Ray Materson: Metamorphosis

Michigan-based artist Ray Materson (b. 1954, Connecticut) works in a medium of his own invention: intimate embroideries stitched by hand from the unraveled threads of ordinary socks.

Materson came to the practice in his thirties while serving a prison sentence for robbery with a toy gun, committed at the nexus of narcotics addiction, at a time when the act of making offered both refuge from his surroundings and the possibility of something new. A childhood memory provided the initial impulse — his grandmother embroidering quietly on her porch — and he began sewing sports patches, portraits, and national flags for fellow inmates. What started as small gestures of community and survival became a sustained artistic vision encompassing portraiture, personal memory, Americana, theater, and fantasy. 

This exhibition is part of three of solo presentations at GRAM that showcase how creativity gives us a sense of purpose, cultivates resiliency, and reminds us of our shared humanity. It centers on the art of three artists whose practices demonstrate the value of creativity informed by experiences of the justice system.

Support for GRAM’s Michigan Artist Series is generously provided by:

Beusse & Porter Family Foundation

The Jury Foundation

Wege Foundation

Eenhoorn, LLC.

James and Mary Nelson 

Haworth Helps

Dirk and June Hoffius 

Progressive Companies 

Jeffery Roberts Design

Additional support provided by GRAM Exhibition Society