ABOUT LESLIE FERRIN
Leslie Ferrin boasts over 30 years of experience with contemporary ceramic art, sculpture, design and studio pottery. Ferrin is the director of FerrinContemporary and Project Art specializing in contemporary ceramics circa 1950–present by artists whose primary medium is clay. Based in Western Massachusetts, curatorial and consulting operations are located in Cummington, MA at Project Art, an artist residency, library, and art warehouse in a renovated 18th-century mill building owned by sculptor Sergei Isupov and Leslie Ferrin. Author of Teapots Transformed, and the gallery blog, Ferrin is frequently found leading tours, traveling to exhibitions, fairs and behind the scenes in private and public collections – follow along on instagram.
ABOUT FERRIN CONTEMPORARY
Ferrin Contemporary is located at Independent Art Projects on the campus of MASS MoCA (North Adams, MA) and features selected works from curated projects, artists engaged in our international program for visiting artists and professionals. A dynamic range of offsite programs take place in cities throughout the US and abroad. Available works and ongoing projects are viewable online via the website and other digital platforms. Our programs include participation in art, design and antique fairs; partnerships with commercial galleries in major cities; and support for artists at museum venues. Ferrin, along with a team of art professionals, provides services to private collectors and project and career management to artists.
ABOUT PROJECT ART
Project Art is a renovated 8000 square foot mill building on the bank of the Westfield River in Cummington, MA, USA. There are 3 studios for rent, short and long term and occasionally a loft style one bedroom apartment . In addition to the studios, there is a multi use kitchenette, office, library and seasonal gallery.
Open to the public on occasion for programmed events otherwise, by appointment.
Location: 3.5 hours from NYC, 2.5 from Boston. Midway between the Berkshires and Pioneer Valley, 1/2 hour from Northampton, Pittsfield and North Adams. Walking distance to hardware store, lumber yard, post office and general store.
ABOUT FERRIN GALLERY
Originally established in 1979 by director, Leslie Ferrin, the business began as a gallery program, evolving over thirty years at various traditional gallery spaces and through participation in international art fairs. Originally founded by artists in Northampton, a small college town in Western Massachusetts, as a studio, shop and teaching space in a renovated department store, the Ferrin Gallery was officially established in 1987 when the business moved to Main Street. Throughout this period, Ferrin Gallery exhibited ceramics from local and regional artists, presented periodic theme shows and became well known for annual surveys of contemporary teapots. In July 1999, Ferrin Gallery became a virtual gallery based in NY, participating in art fairs and operating an online gallery until 2002, when they opened a small seasonal gallery in Lenox, MA . In 2004, the gallery moved to a larger space and began showing contemporary painting, photography and mixed media sculpture. In June 2007, the gallery opened a 2600 sq ft space in downtown Pittsfield and began a year round program of solo and curated exhibitions with related educational programming that engaged artists, curators and collectors through coordinated projects including DISH+DINE, ArtBerkshires, COVET, Decadence & Decay and Modern Style. In 2012 Ferrin was invited to speak and travel to Australia, Wales and Canada and meet with artists participating in various projects with museums in the USA.
Ferrin Gallery closed the Pittsfield location at the end of 2012 consolidating gallery, curatorial and consulting operations at one physical location in Cummington, MA. Renamed, FerrinContemporary, programs continue based at Project Art, an artist residency, library and art warehouse in a renovated 18th century mill building owned by sculptor Sergei Isupov and Leslie Ferrin.
NATURE OF NURTURING | Notes from Director, Leslie Ferrin
NATURE OF NURTURING | Notes from Director Leslie Ferrin A renewed awareness and galvanizing commitment for change is surging through American cultural and academic institutions, organizations, and businesses of every sort, exposing the crying need for structural change. Specifically, this includes the advancement of equality for artists of all genders, eliminating the sexual harassment, wage
LIFE IN THE TIME OF COVID | BERKSHIRE UPDATE | Stories from the World of MASS MoCA
LIFE IN TIME OF COVID Stories from the World of MASS MoCA Here in our beloved Berkshires ... the museums are closed, performances are canceled and our friends in hospitality don't know when they can safely welcome visitors again. The people who live and work here are furloughed, their jobs in limbo and exhibitions closed.
