Mary E. Carlisle, MS, MFA, EdD
Mary E. Carlisle was born in Greenville, South Carolina. She earned a BFA in Studio Art from Converse College and MFA in Studio Art from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Additionally, she earned an MS in Arts Administration and EdD in Educational Leadership and Management with an emphasis in Creativity and Innovation from Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Mary currently serves as Associate Professor of Art and Assistant Chair of Art and Design at Converse University. Additionally, she serves as the Program Coordinator for the BA in Studio Art and the Minor in Arts Administration.
Scholarly & Research Activity
Mary’s studio practice is centered around exploring alternative processes in clay. She enjoys taking her work into the community through hands-on workshops and interactive exhibits. She has served as a speaker at national, state, and regional conferences, including those held by the National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts (NCECA), the SC Arts Education Association SCAEA), and Tri-State Sculptors (TSS).
In addition to her teaching experience, Mary brings over a decade of experience in various capacities in Arts Administration, including program development, marketing, and event management for arts nonprofits with an educational focus in the Philadelphia area and her home state of South Carolina. She has been a speaker at regional and national conferences, including those held by the Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE) and the Southeastern Arts Leadership Educators (SALE). Her research areas include workplace creativity practices and the fine arts’ impact on building career skills at the collegiate level.
Exhibitions
*solo **developed/curated
2024
Pushing Buttons, Montgomery County Community College, Blue Bell, PA (upcoming)
2023
Call and Response, Mezzanine Gallery, Cultural Arts Building, UNCW, Wilmington, NC
Tri-State Sculptors Pop Up Exhibition, Floyd Art Center, Floyd, VA
GCCA Member Showcase, Greenville Center for Creative Arts, Greenville, SC
REWIRE, VanDernoot Gallery, Cambridge, MA
Call and Response, Lowe Mill Art Gallery, Huntsville, AL
Converse University Alumni Exhibition, Milliken Gallery, Spartanburg, SC
11th Annual Collegiate Invitational, Spartanburg County Public Library, Spartanburg, SC
Capacity: Tri-State Sculptors Juried Exhibition, Beverly Purdue Gallery, Bridgewater, VA
2022
What is Ours?, Sandy Spring Museum, Sandy Spring, MD
Acting Out, Wilma W. Daniels Gallery, Wilmington, NC
Converse University Faculty Exhibition, Wilson Gallery, Spartanburg, SC
The State I’m In: Tri-State Sculpture Exhibition, Richardson Family Gallery, Spartanburg, SC
2021
Converse University Faculty Exhibition, Milliken Gallery, Spartanburg, SC
Tri-State Sculpture Exhibition, Clearwater Studios, Concord, NC
PSSST, Wilma W. Daniels Gallery, Wilmington, NC
2019
Converse College Faculty Exhibition, Milliken Gallery, Spartanburg, SC
Shift Happens, Melanie Carr Gallery, Essex, CT
Everything Goes, Again, CAVA Gallery, Gaffney, SC
Flagship Heritage, Vandernoot Gallery, Cambridge, MA
Narrative & Storytelling in Images, Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, FL
Anything Goes, CAVA Gallery, Gaffney, SC
2018
GCCA Member Exhibition, Greenville Center for the Creative Arts, Greenville, SC
Dialogues: Medium and Materiality, New Gallery, Newton, MA
SC Clay > Higher Ed, Hyman Fine Arts Center Gallery, Florence, SC
Reminiscent Objects*, West Main Artist Co-op, Spartanburg, SC
Work = Worship*, Sara Self Smith Gallery, Asheboro, NC
2017
Converse College Faculty Exhibition, Milliken Gallery, Spartanburg, SC
Tri-State Sculptors Member Show, Milliken Gallery, Spartanburg, SC
Group 6: WIP, LUCAD Commons Gallery, Cambridge, MA
ArtFields 2017, Lake City, SC
5th Annual Collegiate Invitational, Spartanburg Public Library, Spartanburg, SC
2016
New Narratives: Mary Carlisle & Jena Thomas, Milliken Gallery, Spartanburg, SC
Tri-State Sculpture Exhibition, Sara Self Smith Gallery, Asheboro, NC
Critical Materiality: Three SC Women in Clay, Goodall Gallery, Columbia, SC**
Boston Young Contemporaries 2016, Stone Gallery, Boston, MA
Lesley A+D MFA in Visual Arts Graduate Exhibition, Nancy & Edward Roberts Gallery, Lunder Arts Center, Cambridge, MA
