The ceramic heads which came to be known as The Silent Witnesses were created by Mary between 1990 and the accident that ended her working life in 2015. She was long troubled by witnesses to unspeakable tragedy and inhumanity who bear their pain silently, unwilling or unable to speak out. The figures of this series share one common feature, the absence of a mouth with which to speak. At the time of Mary’s passing, she had brought into being several hundred of these figures, each one entirely different.
Mary’s intent was for this work to be shown together in large groups, reinforcing the sense of the silent community. Very few of the heads left Mary’s farm in her lifetime.
At the time of this writing, collections of these Silent Witness heads can be found in the following museums:
American Visionary Art Museum - Baltimore, MD
Cameron Art Museum - Wilmington, NC
George Mason University - Fairfax, VA
Gregg Museum of Art and Design - Raleigh, NC
Hood College - Frederick, MD
John Michael Kohler Arts Center - Sheboygan, WI
LaGrange Art Museum - La Grange, GA
Ripon College - Ripon, WI
St. Norbert College - De Pere, WI
University of Nevada - Reno, NV
University of Wisconsin - Sheboygan, WI
Washington County Museum of Fine Arts - Hagerstown, MD
