages in the information Age" http://www.artpractical.com/review/living-with-endangered-languages-in-the-information-age/
1/10/2015 Art Business review of "Living with Endangered Languages in the Information Age" http://www.artbusiness.com/1open/011015a.html
5/29/2014 Photo Feature: “Principal” San Francisco Art Institute MFA Show 2014 at The San Francisco Mint by Monique Delaunay, Editor
http://sfartenthusiast.com/2014/05/19316/
5/16/2014 SFGATE "SFAI students show their true colors (and more)" by , http://blog.sfgate.com/sfsnap/2014/05/16/sfai-students-show-their-true-colors-and-more/#23449101=6
5/16/2014 "2014 MFA Exhibition Principal" in Arthowl San Francisco by , http://sf.arthowl.com/?p=613
9/16/2013 "SVC installs 'identify tapestry'" in Vermont Biz http://www.vermontbiz.com/news/september/svc-installs-identify-tapestry
9/16/2013 Bennington Banner, Identity Tapestry Installed at Southern Vermont College (Michelle Karas)
9/15/2013 Southern Vermont College Installs Identity Tapestry: Students, Faculty, Staff and Guests Gather to Create Visual Representation of SVC Community http://www.svc.edu/pr/index.html?release_id=1544
5/11/2012

Op2 Collective, "Spotlight Emerging Artist: Mary March", Posted by Lauren Smith on

http://2opcollective.wordpress.com/2012/05/11/spotlight-emerging-artist-mary-march/

10/1/2008

Against the Grain "Identity Tapestry", Posted by Koop. http://againsthegrainblog.com/?p=93   

4/2009 Romanian Media including Adevarul, News Bucovina (1) , News Bucovina (2), Evenimentul

3/2005

 

 

 

 

 

Interview and cover of Mission Arts Monthly. link to interview(text version), link to pdf version

Artist Talks

2/2017 College of the Redwoods, Eureka, CA. 2/23/2017
9/2013 Southern Vermont College, Eureka, CA. 9/15/2013

Collaborative Projects Organized

2011 Interwoven: Icons and Ideas.  A collaborative art project between five women artists from five different countries and one anthropologist. Done through the juried project "Here there and Everywhere: anticipating the future of art", created by Transcultural Exchange Center, Boston. http://marymarch.com/icon.html
2009 Exquisite Corps. An online art collaboration between twenty-one artists from almost as many countries, two translators and one computer programmer.  Done by invitation of the juried project "Here there and Everywhere: anticipating the future of art", created by Transcultural Exchange Center, Boston. http://www.exquisite-corps.com/

Involvement

2013 Juror for the Sustainable Arts Foundation Award.
2012-2014 Member of the Swell Gallery committee (the graduate student gallery) at SFAI.
2012 Juror for the Harmony for the Peace Foundation youth "Art for Peace" contest.
2010-present Member of the Women's Caucus for Art
2007-present Member of The Drawing Center's Viewing Program , The Drawing Center, New York, NY.
2007-2008 Resident Artist, Gallery One, San Francisco, CA.

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