2015
Nature Reimagined, Goodall Gallery, Columbia, SC**
Converse College Faculty Exhibition, Pickens County Art Center, Pickens, SC
ArtFields, LakeCity, SC
2014
SC State Fair Juried Show, Columbia, SC
Columbia College Faculty Exhibition, City Hall, Columbia, SC
2008
Alumni Invitational Exhibit, The Fine Arts Center of Greenville County, Greenville, SC
2003
Vertigo, Milliken Gallery, Spartanburg, SC*
Vessels, Converse College Student Gallery, Spartanburg, SC*
2002
Second Place, Ceramics, Spartanburg Sidewalk Art Show, 2002, Spartanburg, SC
2001
First Place and Third Place, Ceramics, Spartanburg Sidewalk Art Show, Spartanburg, SC
1999
First Place in Open Media, Spartanburg Sidewalk Art Show
Selected Conference Presentations & Artist Talks
2024
Exploring the Viability of Raw Material Substitution in Studio Mixed Clay Bodies, STEAM Poster Session, National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) Annual Conference, Richmond, VA
Reimagining the Future: Creativity Tools for Arts Leaders, Southeastern Arts Leadership Educators (SALE) Conference, Charleston, SC
2023
Mocha Diffusion: An Introduction, TriState Sculptors Association Conference, Floyd Art Center, Floyd, VA
Preparing the Next Generation of Arts Administrators: A Dynamic Approach, Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE) Conference, New York, NY
Defining the Impact of the Fine Arts on Higher Education and Workforce Preparedness: An Alumni Perspective, Southeastern Arts Leadership Educators (SALE) Conference, Charleston, SC
2022
Processes in Alternative Firing, TriState Sculptors Association Conference, Wofford College, Spartanburg, SC
2021
Images + Clay, SCAEA Annual Conference, Greenville, SC
Creativity Strategies to Reconnection & Renew Your Team While Reimagining the Future, Association of Arts Administration Educators Annual Conference (online)
Group 6: Alumni Panel, Lesley University College of Art & Design (virtual)
2020
Creativity that Works: An Interdisciplinary Framework for
Developing Arts Professionals, Association of Arts Administration Educators Annual Conference (online)
Collaborations & Connections: Building Arts Leadership Opportunities, Southeastern Arts Leadership Educators (SALE) Conference, Charleston, SC
2019
The Ceramics Classroom: Sophisticated Surfaces for Any Grade, SC Art Education Association (SCAEA) Fall Conference, Greenville, SC
Big Impact: Small Budget, National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts Conference, Minneapolis, MN (Related Journal Article)
Ceramics Intensive, SCAEA Western Region Conference, Converse College, Spartanburg, SC
Artist Panel: Shift Happens, Melanie Carr Gallery, Essex, CT
2018
The Ceramics Classroom, SC Art Education Association (SCAEA) Fall Conference, Greenville, SC
Artist Talk: Work = Worship, Sara Self Smith Gallery, Asheboro, NC
2017
Artist and Teacher: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Ceramics in the Classroom, SC Art Education Association Fall Conference, Beaufort, SC
Alternative Firing: Barrel, Saggar, Raku, Tri-State Sculpture Conference, Spartanburg, SC
Georgia O’Keeffe: Nature Reimagined, NCECA, Portland, Oregon
Exploring the Arts from a Cultural Perspective, SC Council for Exceptional Children Annual Conference, Myrtle Beach, SC
2016
Artist Talk: New Narratives: Mary Carlisle & Jena Thomas, Milliken Gallery, Spartanburg, SC
Artist Talk: Critical Materiality, Goodall Gallery, Columbia, SC
Artist Talk: Work = Worship, Lesley University, Cambridge, MA
2015
Artist Talk: Nature Reimagined, Goodall Gallery, Columbia, SC
2012
Telling Our Story, College Media Association/Associated College/ Press Fall Conference, New Orleans, LA
Teaching Experience
2020-present
Assistant Chair, Department of Art & Design, Converse University
2022-present
Associate Professor of Art; Program Coordinator, BA Studio Major and Arts Administration Minor, Converse University
2017-2022
Assistant Professor of Art ; Program Coordinator, BA Studio Major and Arts Administration Minor, Converse University
2016- 2017
Visiting Assistant Professor of Ceramics/Arts Management, Converse College, Spartanburg, SC
2014 – 2016
Adjunct Instructor of Arts Management, Converse College, Spartanburg SC
2010 – 2016
Adjunct Instructor of Studio Art, Columbia College, Columbia SC