Be sure to scroll down the page to
find out more about "Missionary Mary". There are videos and
still photos further down this page, as well as an extensive biography
of Mary.
Pieces for sale by Mary Proctor.
Mary Proctor, a black woman who had been running a
junk oddments store in rural north Florida, (Noah's Ark Flea Market)
turned to making art after the loss of her aunt, uncle and grandmother
in a house fire in January of 1994. After a year of grief and prayer,
Mary decided to go on a fast to search for meaning from God as to the
loss of these dear people. The grandmother lost to the fire had raised
Mary.
On the thirteenth day of her fast she had a revelation
from God. A voice told her to go get a door from one of the buildings on
her property and paint it. Mary is a deeply spiritual person, she still
paints many doors. The use of doors may suggest an underlying spiritual
meaning which even Mary is not fully aware of .
There are many references to doorways in scripture:
Matthew:6:6: But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy
door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Matthew:25:10: And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in
with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
John:10:1,2: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the
door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
John:10:7: Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door
of the sheep.
John 10:9 "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.".
Many of her works convey spiritual truths and life
lessons, warnings against drinking, how to raise children, marriage
vows, etc...
In January of 1996, a scant year later, "Mary L. Proctor : The Door
Paintings," her first one person show, was presented at the Tricia
Collins Grand Salon, a gallery in New York's Soho.
For years Mary collected scrap pieces of costume
jewelry, old watch parts, buttons and swatches of quilting. She really
had no use for them at the time, she simply stored them away. Proctor's imposing works are often encrusted with
these cast off materials, she believes that the Lord was directing her
to collect these items, storing them up for the work he was to have her
do in the future. That kind of reasoning is hard to argue with, seeing
the wide acceptance that has sprung up for her work in such a short
time.
A few of the paintings have no
assemblage elements at all, but all new large paintings use doors as a
support. They are powerful aesthetic images, illustrated religious
exhortations, and escape hatches from suffering and into peace via a
faith in God.
An article about Mary appears in the Winter 1999 issue
of Raw Vision. A piece by Mary appears on the cover. A bright, new
talent has certainly sprung up in this amazing artist and person,
Missionary Mary Proctor.
A few of the honors Missionary Mary has received:
- "1st Art Show" - All Saint Canal Club and
Gallery - Tallahassee, FL 9/95
- Tricia Collins - Grand Salon, "One Woman
Show," Soho District - NYC 2/96
- Raw Vision Magazine - #14 Spring/Printemps, 1996,
pg. 24, "Father Time"
- Modern Maturity Magazine "In Picture: Art
Folk" - A peek into the eclectic and whimsical world of folk
artists who transform their inspirations and visions into objects
'art that are, well, unique. (Text by Abby M. Contrat; portraits
by Anthony Barboza; artwork photographed by Matthew Klein)
May-June 1998, volume 41W #3, pg 2 and 46
- Best of Show - Riverside Avondale Preservations,
Inc. - Jacksonville, FL 9/2/96
- House of Blues - New Orleans, Orlando, Chicago
- "Award of Merit" - Arts on the Park -
Lakeland, FL 9/29/96
- "Award of Excellence" - 11th Annual
Starke Festival of the Arts
- "Third Place" - 26th Anniversary
"On the Green" Art Festival - Ft. Pierce, FL
1/11-12/97
- "Award of Merit" - 27th Gasparilla
Festival of the Arts - Tampa, FL 3/1-2/97
- "Kate Chapman Memorial Award for
Sculpture" - 42nd Annual Broadwalk Art Show - Virginia
Beach, VA 6/12-15/97
- "Award of Merit" - 26th Riverside Art
& Music Festival - Jacksonville, FL 9/6-7/97
- "Second Place" - 13th Art Festival
'97 Thornebrook Village - Gainesville, FL 9/27-28/97
- "Award of Honor" - 35th Halifax Art
Festival - Daytona Beach, FL 10/25-26/97
- "Best of Division, 1" - Citrus County
27th Festival of the Arts - Inverness, FL 11/1-2/97
- "Second Place" - St. Tammany Art
Association Award - The First Covington Three Rivers Art
Festival - Covington, LA 11/8-9/97
- "Best of Show" - 9th Annual Zora
Neale Hurston Festival - Eatonville, FL 1/31/98 & 2/1/98
- "Friends of the Arts Awards" - 28th
Gasparilla Festival of the Arts - Tampa, FL 2/28/98 & 3/1/98
- The 621 Gallery at Railroad Square -
Tallahassee Sculptures - "40 Artists from the
Tallahassee Area" - Tallahassee, FL 4/3 - 26/98
- "Awards of Excellence" Harambee '98 -
14th Arts & Cultural Heritage Festival Tallahassee, FL
4/17-19/98
- National Black Arts Festival - 10th Anniversary
Celebration at Greenbriar Mall - "Art Beyond Borders"
- Atlanta, GA 7/11-14/98
- The Zetter Collection presents for the first
time in the western US "The Outstanding Art and Doors
of Missionary Mary L. Proctor of Tallahassee, FL" -
"One Woman Show" - Hermitage Gallery Southwest
Pavilion - Reno, NV 8/1-31/98
- The Zetter Collection presents "One Woman
Show" - Brenda Antin Antique Shop - Los Angeles, CA
9/10-14/98
- -VIP- "An Invited Guest" - Kentuck
Association of Northport, Inc. - Northport, AL 10/98
- "Award of Merit" - Arts on the Park -
Lakeland, FL 12/98
- "Third Place" - 39th Fine Art &
Selective Craft Show - Cocoa, FL 2/13-14/99
- "First Place" - 31st Opelika Arts
Festival - Opelika, AL 4/17-18/99
- "Awesome" - Gadsden Art Center,
Presents "Missionary Mary L. Proctor" - Quincy, FL
4/30-5/23/99
- Jules Jewel Presents Missionary Mary Proctor
"One Woman Show" - Buckhead - Atlanta, GA 5/15 &
16/99
- The Virginia-Highland Summerfest Art Festival -
Atlanta, GA 6/5 & 6/99
- The Bainbridge-Decatur County Council for the
Arts - Presents in the Firehouse Gallery - Missionary Mary L.
