Loretta Park is an artist and educator and holds an MFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) and a BA from Bowdoin College. She creates playful mixed media work that questions accessibility and material hierarchy. Her work has been exhibited at Somerville Museum, Somerville, MA (2026); Boston University Art Galleries, 808 Gallery Windows, Boston, MA (2025); NO CALL NO SHOW, x Distillery Gallery, Boston, MA (2025); Room 220, Denver, CO (2024); The MassArt Art Museum, Boston, MA (2023-24); The Trustman Art Gallery, Simmons University, Boston, MA (2023); Brookline Arts Center, Brookline, MA (2023); Brandeis Kniznick Gallery, Waltham, MA (2023); Praise Shadows Art Gallery, Boston, MA (2022); Dimensions Variable, Miami, FL (2021-22); The Umbrella Arts Center, Concord, MA (2021); New System Exhibitions, Portland, ME (2019); Ray Gallery, Brooklyn, NY (2018) and Center for Maine Contemporary Art, Rockland, ME (2017). Reviews of exhibitions including the artist have appeared in Boston Art Review, Artscope, Art New England, The Boston Globe, and Korean Daily. Loretta currently lives and works in Boston.
I paint, cut, weave, and crush objects to create my sculptural work. Knowing that anything can be altered with my hands, I make with materials that are affordable and easily accessible: scrap wood pieces discarded from wood shops, used plastic lunch plates found in secondhand stores, and unwanted studio debris collected from artists in my community.
I intertwine these diverse and distinct items without following rules or logic, disregarding their original functions. Instead, I attempt to create uninhibitedly, like a child, clashing textures and colors, and forming unexpected associations and tensions. Just as a child might turn a broken tree brach into a magic wand, I assign new roles to objects to create my own make-believe world, where functions and values are redefined.
While my work may not follow a conventional set of rules, I want it to be approachable. Children may gravitate toward shiny, plastic plates. Others might recognize mesh bags that once held onions or paper towels used to wipe paint brushes. I choose materials that can be found in hardware stores, recycling bins, and closets—things people know. I want viewers to come closer, notice what they recognize and begin making sense of moments that are uncertain. By altering familiar objects, I make everyday items appear strange while leaving some materials to be identifiable. See-sawing between recognition and confusion, My work is at once tangible and abstract.