Mary Defer

Mary Defer is a Lakewood, Ohio-based artist primarily working with analog photography. Her work is inspired by the unreliable nature of memory, the natural world, and the unearthing of family history. Raised on a family farm in Northeast Ohio, Mary discovered a love of photography her first semester at Kenyon College when she enrolled in a darkroom basics course. The darkroom became a place of quiet refuge from anxiety, and she went on to earn a B.A. in Studio Art in 2014.

Photography can be interpreted as an analytic, mechanical process, removed from the organic messiness of life. Though Mary recognizes the importance of technique and precision, she is primarily concerned with the alchemical magic inherent to analog photography. A fellow artist recently described Mary as a “light worker,” a term that resonates with her because when she practices analog photography, myriad issues from light leaks to expired chemistry can arise, adding vibrant chaos to the work. It feels akin to a small miracle when things work out.

Mary’s work has been exhibited regionally through spaces such as Summit Artspace, Valley Art Center, and Pinwheel Gallery, and nationally through organizations including auburn art gallery in Los Angeles, Soho Photo Gallery in New York City, and Filter Photo in Chicago. In 2012, her book “as when” was included in DIY: Photographers & Books, the first-ever museum exhibition of print-on-demand photobooks at the Cleveland Museum of Art.