Who Is Marcy Morris?
Artist, Poet, Educator
Marcy Morris is a multi-expressive fine artist and art educator.
Morris combines fine art, poetry and interpretive dance as forms of creative expression. She is a lover of connecting with community and collaborating with creative minds of all ages and experiences . Her style of teaching art is one of mindfulness, encouragement, inspiration and healing .
Marcy believes that creativity is within everyone's
ability. As an "art coach" Marcy guides students to tap into their "art flow', expand artistic skills and build confidence by exploring a variety of mediums and approaches to drawing & painting. Morris emphasizes diversity of cultures and the range of learning abilities within art education and lesson planning to instill an inclusive mindset. Marcy believes the greatest assets of art education is learning from one another and creating together
by thinking outside the box.
My Inspirations - Artist's Statement
The visual & performing arts are my passion inspiring me to share my expressions with the world. From portraits to figurative and abstract works, the energy of movement is what I must express.
Capturing human emotion is magnetic to me. Portrait drawing is the opportunity to learn about the life stories of people, to honor and celebrate. Sketching portraits of musicians, dancers and poets as they perform is one of my favorite ways to respond & interact as an artist. I am fascinated by children in the midst of discovery where the conversation with colors lines, shapes and textures and emotions evolve and create magic on paper and canvas .
I am literally moved by art as I often spontaneously dance when I see a sculpture, painting or installation that touches my soul. The improvisation of dance is riveting to me. When I create drawings and paintings of dancers I focus on the gestures of human interaction and movement through line, shapes and colors. The space in between is not a mere background but the breath of humanity, a playground exploring dynamic possibilities.
Poetry is the written and spokenword extension of my artworks reflecting my thoughts and emotions responding to what is happening internally and externally in the world. Poetry opens me to dive deeper and challenge my mind, heart and soul. it is the tactile essential of writing in a journal, on the back of reciept. the piecing of words pressed onto a tablet or smartphone together like a collage. Sometimes my poetry show up on my clothes to make a bold statement.
Born and Raised
Education & Teaching
Born in Miami, December 2, 1966.
I was born December 2nd, 1966, Marcy Lois Stein. My parents encouraged my creativity at an early age through art and dance lessons, and attended public school in Wayne NJ. I grew up in a predominantly white community with my two younger brothers as we raised in the Jewish faith.
At an early age, my parents hired housekeepers from Kingston Jamaican who helped raise us and an African American woman who guided us, taught us so many valuable lessons and prayed for us through our youth and teens,. Their morals, life stories and love for us taught me the value of cultural diversity and treating People of Color with respect.
I met my birth mother and birth father who are both professional artists, jeweler and illustrator. I learned that my ethnicity includes Finnish, & Colombian roots. My connecting with them taught me to appreciate the sacrifice under the circumstances of giving me up for adoption and the blessing of my adoptive parents raising me. Both by nature & nurture, the DNA of my ancestry and the cultures that influence me reflect many aspects of my personality and creative expression.
My inspiration for teaching began at Syracuse University, where I received a BFA in Painting, 1988. I received my art teacher certification from Moore College of Art, 1997.
Children became a focal point for my artwork and connectings as I came to know families off campus at Syracuse University and began teaching art lessons and creating paintings based on their lives. Upon graduation, I moved to Philadelphia and taught art lessons in Chester.PA Public Schools as a teaching artist.. At this time I also met artist & professor, Lily Yeh, founder of The Village of Arts & Humanities, in North Philadelphia. Here is where I taught art lessons and connected with teens and youth respect and an open heart. The Village offered art, dance, drumming, theater, mural making, poetry and gardening which opened me to interdisciplinary arts. At the time, I created portraits of children in various media, I wrote journals about my students and their families, many who were on welfare and in foster-care. Many children from that time in my life are like family to me to this day. My teaching experiences include art centers n Mount Laurel NJ, Camden NJ Medford NJ , Chester PA, Wallingord PA, and Chula Vista, CA.
