“This is America” Artist Talk – Marielena Ferrer

Curated by Jaime Ransome and presented by the Woodstock School of Art (WSA), this four-part series takes place in the fall and winter of 2025–2026 in the WSA gallery. Each conversation centers on a Hudson Valley–based artist whose practice is deeply rooted in cultural and ancestral histories. Together, their work reflects themes of migration, identity, belonging, and resilience, offering a pluralistic vision of American art as an ever-evolving form.

The series opens with Ransome, whose layered collage work examines the history and future of The Great Migration both from and back to the American South, illuminating African American histories of labor, movement, and spiritual continuity. Destiny Arianna, an Afro-Indigenous artist, creates immersive, site-responsive installations that connect family memory with broader ancestral narratives. Carl Grauer transforms personal history into figurative paintings that turn abstract symbols into icons of queer identity and remembrance, drawing on his own journey toward self-acceptance. Marielena Ferrer’s experimental sculptural practice—highlighted by her thesis work with poison ivy—draws a sharp, poetic comparison between the ways humans affect the earth and how the earth, in turn, shapes us. Together, these artists bring forward distinct voices and visions that, when placed in dialogue, reveal the complexity, diversity, and richness of American art today.

February 21 | 2:00 – 4:00pm