Visual

FALL 2021

Mary Jane Pories

As an improviser, I stay in the moment, immerse myself in different experiences, and pay attention to how these moments shape me and the people around me. I realize how I present myself to the world shapes those moments.

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community living in a conservative Midwestern town, I notice I often choose to control the narrative by interacting on a more performative level. Doing so indulges my temptation to hide, to cover up, to blend in.

The “performance” heightens my ability to observe the world around me. I am more objective. I see the micro-aggressions.

I also see the generosity.

When I am relaxed, immersed in the natural world, my work is more emotive. The setting cultivates a sensitivity that allows me to rediscover what I most value, refining and refreshing me for the next moment.

My work is an attempt to express how I feel, how I imagine others feel, in those moments. I strive to express how each interaction serves to bind us more closely to each other or sharpen the chasms between us.

Mary Jane Pories

Mary Jane Pories is an award-winning improvisational artist who uses her skills on stage, on the canvas, in film, and in writing. She published her nonfiction book, Yes, And! Harnessing the Power of Improvisation to Transform Your Life and Work in 2015 and recently completed her first novel. Before founding her company, Fishladder Inc., she taught at the high school and college level and performed as a mainstage cast member of The Second City. Mary Jane’s work reflects her interest in what happens in the moment, that instantaneous reaction when one person, one world, collides with another. She is an active member in the local arts community, and her work is in private collections and has been exhibited in numerous juried shows throughout the region. She lives with her wife in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and you can find her work online at maryjanepories.net and allartworks.net.