Mary Farmilant

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A modern art exhibit featuring large, vertical panels of forest images. Each panel displays a different season: lush green plants for spring, sunlit foliage for summer, and bare trees with snow for winter. The floor is light wood, adding warmth to the display.
A serene forest scene with tall, slender trees covered in green leaves. Amid the green foliage, there's a small cluster of vibrant pink leaves standing out. The forest floor is lush and green, with sunlight filtering through the canopy above—it feels like stepping into a painting by Mary Farmilant.
A scenic view of a forest with tall, slender trees illuminated by sunlight filtering through the branches. The ground is covered with fallen leaves, and the sky is visible through the canopy of foliage. It’s a scene that could easily inspire an artist like Mary Farmilant, capturing nature's serene beauty.
A tall pine tree stands prominently in the center of a forested area, surrounded by other tall pines. The ground is covered with fallen leaves and pine needles, reminiscent of a scene captured by Mary Farmilant. The sky above is clear, allowing sunlight to filter through the branches.
A tall, majestic tree with thick branches and lush green foliage stands in a forest, reminiscent of a scene captured by Mary Farmilant. The tree's wide trunk is surrounded by smaller plants and dry leaves on the forest floor. The canopy extends high, blending with other trees against a clear sky.
A forest with tall, leafless trees stands in a serene winter setting, reminiscent of a Mary Farmilant photograph. The ground is covered in a blanket of snow, creating a peaceful and quiet atmosphere. The trees vary in thickness, and some have patches of snow on their trunks. The sky is overcast.
A serene forest scene with numerous tall trees reaching towards the sky. The dense canopy of green leaves filters sunlight, casting a gentle, dappled light over the forest floor covered in ferns and low vegetation. The atmosphere is calm and verdant, reminiscent of Mary Farmilant's tranquil landscapes.
A serene forest scene with tall trees and lush green foliage overhead, reminiscent of a Mary Farmilant painting. The forest floor is covered with grass, ferns, and scattered leaves. Sunlight filters through the dense canopy, creating dappled light and shadows on the ground.
A group of tall trees stands in a snow-covered forest, reminiscent of the serene landscapes often captured by Mary Farmilant. The trees have sparse, dark green foliage at the top, and there are some bare branches lower down. The forest floor is blanketed in snow, with a few dried grasses or twigs poking through.
A tall, slender tree with yellowing leaves stands in a forest under a clear blue sky, like a scene from a Mary Farmilant painting. Its bark is mottled and textured, leaning slightly to one side. Surrounding it are other trees in various stages of shedding their leaves and a forest floor covered with fallen leaves.
A tall pine tree stands in a snowy forest captured by Mary Farmilant. The tree's rough bark is prominently visible, and its branches extend high into the sky. Other trees with a mix of bare and needled branches surround it, with snow covering the ground and a clear, blue sky overhead.
A forest scene in autumn, featuring trees with vibrant red, orange, and yellow leaves. The ground is covered with fallen leaves, and the sunlight filters through the colorful foliage, creating a warm and serene atmosphere reminiscent of a Mary Farmilant painting.
A dense forest scene featuring tall trees with a mix of evergreen and deciduous leaves, reminiscent of a Mary Farmilant photograph. The forest floor is covered with green ferns and scattered fallen leaves. Sunlight filters through the canopy, creating dappled shadows on the ground.

Mary Farmilant

Born: 1954, Cleveland, OH

Biography and Information

Biography
Mary Farmilant (b. 1954) is a lens-based artist who works with photography, video, and sound. Throughout her practice, she explores the ephemeral nature of space and memory. In Come to the woods, for here is rest., Farmilant recreates the atmosphere of being in a forest.  The images in this installation were captured in of the old growth forest of Lac du Flambeau in northern Wisconsin, which are the ancestral homelands of her husband, the Ojibwe people. Research studies indicate that virtual experiences of nature have beneficial effects on the mind and body. Farmilant aims to evoke the sense of wonder and quiet stillness that green spaces offer, even in the midst of city centers.

Mary Farmilant has shown internationally including at the Galería Buenos Aires Sur, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Indianapolis Art Center, Indiana; the Griffin Museum of Photography, Massachusetts; and the Vermont Center for Photography. She has received numerous awards including the Illinois Arts Council Fellowship Award in Photography, the Illinois Arts Council Special Assistance Grant, and the the Community Arts Assistance Program Grant. Farmilant is a founding member of two artist collectives, the Stella Collective and the Standard Usage Project. She lives and works in Chicago, IL.

