The Rural We: Leslie Ferrin
Leslie Ferrin is the director of Ferrin Contemporary, located on the MASS MoCA campus in North Adams, and Project Art in Cummington, Mass. Specializing in contemporary ceramic art from 1950 to the present, Ferrin is a noted curator working in support of represented artists, private collections and in partnership with galleries and museums throughout the U.S. and the world. The gallery also presents exhibitions, manages touring exhibits and develops legacy collections for sale and gift on behalf of artists and private collectors. Her current exhibit, “Nature/Nurture,” features 12 contemporary female artists invited to explore the influence of gender and its impact on their practice. Because the gallery is located on the MASS MoCA campus, it is closed for now and will reopen when the museum does.
I was born in Los Angeles, then moved, and grew up in and around New York. After attending Hampshire College, I remained in Northampton and started a business there.
I've been "nurturing" artists since the '80s when I switched hats from being one to running the business and I became a "gallerist." At the time we (I had partners) were Pinch Pottery and the Ferrin Gallery. We've had six locations, the first two in Northampton (Thornes and then Main Street) then two in Lenox, one on Upper North Street in Pittsfield and, in 2014, we opened in North Adams in Building 13 on the MASS MoCA campus.
We've always specialized in ceramics, which was my original chosen material. When I began, pottery and clay sculpture was lumped together and primarily associated with the market defined as studio craft. Now it is an art trend, fully integrated into the fine art scene, on view everywhere and apparently becoming the new "yoga" for a new generation of people who are drawn to the activity.
Our location at MASS MoCA is perfect for us — easily accessible, right off the main parking lot, great visibility and a destination for those interested in our now not-so-unusual specialized material that ranges from teapots and vessels to abstract sculpture.
Artwork by Kadri Parnamets and Mara Superior. Photo credit: John Polak Photography
Our current show features a range of forms with a focus on a diverse group of twelve female artists. It's in honor of Women's History Month, and timed in conjunction with FOREFRONT2020: Women in the Visual Arts Symposia and Exhibition, a collaboration with my fellow gallerists on campus — Cynthia Reeves, The Artist Book Foundation and The Studios at MASS MoCA. This symposium on women in the visual arts has been postponed due to the coronavirus, but it is hardly our first show to focus on women artists. I've been a bean counter since high school when my capstone was on the ERA (nice to see that back in the news). Just ask my family — they are not surprised by anything I've done throughout my long professional career to bring attention to women in the arts.
Along with our own gallery exhibitions, we work with PORCHES (the inn in North Adams) with featured artists that change seasonally, and work in conjunction with museums to co-curate or lend works. I do travel and give lectures, but, of course, everything is on hold right now.
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