Marcia Bennett-Bernier

A NYC native, I graduated from Queens College with a major in psychology, minor in art & sociology and did graduate work at the Columbia School of Social Work. I studied Art therapy at the New School and volunteered to give art courses at Fountain House (Manhattan out patient center for schizophrenics).

After grad school, I worked as researcher & ad designer for the Martha Jackson Gallery, where 2nd generation artists like Louise Nevelson, Joan Mitchell, Sam Francis etc. were shown. When the gallery closed I continued designing ads and brochures for artists. Concurrently I practiced psychiatric social work & art therapy at Bellevue Hospital Children’s clinic. When that ended for 18 years was the Art Consultant & Ad designer for a NJ Auction House as well as Long Island City auction houses.

I began to paint rather late in life, when I was house bound due to an accident. I had moved into a brownstone with a garden and ordered flower catalogs. Inspired by the diversity of colors and shapes of the Flora kingdom I began to paint flowers, especially orchids, exotic birds and fish!

Art & Studio defined my work as “sensuously sinister” and the curator of the Soho show wrote:”….her work is a solid analysis of her ...

Queens College
Columbia University Graduate School of Social Work
New School of Social Research

Group shows: 3 BWAC exhibits (Red Hook, Brooklyn), Organic Forms/Organic Flows (Pyramid Gallery, Soho), The Tier (Sayre, Pa)

Solo shows: Bird of Hand (Owego, NY), Exotic Flora (NY Botanical Garden, the Bronx, who also exhibited & sold my greeting cards at the Rockefeller Center International Orchid show and the Botanical Garden outlet store in the IBM atrium.