Radiant Hall Interview

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Marilyn Narey
@narey_studio117
📍 |R| McKees //

🏠 How did you arrive in Pittsburgh?
I grew up in a small town in Washington County, so Pittsburgh was the “big city” to me (and most residents). I discovered it is not as “big” as I perceived it to be then, yet it still had so much to offer. As an artist friend of mine says, “there is always something to do in the ‘burgh!”

💎 What hidden gem in Pittsburgh should we not miss?
I am particularly drawn to Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company—there is so much heart there (Thank you Mark Clayton Southers)—I wouldn’t classify it as “hidden,” but it is a gem you should not miss.

💿 What song do you have on repeat right now?
Nothing is ever on repeat. One moment it might be Billie Eilish (Lunch; Therefore I Am), the next…

📓 What’s the biggest challenge in your artistic practice right now?
TIME: I have an endless stream of ideas in my head and in notebooks. I am starting this studio practice relatively late in my career…. sometimes I feel like I need to be here 24/7 just to keep up with myself.

🎨 What’s something in your studio you can’t live without?
First, my standing desk (a gift from my son)—it is so much better than bending over my dining room table at home— and second, my ladder because I am constantly shifting work around to start on new pieces.

➡️ What’s next for you? 
Now in my second year as a “full-time studio artist,” I have four goals:

1️⃣ Continue to gain recognition for my work—like getting juried in to the most challenging show to date in the Art of the State 2025 show at the State Museum…

2️⃣ Expand my papermaking skills— Get certified to use the Holland Beater at Contemporary Craft…

3️⃣ Secure an opportunity for a solo show—I know these are not easy to get and most likely few will offer the opportunity for me to curate and design the space—however, I need to start somewhere and so I have been submitting proposals…

4️⃣ Complete my chapbook and submit for publication— Poetry is integral to my practice and my chapbook in progress is one more dimension of my transdisciplinary practice of word and image.

Read the full profile in May’s newsletter.

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