I was interviewed for the Cedar Rapids Gazette by Diana Nollen. It was a pleasure to answer questions about my exhibition and my last 10 years as an artist.

Mary Zeran: 10 Years, August 29– January 3, 2021
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In 2020, local artist Mary Zeran will have been working as a professional artist for 10 years. Given the CRMA’s rich history of presenting the art of local artists—especially when they’ve achieved a certain milestone or completed a specific new body of work—the idea of displaying a 10-year retrospective of Zeran’s work during the CRMA’s 125th anniversary year seems fitting. One of the very few local artists to have spent her entire painting career working abstractly, Zeran’s work challenges viewers to see her subtle but significant evolution over the course of the past 10 years. Constantly exploring, Zeran has crafted different methods of mark-making to accompany her evolution in palette and scale. The exhibition not only traces the trajectory of her career, it  also includes a site-specific installation created especially for this exhibition.

I had the best time talking to Dennis Green of KCCK about my upcoming show at Gilded Pear Gallery. Press the arrow to watch the video!

​Keeping the Bubble Happy, December 6th, 2019-January 17th, 2020
Opening Reception: December 6th, 2019  5-7pm
Solo exhibit of works by Mary Zeran

Mary Zeran was raised in a family of women artists whose textiles, embroidery, and woodcarvings, existed as their visual language; enigmatic shapes and forms were their words.  Each time she picks up a brush or scissors she immerses herself in the language of her family, which brings her ever closer to their traditions, histories, and stories. Mary Zeran received her B.F.A and M.F.A from University of Iowa. She was born in Iowa City in 1964 and now lives and works in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She is the recipient of several awards and honors and her works are in numerous public and private collections as well as many notable corporate collections. Her collage works have been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in galleries and museums throughout the United States and abroad. Museum collections include The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, and Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids IA. She has been reviewed in The Art Examiner, Seattle Post Intelligencer, Artweek, and Kolaj Magazine.

Keeping the Bubble Happy:
There’s a weight in the slog to keeping afloat at times. I structure my world around a system of patterns and habits to create a psychological ecosystem that allows me to transcend my sadness, fears, insecurities, and doubts.
 
Keeping the bubble happy? What it is for you, is exactly what you need. For me, it’s spending time in nature marveling at the wonder. It’s talking and walking with my husband and dogs. Nothing has the power to shift my mood more than my normal, everyday schedule. It’s the little constants of the day. They are the balm for my soul.
 
The bubble is where you ARE exactly in the moment- your mental location. These works are my conscious effort to place myself in blissful distraction. Balance. I am a participant in the collaboration with the material and my atmosphere is airy within dense and transparent layers, focusing on interactions with the natural world around me.

95/100, 12"x12"x2", acrylic, Dura-Lar on cradled panel, 2018 copyright Mary Zeran, Permanent Collection, Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids, IA.

Celebrate with me. Four of my works on paper have been acquired by Harvard for one of their Dean’s residences. 

My pieces "Green River" and "Watermelon and Magenta" are included in Dubuque Museum of Art's 2019 summer show. There is a audio tour for the show that includes recordings by the artists talking about their work. Curator: Sarah Humphreville, Senior Curatorial Assistant at Whitney Museum of American Art.

Green River, 30"x22", acrylic, Dura-Lar on paper, 2017 copyright Mary Zeran. 

Watermelon and Magenta, 30"x22", acrylic, Dura-Lar on paper, 2017 copyright Mary Zeran. ​

 "The Way to Happiness", 30"x30"x2", acrylic, Dura-Lar on cradled panel, 2019 copyright Mary Zeran is included in Cedar Rapids Museum of Art's 2019 summer show. Curator: Kate Kunau, Associate Curator of Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids, IA.

Thrilled to announce these three pieces have been added to the corporate collection of Reliant Medical Group in Westborough, MA

Grateful and excited that Cedar Rapids Museum of Art has added my painting to their permanent collection.

Three of my pieces have been added to the corporate collection of People's United, Boston, MA.

Loud + Proud
November 30th- January 18th, 2019)
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Artist Reception: November 30th, 5-7pm

Gilded Pear Gallery
Address: 808 THIRD AVE. SE CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA 52403
Phone: 319-366-0205
Email: Suzy@gildedpeargallery.com

​Loud and Proud

I'm someone who moved 8 times before my eighth birthday and another 8 before age 41. I've lived in Iowa, Alexandria; Virginia, Minnesota, Iowa again, Georgia, Iowa again, Sweden, Iowa again, Sweden, Iowa again, Wisconsin, Oregon, Washington State, and Iowa again. In 1971, I lived in a Cuban neighborhood where Spanish was the first language. In 1982, I studied Swedish with immigrants from Eritrea, Kurdistan, Greece, Britain, the US, Turkey, and Iran. I was baptized Catholic, confirmed Congregational...Went to a southern public school where I was the only white kid in my class. I've worked in a hospital kitchen, made machines to put feathers into pillow cases, guarded art, been an office assistant more than once, sold fabric to interior designers, taught college, elementary, and adult students, worked as a department store display person, and am an artist...

Through all of this, I came in contact with people who were very different from me. What I learned is there are a lot of wondrous ways to be human. Each and every one of us is a unique mix of experiences...someone special and rare. If we’re hiding who we are to make others happy, or judging others because we don't understand them, then we’re missing the point.

We need to honor ourselves, let our freak flags fly, go for the gusto, not be stopped by what we are or aren't, and encourage the same in others.

My work is included in an exhibit at Cedar Rapids Museum of Art titled "Beyond the Prairie: Midwestern Art from the Collection."

I was interviewed by Ann Landi of Vasari21 along with several other artists on how we prepare for a studio visit.

"Advise and Select", Ann Landi, Vasari21, July 29, 2018