Sunday May 17, 2026 at 7pm
Artist Talk

Westbeth Community Room
155 Bank St
(enter through courtyard)
New York, NY 10014

Joan Beard’s book about Artist Marita Dingus
Mommy’s House
Photography by Joan Beard
Published by Traver Gallery and Slipstitch Studio Seattle.

“it has been three years in the making. I spent many days with Marita Dingus at her Family Home, thus named Mommy’s House which is her indoor outdoor studio. I documented her sculptures in which she uses upcycled material to tell the incredible stories of Black women on this contintent for over 400 years.This book is a celebration of the eco system of Black, Feminist, Environmental Art!

In 2022 a 4culture grant was awarded to Marita Dingus to create a book with Joan Beard’ for the book Mommy’s House. The book is a photo essay of her studio at her Mommy’s House, her work, the artist and her animals.”
– Joan Beard photographer joanbeard.com

Marita Dingus has received a Visual Art Fellowship from Artist Trust (1994), a John S. Guggenheim Fellowship (1999), and the Morrie and Joan Alhadeff PONCHO Artist of the Year Award (2005).

Dingus has had solo shows at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter and The Stenersen Museum, both in Norway (2002, 2006), the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, WA (2005 – 2006). Her work has been included in Nature/Culture organized by The Society for Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh (2006 – 2008). Her work is in many regional museums and corporate collections.

“I consider myself an African-American Feminist and environmental artist. My approach to producing art is environmentally and politically infused: neither waste humanity nor the gifts of nature. I am primarily a mixed media sculptor who uses discarded materials. My art draws upon relics from the African Diaspora.”