Proctor (A One Woman Show Reflecting Folk art Through Her Eyes)
- Bainbridge, GA 6/7-12/99
- "Divine Inspiration" painting and
sculpture by spiritually motivated artists - Main Street
Gallery - Clayton, GA 6/12-23/99
- Galleries Missionary Mary L. Proctor's works
are shown in numerous galleries, to whom she is very grateful.
- Florida A&M University, "1997 College
of the Year" - Fine Art Exhibition Presents Missionary Mary
L. Proctor "Contemporary American Folk Artist" - FAMU
Fine Art Gallery, Tallahassee, FL 11/21/97 to 12/12/97
- Museums
- Morris Museum - Augusta, GA
- The Zora Neale Hurston National Museum of
Fine Art - "Of the People: An Exhibit of Folk
Art" - 227 E. Kennedy Blvd., Eatonville, FL 32751 -
10/20/97 to 11/26/97
- Museum of African American Art cordially
invites you to "A Reunion of Spirit" Community
Artists' Show In the Spirit of the Barnett-Aden Collection
- 1305 N. Florida Avenue, Tampa, FL 33602 - 11/7/97 to 1/6/98
- Museum of Florida History, R.A. Gray
Building - Black History Month and Women's Month - 500 S.
Bronough Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399 - 2/12/98 to 4/6/98
- American Visionary Art Museum presents
its 4th Exhibition - Eros and Error: Love, Profane and Divine -
Baltimore, MD - 5/15/98 to 5/30/99
- Collectors
- Mary Call Proctor, TLH, FL
- Mary Anne Moore, TLH, FL
- Dr. Lou Hill, TLH, FL
- Joan W. & Howard E. Bowers, TLH, FL
- Suzanne D & Armand B Cognetta, JR M.D., TLH,
FL
- Anne & David O'Bryan, TLH, FL
- Anita R. Favors, City Man., TLH, FL
- Fred Flowers, Atty., TLH, FL
- Paula L. Walborsky, Atty., TLH FL
- Judith W. Hawkins, County Judge, TLH, FL
- Dawn S. & Jerome W. Hoffman, TLH, FL
- Pauline Carroll, Birmingham, AL
- Suzanne & Rocke Doddridge, M.D., St.
Petersburg, FL
- Kenn W. & Lynn G. Melton - Greensboro, NC
- Travis N. Trensit - Chicago, IL
- Charles P. & Eileen Smith, Lakeland, FL
- The Woodruff Family, Coca Cola, ATL, GA
- Tammy Deene, Virginia Beach, VA
- Ann F. & William M. Offenhimer, Richmond,
VA
- Rhea Chiles, Tampa, FL
- Rebecca & Leroy E. Hoffberger, Towson, MD
- Philip D. Mercado, M.D., Los Angeles, CA
- Stars:
- Dinah Manoff - TV star, "Empty
Nest", "Soap"
- Judge Reinhold - movie star, "Beverly
Hills Cop"
- Diane Carroll, singer/actress
- James H & Suzanne Fenwick, aka
"Suzanne Stone" - TV star, "Sanford &
Sons"
- Show Biz Executives:
- Judy Schoen, owner of the Theatrical Agency
- Greg Stewart, TV producer, owner of
graphics company
- Larry Moss, one of Hollywood's best known
acting coaches (Misty Blue)
- Connie Tazel, manager of Helen Hunt &
Craig T. Nelson
- Marty Ozer, chairman of Reno Fox - TV
network
- Jeff Melnick, owner of film & TV
literacy agency
- Lois Zetter, Siegel & Feldstein and the
Zetter Collection

Mary's work is on display at many House
Of Blues venues across the USA
Pieces for sale by Mary Proctor. |