Michelle Daly is an an artist, curator, and programming consultant. She has shown her work across the country, including solo or two-person exhibitions in Portland, OR, Los Angeles, CA, Brooklyn, NY, and North Adams, MA. She has a BFA fro Marylhurst University and a MA in Performance Curation from the Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance at Wesleyan University.
Her primary medium is oil paint, but also works in drawing, collage, and installation.
Her current body of work, How the Land Holds Us // How We Hold the Land began in Spring of 2020. Abstract and assembled landscapes that incorporate views from the Atlantic Coast coniders her ancestors northern passage as well as the ways in which time can be considered and represented. Long interested in spaces of overlap - including riparian zones, artificial and imposed borders, the build and natural environment and the edges of technological and cultural change - her work assembles these references into bold canvases that simultaneously explore the micro and the macro.
As a passionate advocate for the transformative power of art and the essential role of artists in society, Michelle draws on a wide range of skills and experiences for her work as a consultant to provide programmatic assessments, independent curation, lead or consult on community-driven initiatives or help you develop a new idea.
Michelle has served as public programs director at The Mount and director of the Berkshire Cultural Resource Center. In both roles, she helped facilitate partnerships with artists that resulted in vibrant programming, thought-provoking events, and processes that honor artists’ creative and emotional labor. During her time in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, she has been repeatedly recognized as an outstanding local professional, including as one of Berkshire Magazine’s “Berkshire 25” and as one of 1Berkshire’s “40 Under 40.”
