STAFF & SERVICES

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.

CONTACT US

FERRIN CONTEMPORARY STAFF

Leslie Ferrin
Founder + Director
1978-present

Leslie Ferrin is the director of Ferrin Contemporary (North Adams, MA) and Project Art (Cummington, MA). Specializing in contemporary ceramic art 1950 – present, Ferrin is an internationally respected curator focused on ceramics working in support of artists, private collectors and in partnership with galleries and museums throughout the USA and internationally. As director of the gallery program, Ferrin organizes and presents solo exhibitions, manages touring creative projects, and develops legacy ceramic collections for sale and gifts on behalf of artists and private collectors. In addition to the gallery, Ferrin directs Project Art, a live/work international ceramic artist residency where there are ongoing, short, and long-term projects based in ceramic art.

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Alexandra Jelleberg
Operations + Collections + Web
2014-present

Alexandra Jelleberg 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. Jelleberg 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. Jelleberg 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
Marketing + Media + Shipping
2021-present

Isabel is the Gallery Associate and Shipping Coordinator at Ferrin Contemporary. She has most recently taken on the Marketing & Media for the Gallery in 2023, adding this role to her 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 and uses small-scale black and white illustrations to share cooking tips, recipes, and anthropomorphized food puns. She also crafts food-inspired wearable earrings which can be purchased at multiple retail locations in North Adams.

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COLLECTION SERVICES

FERRIN CONTEMPORARY works with private collectors and artist archives throughout the country organizing, documenting, and appraising works in preparation for a deacquisition or placement. We use our extensive experience and relationships within the field of ceramics to position this work back in the marketplace.

We provide customized services for artists interested in legacy projects, such as but not limited to, retrospective catalogs and exhibitions, museum or institutional acquisitions, auction house sales, and long-term archival care for a collection.

MUSEUM SERVICES

Ferrin Contemporary is committed to developing relationships with museums and cultural institutions that collect, exhibit, and engage the public about ceramics. For over 40 years, Leslie Ferrin has been a leading specialist in contemporary ceramic art, mounting exhibitions, cataloging collections, presenting scholarship, and supporting creative projects. She has placed work in the permanent collections of museums nationwide, facilitated loans for temporary exhibitions, and coordinated the tours of traveling exhibitions.

Ferrin Contemporary will collaborate with your museum in various capacities, from exhibition and programming development to providing advisory service on the acquisition and deaccession of collection objects. Contact our specialists, to discuss your project.

TOURING PROGRAMS

Based on our curatorial and exhibition productions, Ferrin Contemporary continues to bolster museum and artist relationships with touring programs. Our expanding team collaborates with artists, institutions, galleries, and museums to build collections, provide exhibition opportunities, and provide curated show packages across the United States with our international roster of artists.

COLLECTION SPECIALISTS + APPRAISERS + ART PROFESSIONALS

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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Becky Waterhouse
Marketing + Media Leiason
2020-present

Originally from Rochester, NY, Becky lived and worked in North Adams from 2013 to 2022, receiving a degree in Arts Management in 2017 from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. While in the Berkshires, Becky was a co-director of Common Folk Artist Collective and an independent illustrator and mural artist. In 2022 Becky moved back to Rochester, NY to pursue a tattoo apprenticeship and has since been working remotely for the gallery as a Marketing and Media Assistant.

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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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