About

​STATEMENT: My studio practice is grounded in experimentation and careful observation. I think about how we curate the lives we’re given, how we build community, and what we value. Having moved frequently as a child, my nomadic beginnings continue to inform my curiosity about the relationship between ‘home’ and identity.

I hold a ​d​eep reverence for the natural world, both wild and cultivated. ​I enjoy nature with equal parts awe and fear. Gardens—especially flowers—are a recurring theme in my work. For example​, a bouquet ​of flowers can communicate​ ​I love you. I’m sorry. I’m with you. I’m proud of you. I miss you. ​They can be superfluous and decorative, but can also bear witness to our most intimate moments​. Drawing on these ​t​emporal forms for inspiration, I puzzle my way through compositions a​nd create space for reflection and hope.

I work in series—sometimes over weeks, more often across years— looking critically, listening, and asking questions. I work while in conversation with friends, colleagues, and family. I work while listening to podcasts, digesting news, ​a​nd reading. These studio habits,​ alongside my teaching practice, are embedded in the work. Abstraction serves as my strategy for understanding the broader systems that shape my life and relationships.

BIO: Stacey Boughrum McCarthy earned her MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and Tufts University and her BA in English and Studio Art from Boston College. She exhibits throughout New England, and her work is included in both private and corporate collections. Currently, she is the Chair of Visual Arts at the Middlesex School in Concord, MA. Previously, she taught at Boston College, the Boston Architectural College, and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and works on collaborative, community-based projects throughout the Boston area. Born in South Carolina, she now splits time between Maine and Massachusetts.

Contact: sbmccarthy@gmail.com