"This is America" Artist Talk - Marielena Ferrer

Final Talk in the "This is America" Series. The series invites artists to reflect on how cultural, ethnic, and ancestral histories shape their practices—whether through technique, materials, themes, or artistic lineage. Informed by Ransome’s curatorial philosophy—community-driven, historically grounded, and centered on BIPOC, feminist, and queer perspectives—This is America transforms WSA’s gallery into a space of storytelling, resistance, and connection. Marielena Ferrer’s experimental sculptural practice—highlighted by her thesis work with poison ivy—draws a sharp, poetic comparison between the ways humans affect the earth and how the earth, in turn, shapes us.