Shelter, 2026
Mary Jane Parker is a New Orleans-born visual artist and educator known for her figurative mixed-media works that weave together printmaking, painting, drawing, encaustic, glass, and bronze sculpture.
Education and Style
Parker earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in painting and drawing from Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge, followed by a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in printmaking and drawing from Illinois State University.
Her artwork typically explores themes of ritual, memory, compulsion, and human connection to nature. Blending structured, complex patterns with flat color blocks, her visual narratives frequently draw on botanical references, historical patterns, and everyday objects.
Key Career Highlights & Grants
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Fellowships & Grants: She is a recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)/Southern Arts Federation Award for Excellence, an NEA Independent Study Fellowship, a Surdna Foundation Arts Teacher’s Fellowship, and multiple Louisiana Division of the Arts Fellowships.
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Teaching & Leadership: Parker served for many years as faculty and Chair of the Visual Arts Department at the prestigious New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA).
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Museum Collections: Her works are held in permanent collections, including the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA), the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the LSU Museum of Art, and the Center for Book Arts in New York.
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Representation: She is represented in New Orleans by the Arthur Roger Gallery and is an artist member of the Baton Rouge Gallery.