The New York Folklore Society in Schenectady has announced a retrospective exhibit of Ithaca artist Mary Michael “Folk Art Mary” Shelley, set to open on Friday, October 4th. Works in the show will span 30 years and chart the development of the artist’s work.
An opening reception featuring an artist meet and greet, carving demonstration and light refreshments is set for 3 to 5:30 pm.
Shelley lives in Ithaca, in the heart of the Finger Lakes region. She has been making her carved picture stories for 45 years and has produced more than 2,000 works, many of them featuring New York upstate themes.
Shelley’s work is in the American Folk Art Museum, the American Museum in Britain, the High Museum, The Smithsonian Institution (White House Easter Egg Collection), and The National Museum of Women and the Arts, The Fenimore Art Museum (Cooperstown, NY) and Women’s Rights National Historical Park (Seneca Falls, NY), and on summer weekends at the Ithaca Farmer’s Market.
The exhibit will be at New York Folklore through early January, 2020. New York Folklore is open 10 am to 4 pm, Tuesday through Saturday, and 10 am to 2 pm, Sundays.
The New York Folklore is located at 129 Jay Street in downtown Schenectady. More information is available on their website, or by email, info@nyfolklore.org, or by calling (518) 346-7008.
More information on New York State folklore is available here.
Illustration by Mary Michael Shelley provided.
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