Exhibitions

Join Public Works Art Center as we celebrate the works of Lowcountry Artist, Mary Edna Fraser. On view in the West Gallery from November 16-January 13, 2024.

Artist Statement:
Conveying breathtaking perspectives of space, earth, and deep sea is my life’s work, developed with leading experts in the fields of planetary science, coastal geology, and oceanography. Whether photographing the coast from the open cockpit of my family’s vintage plane or painting plein air in the backwoods of national parks, each adventure is distilled into a moment of visual poetry in my studio. From five-story draped silk sculptures to intimate oils, the expansive interplay of vistas become meditative prayers for the planet. Batik on silk, my signature medium for half a century, communicates
messages of conservation and stewardship. Large-scale oils, my newest endeavor, seek to further protect sacred landscapes. Aerial and satellite photography, maps, and charts inform explorations which reveal the complex patterns of our universe. The artworks have elegant impact by virtue of scale, compelling design, and vibrant color.

Curated by: Cheryl Smithem
Curatorial Statement

Mary Edna Fraser is an environmental artist at the apex of her career. For more than 50 years, her eye has translated the beauty of the natural world into palpable, striking imagery. From silk batiks to monotypes and now oils, her creativity represents abstracted landscapes from both aerial and grounded perspectives. For this show, we have curated a collection with an intensity of color. Mary Edna uses her exceptional skill to signify grave concern about the state of our natural world. With laser-like focus, she expresses the fragile state and hopeful resilience of oceans, lakes, rivers, creeks, mountains, glaciers, forest, even outer space. Mary Edna’s palette knife impasto layers on textures, mimicking the complexity of our environment. Of special note are the large landscapes painted en plein air in Lowcountry cypress swamps and coastal marshes. Mary Edna hopes to awaken you to the evanescent beauty that is threatened by multiple effects of human-produced climate change and degradation: rising tides, intense hurricanes, rain bombs, and watershed pollution. Her works express a fiery vehemence, and spotlight moments witnessed when one slows down and spends time in nature.

Website: www.maryedna.com Instagram: @maryednastudio