Artist Bio
Thomas Ferraro is a painter, teaching artist, and a public art multi media artist. With a studio practice in New York City and his hometown of Erie, Pa. His work seeks identity between the personal influences of his inner self with the complexities of contemporary society. For more than a decade, he has immersed himself in public art projects mining content from visual stories and experiences from a variety of community groups that have influenced his world view. As a result of this work, his paintings have taken on broader themes related to the discourse surrounding social issues such as global warming, racial and economic inequalities, gun violence and more. His public art work has also sharpened the focus of his paintings bridging the intersection of public and intimate private spaces exploring the impact of place on ones identity. He combines landscape, the built environment and figurative imagery and is heavily influenced by his love for art history particularly painters whose focus has been on the human condition such as Masaccio, Edvard Munch, Alice Neil , Edward Hopper and Cecily Brown..
Thomas Ferraro
656 W. 9th St., Erie, Pa. 16502
601 40th St., #A10, Brooklyn, NY, 11232
tom_ferraro@msn.com
Solo Exhibitions
Passerby, Kada Gallery, Erie, Pa. 2024
Curiosity, Glass Growers Gallery, Erie, Pa. 2022
Inside/ Out, Crary Art Gallery, Warren, Pa., 2022
Safety Zone, Erie Art Museum, Holstein Gallery, 2020-2021
#Words#Framed, Octagon Gallery, Patterson Library, Westfield, NY 2019
I Read the News Today, Oh Boy!, Galerie, Erie Insurance Group, Erie, Pa., 2018
Far From Home, Glass Growers Gallery, Erie, Pa., 2017
Another World, Galeria, Erie Insurance Corporate Gallery, 2015
Persons of Interest, Urraro Gallery, Erie, Pa., 2014
Head in the Clouds, Kelly Run Gallery, Cambridge Springs, Pa., 2013
In the Box, Erie Art Museum, Ronald E. Holstein Gallery, Erie, Pa, 2011
Galeria, Erie Insurance Group, Erie, Pa. 2010
Human Nature, Urraro Gallery, Erie, Pa. 2006
Bridges Past and Present, Urraro Gallery, Erie, Pa. 2005
Paintings from my World, Glass Growers Gallery, Erie, Pa. 2004
Selected Group Exhibits
Erie Art Museum, 101st Annual Exhibition, Tanya Aguiñiga, juror, Erie, Pa. 2024
NPAA Biennial, Erie Art Museum, Madeline Gent, juror, Erie, Pa. 2023-24
Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, 109th Annual Exhibition, juror, Elizabeth Chodos, online Exhibition, 2023
Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, 108th Annual Exhibition, The Detective Building, Pittsburgh International Airport, 2022
Erie Art Museum, 98th, 97th, 96th, 95th Annual Spring show 2018-2021
Westmorland Museum of American Art, Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, 107th Annual Exhibition, Juana Williams, Curator at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Art, Juror, 2019
Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, 106th Annual Exhibition, Taras W. Matla, Acting Director, University of Maryland Art Gallery, Juror, Pittsburgh, Pa., 2018
Hoyt Art Center, New Castle, Pa, National Juried Exhibition, Reto Thuring, Cleveland Museum of Art, Juror, 2018
Archived Exhibit, Associated Artists of Pittsburgh , David Bowers, Juror, Fein Gallery, Pittsburgh, Pa., juror’s award, 2012
Timeless, Silver Eye Center for Photography, Juror: Amanda Donnan, Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pa., July 2012
101st Annual Exhibition, Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, Society of Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, Pa., Fo Wilson, Juror 2011 100th Annual Exhibition, Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Museum of Art, Al Minor, Donald Miller, jurors, 2010
New Directions’10, Barrett Art Center, 26th Annual National Juried Exhibition, Nat Trotman, juror, Poughkeepsie, NY, 2010
AAP Past/Present, traveling juried exhibit, Seton Hill University, Robert Morris University, Westminister College, 2010
Three Rivers Arts Festival, Liberty Ave Gallery, Pittsburgh, Pa, 2009
Earth and Fire, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Pittsburgh, Pa. 2008
NPAA in Brooklyn, Lucky Gallery, Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY 2007
Influx, Pittsburgh Technical Institute, Pittsburgh, Pa. 2007
Butler Institute of Art/Salem, AAP Group Show, Salem, Ohio 2005
AAP Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts, Hoyt institute of Fine Arts, New Castle, Pa. 2005
Publications AND MEDIA
Erie Art Museum, Spring Quarterly, Feature, NPAA Biennial, March 2024
Pennsylvania Borough News, Looking Glass Art Project, Union City 150 year Commeration Mural, March 2024
Erie Times News, Union City 150 Year Commemoration Mural, August 2, 2022 Erie Times
Sights and Sounds, July, 2, 2022, Erie Times News
Erie Art Museum, Fall Quarterly, Front Cover, 2020
Showcase, Erie Times News, Art +Tech, Christopher Millette, December 2019
Erie Times News, Collective Vision, January 2019
Lake Erie Lifestyle Magazine, 12th Street Story, Abby Badach, December 2016
Erie Times News, To Fully Understand Erie, Start with the Art, Pat Bywater, October 19, 2016
Erie Times News, Sculpture celebrates Erie’s Fruits of Labor, Jack Hanrahan, August 18th, 2016
Erie Times News, Art at Work, Christopher Millette, June 11th, 2016
Erie Times News, Community Art, Sarah Crosby, July 4th, 2015
Blogs: America for the Arts / National Endowment of the Arts
Perspectives, Fall, Winter 2019, 2020, The Westmorland Museum of American Art
Pittsburgh Post Gazzette, Marylynne Pitz, Local Artists Talents Exhibited in AAP Exhibition, September, 17th, 2018
Pittsburgh Tribune, TIMELESS, Kurt Shaw, August 1st, 2012
Pittsburgh Tribune, Associated Artists Centennial Exhibit, Kurt Shaw, August 8, 2010
Pittsburgh Post Gazette, THE LANGUAGE OF ART, Mary Thomas, August 1, 2010
Related Work/ Professional Experience
Purposeful Placeking, 2023, Erie Arts & Culture, Lead consultant for 25 Artist teams for “Views Festival” mural initialive
Artist in Residence, Wilson Middle School, mural project, Erie, Pa. 2023
Creating with Community residency coordinator, Erie Arts and Culture, 2021
Artist in Residence, Strong Vincent Middle School, Erie School Dist, Erie, Pa., 2018, 2019, 2020
Artist in Residence, Erie High School 2018
Artist in Residence, International Institute of Erie 2018
Artist in Residence, Emerson-Gridley School, Erie School District, Erie, Pa., 2017
Artist in Residence, Erie Art Museum, Kids as Curators, 2013, 2015, 2016
Adjunct faculty, Mercyhurst University, North East, 2009-2014
Juror, Associated Artist of Pittsburgh, New member screening, 2013
Teaching Artist , Lifeworks Erie, LIFE 2012,2013, 2015
Artist in Residence, Ridgeway Area High School, 2013
Artist in Residence, Wattsburgh Area Schools, Medal of Honor Foundation, 2012, 2013
Artist in Residence Program, Erie School District, 2010-2011
Artist in Residence, Art in Action, ArtsErie, Penncrest School District 2011
Education
University of Miami, Coral Gables, Fla. BFA 1977
Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY, 1981 (MFA Program)
Art Students League of New York, NYC 1982-83