When I walk among the trees, I am struck by the ineffable quiet and serenity. Each time I travel to Lac du Flambeau, there is a palpable dismantling of the cares and the worries brought with me. These concerns have no place in the woods. The whispers of the trees have its own dialect; the plants native to the area create their own mossy scent. —Mary Farmilant

Education
2011
Masters of Fine Arts, Photography, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL

2001
Bachelors of Art, Photography, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL

Solo Exhibitions
2018
Forest, Galería de Arte Buenos Aires Sur, Bolivar 1268, Ciudad de Buenos Aires

2012
Could you please, Artspace, Raleigh, NC

2011
In Situ, Morris Graves Musuem of Art, Eureka, CA
Footprints, Fitton Center for Creative Arts, Hamilton, OH

2010
Hospital, Earlville Opera House Art Gallery, Earlville, NY
Could you please, John D. MacArthur Library Gallery, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL

2009
Hospital, Junction BIA, Contact Photo Festival, Toronto, Canada

2007
Hospital, Fine Arts Building Gallery, Chicago, IL

2006
Hospital, International Museum of Surgical Science, Chicago, IL

Group Exhibitions
2024
Trees, Richard Levy Gallery, Albuquerque, NM

2019
Go Down Moses, curated by Teju Cole, Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, IL

2018
Pink Noise: Works by the Stella Collective, The Mary-Frances and Bill Veeck Gallery, Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, IL

2014
Nature of a Collective, Stella Collective, Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, Chicago, IL
Off-Center, Chicago Art Department, Chicago, IL

2013
Front & Center, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, IL
Joyce Elaine Grant Photography Exhibition, Texas Women’s University, Denton, TX

2011
Stella Art Cart, a mobile art installation, Filter Photo, Chicago, IL

2010
Touch and Go: Ray Yoshida and his Spheres of Influence, Sullivan Galleries, School of the Art Institute, Chicago, IL
Picturing an Ethical Economy, Trinity Wall Street, New York, NY
REWind, Chicago Women in Photography, Contact Photo Festival, Toronto, Canada
National Photography Fellowship Competition, Juror: Natasha Egan, Center Gallery, Wichita, KS
Art from the Heartland, Juror: Paul Klein, Indianapolis Art Center, Indianapolis, IN

2009
Coalition of Photographic Arts Annual Exhibit, Juror: Paul Ha, Walkers Point Center, Milwaukee, WI
Art Futura, curated by James Rondeau, Chicago, IL
Women in the Arts, Woodlands Academy, Lake Forest, IL
Full Circle, Marwen Alumni Gallery, Chicago, IL

2008
ArtXposium 2.0, West Chicago, IL
The Invisible Age, Rayko Photo Center, San Francisco, CA
The Artist Project, Art Chicago, Chicago, IL
International Exhibition of Fine Art Photography, Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, CO

2007
Version>07 :: The Insurrection Internationale, Chicago, IL
Youth and War, Fine Arts Building Gallery, Chicago, IL
Bridge Art Fair, Exhibitor: Standard Usage Project, Chicago, IL
People, Buildings and Cars: New Chicago Photography, Vermont Center for Photography, Brattleboro, VT

2006
Failure: Contemporary Art about Weakness, Kent Place Gallery, Summit, NJ
Bridge Art Fair, Exhibitor: Standard Usage Project, Miami, FL
FOTO-WORK 2006, curated by Whitney Bradshaw, Orleans Street Gallery, St. Charles, IL
TRANS: Visual Culture, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Griffin Museum Annual Juried Exhibition, Griffin Museum, Winchester, MA
New Trends in Chicago Photography, Version>06::Parallel Cities, Chicago, IL

2005
Click Art, curated by Whitney Bradshaw, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL
Golden Light Awards, Maine Photographic Workshops, Rockport, ME
Chicago: Three Views, curated by Dawoud Bey, City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower / Chicago, IL
A Sense of Place, Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art / Augusta, GA

2004
New Directions ‘04, Barrett Art Center, Poughkeepsie, NY
In Place, North Park University, Chicago, IL
Recollection, Vespine Gallery, Chicago, IL

Collections
Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, CO
Columbia College Chicago, Permanent Collection
Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, IL
Private Collections in Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; New York, NY
YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, Chicago, IL

Awards
2013, 2014, 2017
Part-time Faculty Development Grant, Columbia College Chicago

2012
Professional Development Arts Grant, Illinois Arts Council
Nominee – Visual Arts, 3Arts Awards, Chicago, IL

2010
Individual Arts Support Grant, Illinois Arts Council
Artist Grant, Puffin Foundation, Teaneck, NJ

2009, 2010
Community Arts Assistance Program Artist Grant, City of Chicago, Chicago, IL

2008
Special Assistance Grant, Illinois Arts Council
Finalist – Critical Mass, Photolucida, Portland, OR

2007
Fellowship Award in Photography, Illinois Arts Council
Finalist – Critical Mass, Photolucida, Portland, OR

2005
Getz Graduate Award, Columbia College Chicago
Honorable Mention, A Sense of Place, The Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art, Augusta, GA

2003, 2004, 2005
Albert P. Weisman Scholarship, Columbia College Chicago

2004, 2005
Stuart and Iris Baum Project Completion Grant, Columbia College Chicago

2003, 2004
Graduate Opportunity Award, Columbia College Chicago

2002
Follett Graduate Fellowship, Columbia College Chicago

1985
John Fischetti Scholarship, Columbia College Chicago

Press and Publications
Nature of a Collective, (exhibition catalog), 2014
RayYoshida’s Museum of Extraordinary Values, curated by Karen Patterson, John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI, September 2013
Exhibiting Photography: A Practical Guide to Displaying Your Work, Read, Shirley, Focal Press, November 2012
Touch and Go: Ray Yoshida and his Spheres of Influence, John Corbett, Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2010
LENSCRATCH, Mary Farmilant, 2008
Photography Quarterly #94, Photography Now 2006
MEMENTOS, 6×6 Series Photography Books, published by Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL 2006

Press Release
2024 Trees at Richard Levy Gallery