STAFF & CONTACT

FERRIN CONTEMPORARY STAFF

Our staff includes specialists in consulting, exhibition production, collection services, sales, and marketing support for our represented and affiliated artists.

Leslie Ferrin

leslie(at)ferrincontemporary.com

Founder + Director
1978-present

Leslie Ferrin is the director of Ferrin Contemporary, based in Cummington, MA. Specializing in contemporary ceramic art from 1950 to the present, she is an internationally respected curator who works to support artists and private collectors in partnership with galleries and museums worldwide. In addition to the gallery, Ferrin directs ProjectArt, a live/work international ceramic artist residency that hosts ongoing, short, and long-term projects. As a trusted expert and adviser to private collectors, curators, and museums, she is considered a foremost authority on contemporary ceramics, focusing on market trends, career development, and historical context, and has been lecturing throughout the United States and Europe for over forty years.
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Alexandra Jelleberg, Managing Director, Ferrin Contemporary. Photo by John Polak Photography

Alex Renee 

alex(at)ferrincontemporary.com

Operations + Collections + Web
2014-present

Alex Renee is the Operations and Financial Agent at Ferrin Contemporary. Arriving in Massachusetts in 2014, her participation in the Berkshire Hills Internship program through MCLA allowed her to become active in arts communities in the Hilltowns, Berkshires, and abroad. Renee transitioned from student and education roles at the Arizona State University Art Museum and Ceramic Research Center to various roles within Ferrin Contemporary and the Project Art residency programming. Renee was an artist in residence at Project Art from 2014-2019, and her specialty in contemporary ceramic art grew with her collection management, arts administration, and project coordination background. She is expanding into website development.
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Isabel Twanmo, 2023. Portrait by John Polak Photography

Isabel Twanmo

isabel(at)ferrincontemporary.com

Communications + Media + Client Services
2021-present

Isabel is the Associate Director at Ferrin Contemporary. She has most recently taken on the Marketing & Media for the Gallery in 2023, adding this role to her ever-growing repertoire. Originally from Cabin John, MD, Isabel graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from Bennington College in 2018 with concentrations in music, visual arts, and neuroscience. Soon after, Isabel relocated to North Adams, MA to work in Visitor Experience at MASS MoCA and later served on the MASS MoCA Union Bargaining Committee to help her colleagues fight for a fair contract. She has been with Ferrin Contemporary since October 2021.

In her personal work, Isabel loves to cook, make artwork, spend time with her cats, and is involved in her local North Adams community. She uses illustration to translate cooking tips, recipes, and food puns into prints, stickers, and wearables.

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Samuel J. LaPell

samuel.ferrincontemporary(at)gmail.com

Shipping + Warehouse Coordinator
2023-present

Samuel J. LaPell -shipping and handling coordinator, chicken sitter, and ceramic artist – began working at Ferrin Contemporary the summer of 2023. With a BFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, Samuel strives to continue expanding his view of the contemporary ceramics community and how connections with one another create an artist. 

His work, wheel thrown and often wood fired, examines the ways in which clay can act/play as a means of understanding one’s history and expand upon one’s own place in the world. 

 

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COLLECTION SPECIALISTS + APPRAISERS + ART PROFESSIONALS

We offer a full range of services, knowledge, and expertise to collectors and estates who are seeking to manage their collections, offer works for sale, or make gifts to institutions. With our experienced team of professionals, we can photograph, catalog, organize, and protect your collection.

John Polak

Photographer

John Polak boasts over 20 years experience in commercial and art photography, with a specialization in photographic images for artists, craftspeople, museums, galleries and publishers.
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Azariah Aker

Integral Art Solutions
Preparator + Fabricator

As founder and owner of IAS I am committed to applying my diverse skills and experience to your project. I have worked in the arts for over fifteen years, building expertise that will ensure high quality and successful results.

I find unique and challenging projects particularly interesting and am fortunate to count many large-scale projects in my work experience. I have managed commissions and collections with budgets up to one million. I have also organized and implemented countless gallery exhibitions and art fair presentations, including large-scale site-specific artworks.

Preparing spaces and artworks for exhibition is also very rewarding for me, specifically public projects that engage a diverse audience. I have had the pleasure of organizing and implementing four large thematic exhibitions with locations ranging from Newport NH to Charlotte NC. This varied and rich experience allows Integral Art Solutions to embrace many types of project and quickly realize efficient quality-focused outcomes.

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Peter Held

Appraiser

Peter is principal owner of Peter Held Art Appraisals & Associates, a national client-oriented full-service personal property firm specializing in modern and contemporary art and fine craft appraisals for insurance, estates, charitable gift donations, and current market valuations. In the course of his impressive three-decade career as a museum director and contemporary art curator, he has organized more than 200 exhibitions and authored numerous books and articles on contemporary art and craft.
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