Martin, Mary, Face Jar, 2022, ceramic, 12 x 9 x9 inches, incised with signature and date on underside. "This “Face Jar” is part of an ongoing series of hand carved vessel forms. Each of the series has four faces that face the four cardinal directions. These jars are spiritual vessels filled with optimism, prayers, and reflections of the collective future." Artist Bio: Mary Martin (American, b. 1970) is an African American visual artist and educator from Pittsburgh, PA. After earning bachelor’s degrees in both Architecture and Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design, Martin’s artistic practices expanded to include ceramics, collage, glass, metal mediums. For over twenty-five years, Martin has been an art educator. She currently is a full time educator at Winchester Thurston School. Martin’s art forms consist of both functional and sculptural works that incorporate intricate carvings and linear patterning that adorn the vessel surface. She is a member of Women of Visions, Inc., an arts collective of Black female artists based in Pittsburgh, PA. Martin is also a current resident artist in the Sibyls Shrine Network (Sibyls Shrine is an arts residency for Black mothers who are creatives). She exhibits nationally and collaborates on educational programming for various cultural institutions. Most recently, she’s exhibited at the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Mattress Factory, and East Tennessee State University. The Pittsburgh native has spent the past twenty five years as an arts educator sharing the fruits of her inspiring work with the community that raised her; cultivating the next generation of thoughtful and impassioned creators. At the end of this month, Martin’s work will be exhibited in the Prizm Art Fair at Art Basel Miami Beach. Mentored by international sculptor Selma Burke at its founding, Women of Visions has sustained 40 years in the city of Pittsburgh as the only non-profit collective of African American women visual artists. Women of Visions mounts group and collaborative exhibitions, teaches classes to people of every generation, and networks to build relationships in the arts and lay community both in and outside the city of Pittsburgh. The members of Women of Visions represent a diverse range of lifestyles and artistic experiences; thus rich and varied expressions of personal, social, and political views are presented in each exhibition the group organizes. Over the course of 40 years, Women of Visions has continued to nurture and support professional and emerging women artists of color, and to bring to the general public the full richness and scope of our cultural heritage. Currently, Women of Visions is the oldest women’s organization of its kind in the country. They have experienced the years of both revolution and evolution. Now, with the country’s historic placement of a woman of color in the role of Vice President of the United States, this historic organization seeks ways to push themselves and their art to the next level. As part of their growth strategy, Women of Visions has inducted 16 new members in one year, amplified their mission with ground-breaking exhibitions, and are poised to pass on their legacy of establishing “excellence in the visual arts” to the next generation of African American women. In 2021, Women of Visions was awarded the title of “American Cultural Treasure” by the Ford Foundation and Heinz Foundation. For more information visit womenofvisionspgh.org. Merchandise will be packed and transported by the purchaser at their own risk and expense. A list of recommended shippers is on our website: https://www.conceptgallery.com/auctions/shipping/ .