EDUCATION

1980 M.A.T., University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
Major in Ceramics
1975 B.F.A., University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
Major in Painting
1970 -1972 University of Hartford, Hartford Art School, CT
1965 -1969 High School of Art and Design, NYC


SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2016 Tulipomania, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA 2015 A Porcelain Menagerie, Clark Gallery, Lincoln, MA
2008 La Mer, Dane Gallery, Nantucket, MA
2007 Italia Nostra, Ferrin Gallery, Lenox, MA
2006 Mara Superior, A Retrospective, New Britain Museum of American Art, CT
2005 J. M. Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI
2003 Souvenirs D'Italia, Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA
2002 Souvenirs D'Italia, Ferrin Gallery, Lenox, MA
1991 New England Artists Series, De Cordova Museum, Lincoln, MA
1991 Ferrin Gallery at Pinch Pottery, Northampton, MA
1983 The Artful Hand, Orleans, MA



AWARDS

2017 Massachusetts Cultural Council, Artists Grant
2016 The Alice in Wonderland project, Guldagergaard, International Ceramic Research Center,Skaelskor, Denmark 2006 Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, Residency, Newcastle, ME
2005 Massachusetts Cultural Council, Artists Grant
1992 Massachusetts Cultural Council, Artists Grant
1991 Massachusetts Artists Fellowship
1990 National Endowment for the Arts, Visual Arts Fellowship
1990 -1988 The Guild, American Crafts Design Award
1986 Finalist, Massachusetts Artists Fellowship
1985 The Smithsonian Washington Craft Show, Washington, DC; Judges Award and Craftsmans' Choice Award
1981 The Philadelphia Craft Show, Philadelphia, PA; Prize for Craftsmanship and Design
1980, 1979 Graduate Teaching Assistantship in Design, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
1977 Hartford Civic and Arts Festival, Hartford, CT; Best in Show, Crafts Division, Judged by Paul Smith



INVITATIONAL EXHIBITIONS

2017
73rd Scripps Ceramic Annual, Scripps College, Claremont, CA The Suitcase Collection, Ferrin Contemporary at Craft Trend Korea 2017, Seoul, Korea Ferrin Contemporary at the New York Ceramics & Glass Fair, New York, NY

2016
Alice in Wonderland, Guldaggergård, Skælskør, Denmark
Asparagus Valley Potters Guild 40th Anniversary Exhibition, Ceramics Program, Office for the Arts at Harvard, Allston, MA
(413): Pioneering Western Massachusetts, Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA
The Faces of Politics: In/Tolerance, Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA
RE—Reanimate, Repair, Mend, and Meld, Ferrin Contemporary, North Adams, MA
RE—Reanimate, Repair, Mend, and Meld, Ferrin Contemporary at the New York Ceramics & Glass Fair, New York, NY

2015
Selected Works from Current Projects, Ferrin Contemporary at Independent Art Projects, North Adams, MA

2014
artKamp: indigo mass, Ferrin Contemporary at Independent Art Projects, North Adams, MA
Consider the Kylix, Peters Valley Gallery, NJ
Tea Collectia, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY
The Bacchanalistas: Passions and Pleasure, New York Ceramics Fair, NY

2012
COVET, Ferrin Gallery, Pittsfield, MA
Figure/Figurine, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
Artists' Portfolio Project, Big Wheel Press, Northampton, MA
2012 -1997
SOFA NY, Represented by Ferrin Gallery
2011
The Pursuit of Porcelain, Ferrin Gallery

WOMENARTISTS@NEWBRITAINMUSEUM, New Britain Museum, CT
Fresh Figurines, Curated by Gail Brown, Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA

2010
The Nude, SOFA CHICAGO, Ferrin Gallery, Chicago, IL
Couples, Ferrin Gallery, Pittsfield, MA
ReObjectification, Ferrin Gallery, Pittsfield, MA

2010 -1998
SOFA Chicago, Represented by Ferrin Gallery

2009
Illusculptors, Ferrin gallery, Pittsfield, MA

2004-1995
The White House Collection of American Crafts; a traveling exhibition including 13 US museums

2004-2000
New York Ceramics Fair, represented by Ferrin Gallery

2003
21st Century Ceramics, Columbus College of Art and Design, OH

2002
International 21st century Art Fair, 67th Street Armory, NYC; Represented by Ferrin Gallery
2001
Color and Fire, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA

2000
Sublime Servers, Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, PA

1999
Erotica in Ceramic Art, Ferrin Gallery, Northampton, MA
Twenty years in Northampton, Ferrin Gallery

1997
Food, Glorious Food, Wustum Museum, Racine WI
Platter Exhibition, Pewabic Pottery, Detroit, MI

1996, 1995
SOFA Miami, Miami, FL, Represented by Ferrin Gallery

1995
Let's Play House, Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, Racine, WI
The Nude in Clay, Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, IL

