Sterling woman to become Mackinac Island artist-in-residence

STERLING HEIGHTS — Sterling Heights resident Marilyn Murphy-Feather has pursued the art of photography for over a decade, amid periods of taking photos of wildlife and nature throughout the U.S.

Her next major artistic endeavor will be Up North in her home state.

Mackinac State Historic Parks recently named Murphy-Feather as an inductee into its fifth annual Mackinac Island Artist-in-Residence program. The program’s goal is to create a conducive environment for producing art based on the island’s nature and history.

Participating artists come to the island for two-week periods between June and September. They give a presentation such as a lecture or a demonstration, and also produce artwork for the Mackinac State Historic Parks.

Murphy-Feather is one of nine named artists-in-residence to take part in this year’s program. Her artist-in-residence term is scheduled for July 18-30, and her workshop is set for July 26. The selected artists were jury-picked out of 197 applicants.

Murphy-Feather said Mackinac will be her fourth residency. Her past residency sites for photography include the Agate Fossil Beds in Nebraska, the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area in Wyoming and Montana, and the Bob Marshall Wilderness area in Montana.

Murphy-Feather said she applied for the Mackinac residency before the COVID-19 pandemic but didn’t get in at the time.

“They have a lot of applicants,” she explained. “An artist-in-residence, those are so competitive to get in.”

Now that she has been accepted, Murphy-Feather explained how she wants to make more art through photography, and she looks forward to learning everything that’s on the island.

“I’ve only been twice, and I really didn’t see a lot of it,” she said. “So I’m really doing some heavy research. … I’m going to explore like no one has done there. The details, small details, draw me in, and then I just incorporate them into the final big picture.”
One of her favorite photography techniques is slowing down the shutter speed to make waterfalls look silky soft.

“I don’t do a lot of postprocessing,” she added. “I try to shoot it as perfect as I can in the camera.”

In a statement, Mackinac State Historic Parks Director Steve Brisson called this year’s slate of artists very talented.

“We’re excited to see how each is inspired by Mackinac and how they share their creativity while on the island,” he said.

Find out more about Marilyn Murphy-Feather’s photography by visiting marilynfeather.com. Learn more about Mackinac State Historic Parks by visiting www.mackinacparks.com.