mary ann caffery:
emerging

June 6 - 29, 2023

FIRST WEDNESDAY OPENING: june 7, FROM 6 - 9PM

ARTICULATE ARTIST TALK: SUNDAY, june 11, AT 4PM.

NORMAL GALLERY HOURS: TUE - SUN, 12PM - 6PM

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Mary Ann Caffery has been working in the realms of photography and digital composites for a number of years. Originally trained in the fields of stained glass, and painting, her love of light and color are the guiding forces that drive her interest in her current series of images that focus on aquatic birds local to our area. She travels out, just before sunrise, into the waterways to capture these animals in that liminal space between night and day, when things are just starting to wake up. For her, the work is meditative and almost spiritual. These moments give her time to pause and reflect on the beauty of nature. The metaphor of leaving the dark and stepping into light carries a heavy meaning for the artist, as she reflects on her experience moving from a time of unknowns, and the early years of the pandemic, and into a more positive and hopeful place.

“This series of photographs, Emerging, continues my investigations and studies into an age-old archetypal theme pursued throughout history by artists and scholars....the struggle between good and evil, the light and the dark. I use the bird as symbolic of emerging into the light. When I look up I see birds flying to the heavens, seeking the light. I see birds inhabiting magical landscapes, emerging from the darkness of swamps and forests, flying into the light. I see scenes from a stand of tupelo or cypress trees, capturing my imagination and guiding my thoughts on a wondrous journey through the rugged beauty of south Louisiana's waters.” - Caffery

Originally from Shreveport, Mary Ann Garrett Caffery graduated from Centenary College with a BS in Chemistry, and was awarded an MFA degree in studio arts (specializing in glass) from LSU Baton Rouge. She has studied in Germany, France, and Canada, as well as at the Pilchuck School in Washington. Her work is in the collections of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta; the Wurttembergisches Landesmuseum in Stuttgart, Germany; the Nishida Museum in Kamaiichi City, Japan; as well as private collections throughout the United States and Europe. Caffery has owned and directed Caffery Gallery for over 30 years and was an adjunct instructor at LSU, teaching Color Theory as well as Graphics. She has installed public art projects in New Orleans, Lafayette, and Baton Rouge and has exhibited her work in museums and art galleries.

This exhibition is presented alongside the latest works from Margaret Humphris, Phyllis Lear, and David Scott Smith. All works from these artists are on view, free of charge, during regular gallery hours (12 - 6 p.m., Tue - Sun) from June 6 - 29, 2023.