MARA SUPERIOR   A.R.T. Grantee

Ceramicist Mara Superior creates highly detailed and intricate paintings on white porcelain using words and images she calls her “visual diary.” Lately, she has felt compelled to illustrate thoughts and feelings that “rise to the surface” as she observes events in America and on the world stage. Her recent works explore global warming, democracy in peril, and reproductive rights. She sees her political and environmental work as an artistic act of resistance. 

Superior’s fascination with using ceramics to engage in social commentary is part of a tradition she observed in British 18th-century royal commemorative pottery produced at pivotal moments in history: the rise of a new political leader, a war, a ship christening. Designs depicting solemn events were often infused with humor to great effect; she also enjoys pairing humor with serious ideas to amplify her message. Other inspirations include the work of 18th century British printmakers William Hogarth and James Gilray, political and social satirists, as well as Grecian and German Meissen ceramics that use imagery to tell stories. 

While Superior’s work pays homage to the history of pottery, it also subverts it. By using her unique visual vocabulary to communicate deeply held personal beliefs, she can address this moment in history through her lens.

Superior also creates works that celebrate “beauty for beauty’s sake,” that hold a reverence for nature, art history, and the literary world. She looks forward to revisiting these rich sources of inspiration to spark ideas for new pieces and balance the darker subjects with more joy.

ANNIKA TUCKSMITH  Martha Boschen Porter Fund Grantee 

Annika Tucksmith’s figurative oil paintings have a dream-like emotional quality to them, often depicting vast rural landscapes during a sunset or at night, with only a few people there to witness the moment. Nightscapes evoke memories and capture her imagination. She is drawn to create visual narratives that feel like they are “one step out of the familiar—removed from everyday life,” she shares.

Tucksmith has been inspired by her connection to nature since youth. She grew up in rural upstate New York near several wooded areas “to disappear into.” She culls ideas for new pieces from family photo albums, childhood memories, and her own photography. She seeks to recapture sublime experiences she’s had, such as a fleeting encounter with a deer up close, or the emotional sensation evoked by a color combination in the landscape. One of her paintings depicts silhouetted children petting a lone cow in a field under a blue and pink sky—another, teenage girls doing handstands at night, illuminated only by a friend’s flashlight.

Tucksmith was completing her Master of Fine Art degree at Columbia University when she learned of her Boschen award. The grant, she shares, is directly correlated to bolstering her artistic practice—it provided the valuable resource of time and financial security to be able to focus primarily on her art, and helped pay for art supplies.

Tucksmith recently expanded her technical repertoire by learning monotype printmaking at a residency at The Macedonia Institute in Ghent, N.Y. 

She painted directly on a plexiglass plate, covered it with dampened paper, and ran it through a printing press. Because there is only one chance to create the final piece with this method, there is an aspect of experimentation and the unknown. She used the shorter window of time the technique requires to explore one image in a variety of ways to discover the unique qualities of that medium. 

Tucksmith continues to explore new ways to create visual stories that capture the wonder and discovery of special moments. Her upcoming solo show in Boston at the Steven Zevitas Gallery will feature a new series depicting girls skipping stones. Tucksmith’s paintings are also currently available through the Carrie Haddad Gallery in Hudson, N.Y. 
 

KIAYANI DOUGLAS  A.R.T. Grantee  

Kiayani Douglas calls herself a “Black Identity Enthusiast.” She paints portraits of people of color—some well-known historical figures, some lesser-known, and some inspired by present-day family and friends. She explores the connections that black history, race and gender have to the way present-day personal identities are self-created and perceived by others.  

As an artist, Douglas has the power to decide who is seen and whose stories are shared—and just as significantly, how those narratives are shaped. It is an intentional “living, growing archive,” she says, for herself, her children, and her community. 

Douglas’ solo show at The Center for Peace Through Culture in Housatonic, Mass., "Antebellum: Peace as Privilege, Justice as Resistance," is comprised of 30 portraits and is on view through August 2025. It brings together work from two series: “Women of the Antebellum and If All Black Men Were Pacifist.“

Some portraits at first glance appear to be realistic depictions. Upon closer inspection, the subject’s skin is heavily patterned with symbols and recurring motifs, like the black power salute. Some portraits have colorful pattering activating the background in the form of question marks, keys or bullet holes. Douglas creates her own patterns and recontextualizes some from African textiles, historic wallpapers, or protest ephemera. “They offer clues, interruptions, and sometimes even warnings” she says.

Artist Emory Douglas (no relation), Minister of Culture for the Black Panther Party, is one of Douglas’ inspirations. He used inventive techniques and a bold graphic style in the organization’s newspapers in the 60s and 70s to increase awareness of what communities were facing, and to foster activism. “He revolutionized access to art, ” she says. Inspired by this, she created “The People’s Catalog” to accompany her show, which includes portraits, writings, and a call to action to post a portrait from the book in public.

“Feeling the weight of what’s happening in the world,” Douglas says, compels her to create a response through her art, centered in empathy, that embodies the complexity and beauty of personal identity.

Acknowledgements: 
Research for this article included support from Alÿcia Bacon, Berkshire Taconic's Community Engagement Officer for Equity and Inclusion, and Melanie McCarthy of The Center for Peace Through Culture. We appreciate the valuable firsthand insights of artists Mara Superior, Annika Tucksmith and Kiayani Douglas, who were so generous with their time. 

2026 Grant Applications Open September 1! 

• Artists Resource Trust for Individuals
• Artists Resource Trust for Organizations
• Martha Boschen Porter Fund