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Mary L. Proctor (b. 1960) is an American artist, best known for her visionary paintings, collages, and assemblages. She was born in Jefferson County, Florida and raised by her grandparents. In 1994, a house fire took the lives of her grandmother, aunt, and uncle. Deeply depressed by her loss, Proctor found comfort in her Christian faith, and in 1995, Proctor claims she had a vision that told her to get a door and paint. He first pieces were portraits, painted on doors, of her family members who died in the fire. Calling herself "Missionary Mary" to reflect her religious motivation, she uses a myriad of found materials on a canvas of windows or doors and her works often include spiritual messages and angels. Her art is included in permanent collections at the Smithsonian, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Visionary Art Museum, and other esteemed institutions.
"Mary Proctor: I am Just the Messenger" was a two-site project exhibition that presented Proctor's rarely seen "Presidents and First Ladies" series through installations at the Gadsden Arts Center and Museum in Quincy, Florida and the Tallahassee Museum. The exhibition also includes some of Proctor's iconic doors and windows, as well as a variety of her mixed-media work. The project ran from February to December 2022, and included an oral history and video with the artist, student and adult art-making workshops led by Proctor, Art Talks with the curator and guest scholars, and guided group visits.
Summary:
This collection consists of folk artist Mary L. Proctor's oral history interview about her life that took place before the exhibition "Mary Proctor: I am Just the Messenger," a project of the Gadsden Arts Center and Museum in Quincy, Florida. The interview details her upbringing, motivations as an artist, and her description of her rarely seen "Presidents and First Ladies" series. The collection includes the interview audio and transcript text as well as images from the interview.
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Art Florida Exhibitions Florida Folk art Florida Oral history
Electronic records (digital records). aat
Gadsden County (Fla.)
for detailed listing.