The Murphy Collection

 4-March-2022

   On Thursday-3-March Bogota resident Ms. Mary Ellen Murphy was a part of the Ridgefield Park Arts Association's latest Municipal Building gallery show. This featured the work of five Artist who teach art in the Ridgefield Park Public Schools. Along with Ms. Murphy the other featured artist includes Ms. Peggy Conversano, Mr. Jeff DeSantis, Mr. Mark Galasso, and retired Art Teacher Mr. Dennis Bellar, widely known as "Mr. B." 

  The works are displayed on the second and third floors of the Ridgefield Park Municipal Building, located at 234 Main St. Viewing is open to the Public during regular business hours. The show will run from now until June of this year. Ridgefield Park requires all persons that who have not been fully vaccinated must wear a mask within the building.   

  Ms. Murphy's creations are display on the third floor just off the elevator. Her works includes three oil paintings, and one large blanket.  As she explained the history of how the blanket came into being, it told of her philosophy of how she creates an object.  The centre panel is a blanket made her mother over 70 years ago. After it was passed down to her family and was accidently placed in a washing machine by one of her Children. Seeing that the colours had started to run, and be faded, from the washing the Children were upset that it would have to be throw away. Ms. Murphy stopped them from worrying and knew it could be saved. Over the past two years she created the side panels from yarn that had been too small for other projects or given to her by friends who could not use the yarn themselves. The newer pieces were then combined with the original section to form one large creation while saving a piece of Family history.

  As a Teacher she stressed to her Students that art, and other useful objects, can be created from almost anything. One of her lessons is to make a work without buying a single item. This forced the class into looking for items that would normally be thrown away or have been ignored and thought unusable. This also show the Students on how to use their imagination and skills to work out a problem that may not have an obvious solution. Along with the art of recycling and reusing everyday material.

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