LIFE IN THE TIME OF COVID | Notes from Director, Leslie Ferrin
LIFE IN THE TIME OF COVID | Leslie Ferrin, director We are thinking of you, our artists, colleagues and friends. Wherever you are, and hopefully safe, we are all experiencing the new reality of living in a profoundly changed world. We've been hearing of so many challenges in day to day life, fear
SOUVENIR OF SELMA | PAUL SCOTT | New American Scenery
SOUVENIR OF SELMA | PAUL SCOTT | New American Scenery | MLK | Notes from director, Leslie Ferrin "Let us march on ballot boxes until the salient misdeeds of bloodthirsty mobs will be transformed into the calculated good deeds of orderly citizens." - Martin Luther King, March 25, 1965, Montgomery, Alabama In honor of Martin
Leslie Ferrin, The Berkshire Eagle, May 17, 2019
Shaping the exhibition I Ferrin Contemporary Director helps shape artists' work, clients' collectionsby Jennifer Smith Huberdeau Berkshire Eagle May 17, 2019 "The theory was to run the business from the artist's perspective; to do for artists what I wanted done for me as an artist and wasn't finding for myself. I think a lot of
NCECA PITTSBURGH
REVIVE, REMIX, RESPONDThe Frick Pittsburgh 7227 Reynolds Street, Pittsburgh Group show of contemporary artists who are breathing new life into the ceramic medium by reinvigorating age-old motifs, processes, and techniques. In 2017, artists were invited to respond to and produce new works that reference the art, objects, and social history of the collections. Chris Antemann, Robin
ARTIST NEWS: SERGEI ISUPOV shows and workshops
FIGURE—GROUND: Illustrated Sculpture Workshops with Sergei Isupov TWO UPCOMING WORKSHOPS April 8–14, 2018 and September 23–29, 2018 both at Project Art, Cummington, MA Join internationally acclaimed sculptor Sergei Isupov for a week-long intensive workshop exploring the sculpted form in clay, the painted surface, and development of a personal narrative.Click for more. ANIMAL KINGDOM group show
New York Ceramics & Glass Fair 2018
Ferrin Contemporary at the NEW YORK CERAMICS & GLASS FAIR 2018Jan 18–21, 2018 Kurt Weiser, "Random House (globe)" 2017, porcelain, glaze, china paint, metal, 30 x 14 x 14". NEW YORK CERAMICS & GLASS FAIR January 18–21, 2018 Bohemian National Hall, New York, NY FERRIN CONTEMPORARY recent masterworks by established international artistsChris Antemann, Robin Best, Stephen Bowers, Bouke
ARTIST NEWS: SERGEI ISUPOV | Fire Sculpture, Workshop, Exhibitions
SERGEI ISUPOV Exhibitions & Workshop SELECTIONS FROM HIDDEN MESSAGES Highlights from Sergei Isupov: Hidden Messages, originally shown at Erie Art Museum, are now on view at Ferrin Contemporary, 1315 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA. The exhibit includes one of Isupov’s larger-than-life figural sculptures with smaller works blown across a full wall of wind and shadows. Hidden Messages is available
Cristina Córdova: Involuntary Dialogs in Ceramics Monthly
For centuries, both painting and sculpture were synonymous with the representation of figures; the earliest images we know are figurative. The foundation of Cristina Córdova’s work lies squarely within this global tradition.
TEAPOTS TRANSFORMED: Exploration of an Object
Teapots are complex objects steeped in history, world culture, and art. For the booming number of collectors, they offer a wonderful study in contrast and variety. For artists, they present irresistible possibilities within the context of design, decoration, and scale. As a result, teapots have become objects through which potters, clay sculptors, metal artists, glass artists, and others demonstrate the height of their creative and technical abilities. From traditional, functional teapots to an eclectic mix of contemporary designs, more than 140 unique pieces are showcased in dramatic, full-color photography with descriptive captions. This book will appeal to both artists and collectors
Published in 2000 by GUILD Publishing This book tells the tale of an art form, from traditional, functional teapots to an eclectic mix of contemporary designs. A delight for tea drinkers around the world, an inspiration for artists, and a visual feast for the growing number of teapot collectors. 128-page, full-color, hardbound book.