Life & Work with Marcy Palmer of Dallas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcy Palmer.

Hi Marcy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in upstate New York surrounded by woods in the foothills of the Adirondack mountains. I received my BS in Studio Art from Skidmore College and my MFA in Photography & Related Media from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. After teaching photography in NYC for several years, I moved to Texas.

I’ve continued to create and work on several series of images. My work has been shown in the Brooklyn Museum of Art, The Griffin Museum of Photography, The Center for Photographic Art, The Odgen Museum of Southern Art, and several other spaces. My book of photographs titled, “You Are Eternity, You Are the Mirror” was recognized with several awards. I currently teach photo-based workshops and courses with universities, photography organizations, art centers, and museums.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Oh, it never is a smooth road, is it? I have struggled to get my work shown and recognized by galleries and museums, projects themselves always have challenges, and teaching can have its own set of challenges. I think that changing one’s mindset and approach can be helpful, keeping everything in perspective, trying new things, and a bit of play and tenacity can help one overcome challenges.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My work explores themes of beauty and healing through the lens of photo history, nature, and science. Integrating various approaches to image-making from contemporary to historical practices, I am influenced by the earlier practitioners of photography, and the Surrealist and Bauhaus movements. Recently, my interests have focused on botanicals, and their various uses in medicine and healing, as methods of communication, and as symbols of the greater good.
I have been combining silver or gold with my images, recognizing their symbolic as well as physical properties in the artworks. This approach has also added a unique quality to the works, elevating the imagery as well as communicating my themes.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Connecting with other people through artwork and conversation. Caring for others, and helping others, especially these days.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://marcypalmer.com
• Instagram: @marcy_palmer

Image Credits
Images ©Marcy Palmer 2025