1995-1989
Chicago International New Art Forms Exhibition, Chicago, IL; Represented by Ferrin Gallery

1993
The Tureen Show, Helen Drutt Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
A Teapot Show, Dorothy Weiss Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2DÐ3D, Ferrin Gallery at Pinch Pottery, Northampton, MA
Then & Now, Ferrin Gallery at Pinch Pottery, Northampton, MA
New Artist Introduction, Hand and Spirit Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
Pets: Artists and an American Obsession, Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, Racine, WI
A Tea Party, National Museum of Ceramic Art, Baltimore, MD
From Shop to Studio, Historic Northampton, Northampton, MA

1993-1991
The Tea Party, American Craft Museum, NYC, NY

1993, 1985
Winter Exhibition, The Works Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

1993-1990
Art That Works: The Decorative Arts of the Eighties Crafted in America, Lloyd Herman curator, American Crafts Museum; a traveling exhibition including 13 U.S. museums

1993-1980
A Tea Party, Ferrin Gallery at Pinch Pottery, Northampton, MA

1992
Animal Crackers, Ferrin Gallery at Pinch Pottery, Northampton
Platter Show, TWIST Gallery, Portland, OR
Garden Paradise, Ferrin Gallery at Pinch Pottery, Northampton
A Tea Party, Society of Arts & Crafts, Boston, MA
Cups, Artworks Gallery, Seattle, WA

1991
The Narrative Vessel, J. M. Kohler Art Center, Sheboygan, WI
Gilding the Lily, Creative Arts Workshop, New Haven, CT

1990
Tea Time, The Works Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Artist's Teapots & Chairs, Wustum Museum of Fine Arts
Massachusetts Fellowship Exhibition, Boston Center for the Arts, Boston, MA
Treasure Boxes, Ferrin Gallery at Pinch Pottery, Northampton, MA
Underwater, Ferrin Gallery at Pinch Pottery, Northampton, MA

1989
Beautiful Soup, Elements Gallery, Greenwich, CT
A Garden Party, Ferrin Gallery at Pinch Pottery, Northampton, MA

1988, 1986
Selections 1986, American Crafts Museum Auction, New York, NY

1988
Massachusetts Artists Fellowship Exhibit, Artists Foundation Gallery, Boston, MA

1986
Guild Award Winners Show, Carlyn Gallery, NYC NY
Pottery About Pottery, Ferrin Gallery at Pinch Pottery

1985
Cups, The Hand and Spirit Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
A Tea Party, The Ferrin Gallery at Pinch Pottery
Clay: Every Day Plus Sunday,J. M. Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI
A Tea Party: Teapots Jewels and Such, Portfolio Gallery, Atlanta, GA

1984
Art for the Table, American Crafts Museum Benefit Auction, World Trade Center, NYC, NY
American Craft Traditions, San Francisco International Airport
Clay Treasures, Ferrin Gallery at Pinch Pottery, Northampton, MA

1983
North East Clay: Newly Scene, State University at New Paltz, NY
Clay Invitational, The Clay Pot, Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY

1982
Folk-Art Influence in Contemporary Crafts, The Craftsmen's Gallery, Scarsdale, NY

1981
Alumni Art Exhibition, University of Connecticut, Storrs

JURIED EXHIBITIONS

2011 Alchemy: From Dust to Form, NCECA Biennial, Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville, FL
1999 Clay National, NCECA Conference, Columbus, OH
1994, 1993 Ceramic National Exhibition, Everson Museum of Arts, Syracuse, NY
Newark Museum, Newark, NJ
1993 The Domestic Object: Articles for Everyday Living, Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, MA
1993 Art Markets, Springfield Library & Museums, Springfield, MA
1992 Containers Revisited, NCECA Exhibition, Tyler School of Art, Elkins Park, PA
1987 American Ceramics Now, Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY, Traveling exhibition including 7 U.S. museums


JURIED CRAFTS SHOWS

1997, 1995, 1992, 1990, 1989, 1986, 1985 The Washington Craft Show, Smithsonian Institution
1995-1992, 1990-1984, 1981 The Philadelphia Craft Show, Philadelphia, PA
1988, 1987 The Armory Show, New York, NY
1987-1984 ACC Craft Fair West Springfield, West Springfield, MA


PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

Smithsonian Institution Archives of American Art, Washington, DC
Los Angeles County Museum, CA
Museum of Arts and Design, NYC
Newark Museum, NJ
Peabody Essex museum, Salem, MA
American Museum of Ceramic Art, Pomona, CA
New Britain Museum of American Art, CT
Smithsonian Museum, Renwick Gallery, Washington, DC
The White House, Washington, DC
The Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI
The Kamm Teapot Foundation, CA
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA


SELECTED PRIVATE COLLECTIONS

Melinda and Dr. Paul Sullivan, West Hartford, CT
Ruth De Young Kohler, Sheboygan, WI
Karen Boyd Johnson, Chicago, IL
Jack Lenore Larson, New York, NY


PUBLICATIONS

2011 WOMENARTISTS@NEWBRITAINMUSEUM by Sherry Buckberrough and Nancy Noble, University Press of new England, Hanover and London
2011 The Birding Life, by Laurence, Carol Sheehan & Kathryn Precourt, Clarkson Potter Publishers, NY
2008 Wedded Bliss, the Marriage of Art and Ceremony, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA
2006 Mara Superior: A Retrospective, Exhibition Catalogue, New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT
2004 500 Figures in Clay, Lark Books
2002 500 Teapots, Lark Books
2003 Great Pots, Contemporary Ceramics from Function to Fantasy, by Ulysses Grant Dietz, The Newark Museum, Guild Publishing
2003 21st Century Ceramics, United States and Canada, by Bill Hunt, The American Ceramics Society
2000 Teapots Transformed, by Leslie Ferrin, Guild Publishing
2000 The Craft and Art of Clay, by Susan Peterson, Overlook press/Viking, 3rd Edition
2000 Color and Fire, Moments in Studio Ceramics 1950-2000, by Jo Laurie, Rizzoli
1995 The White House Collection of American Crafts, by Michael Monroe, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York, NY
1994 Hand and Home, The Homes of American Craftsmen, by Tommy Simpson, Bulfinch Press/Little Brown & Co., Boston, MA
1990 Art That Works, Decorative Arts of the Eighties, Crafted in America, by Lloyd E. Herman, University of Washington Press
1990 Contemporary Crafts for the Home, Kraus Sikes Inc.
1989 The Eccentric Teapot, by Garth Clark, Abbeville Press, NY
1986 Soups and Stews, Time/Life Cook Book Series
1984 American Crafts: A Source Book for the Home, by Katherine Pearson, Stewart, Tabori & Chang


PERIODICALS AND NEWSPAPERS

2016 Patriotic Passions by Suzy Slesin, Galerie Magazine
2010 Ceramic Art & Perception Magazine, June 2010: The Political Imagination of Mara Superior: an Interview with the Artist, by Joanna Hubbs
Politics and Intuition, Hand/Eye Magazine.com by Sarah Buttenweiser
Superior Decor, Preview Magazine, December, by Sarah Buttonweiser
2009 American Craft, April-may, image of Bushwacked
2006 Hartford Courant, Art Into The Fire, by Deborah Hornblow
2005 House and Garden, Nantucket, The Dane Gallery, by Molly Martin
2003 American Craft, Cover Article, Italia Series, by Jo Lauria, August/September
2001 American Craft, Commissions, Literati Clock, February/March
2000 Victoria Magazine, Telling Stories in Porcelain, by Claire Whitcomb, April
1993 Ceramic Monthly, Fiction, Function, Figuration: the 29th Ceramic National, November
1993 New York Times, Currents, 3 September
1991 Bon Appetit Magazine, Nov., Pride of the Yankees, by Randi Danforth,
1990 American Ceramics, Review, by Angela Fina, April
1990 Ceramics Monthly, Philadelphia Craft Show Portfolio, May
1990 Food And Wine, Table Top Artistry, March, by Linda Cheverton-Wick,
1990 Ceramics Monthly, News and Reviews, review of The Hearth at Ferrin Gallery, March
1989 HG Magazine, Philadelphia Craft Show, November
1989 Home, Style File, State of the Arts, May
1989 Metropolis, Art for the Table, April
1988 Metropolitan Home, Style Preview, Toni Sykes Award, November
1988 New York Times, Home Section, A Tea Party, October
1988 Creative Ideas for Living, A Life in Crafts
1988 House Beautiful, The Simpson House, March
1988 Ceramics Monthly, News and Reviews, Alla Porcella, May
1988 American Ceramics, Review by Angela Fina
1986 American Crafts Magazine, Portfolio Section, June
1986 Home, Cover Article, Hand Painted Tiles, April
1985 Ceramics Monthly, September
1985 Town and Country, Arts and Antiques Section, June
1985 Bride Magazine, Hand Painted Tiles, June
1984 American Crafts, Gallery Section, February/March
1984 Ceramics Monthly, February


MEMBERSHIPS

American Crafts Council
Asparagus Valley Potters Guild
East Street Clay Studio


RELATED EXPERIENCE

1999 Connecticut Commission of the Arts, Juror, Individual Artists Grants
1982-Present East Street Clay Studios, Hadley, MA. Co-established group studio for several professional ceramists
1980 Graduate Teaching Assistantship in Design, UMASS, Amherst, MA
1979-1999 Pinch Pottery, Ferrin Gallery, Northampton, MA, contemporary craft gallery, Co-owner