Marilyn Murphy-Feather Brings Photography Expertise to Artist Residency

This story first appeared in the August 4, 2023, Mackinac Island Town Crier print edition

Marilyn Murphy-Feather, a seasoned Michigan photographer, finished her artist in-residence program with the Mackinac State Historic Parks in late July. She gave a presentation Wednesday, July 26, of her work on the Island, surrounded by close friends and family who came to see what she had been working on. Ms. Murphy-Feather’s presentation consisted of a short explanation of her work, followed by a slideshow showing a selection of 60 photographs. The images ranged from landscape and scenic shots of iconic landmarks such as Arch Rock and Grand Hotel, to lesser-known areas of interest such as Friendship’s Altar and photographs of a quiet Main Street lit by streetlamps at 2 a.m. One of her favorite parts of the residency, Ms. Murphy-Feather said, was walking around to get to know the area, even if it was in the middle of the night getting the shots she wanted.

Ms. Murphy-Feather is no stranger to residency programs, which can be extremely competitive to get into. This was her fourth artist-in-residency, though the first in her home state of Michigan. Her first was in Agate Fossil Beds National Monument in 2014, then another in Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area in 2015, and another at the Artist Wilderness Connection in 2016 in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. She was later a visiting artist in 2017 at the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Ms. Murphy-Feather continues her quest to “Find Your Park through Art,” by capturing the beauty of national and state lands.

Her presentation Wednesday was titled “Find Your Art on the Island.” She had been looking forward to practicing her night photography through the residency, she said, including several night shots in her final slideshow. A common theme throughout her work, full of spectacular wilderness and landscape photographs, is her desire to capture the natural beauty of public lands for all to enjoy. She also loves how her photography has enabled her passion for traveling.

“My photography took me to places that I normally wouldn’t have gone,” she said.

Ms. Murphy-Feather began dabbling in photography in 2005, in the days of film, she said, later joining a camera club. She slowly switched to digital photography. She tries to shoot digital as though she were shooting film – she tries to shoot it perfectly, she said, and doesn’t like editing them much. She has met other photographers through her residencies and enjoys returning to see the people she has met over the years. It’s fulfilling, she said, to meet others who share the same passion, and she’s met many friends and mentors that way.

This residency was different from all her previous residencies, she said, because it was her first time creating a presentation of work to display during the internship instead of afterward. She used her presentation as an opportunity for feedback. Her cousin, Paulette Gomez from Arizona, gave feedback suggesting that more history and voices from the Island be incorporated into her final product. Ms. Murphy-Feather said she planned to take the feedback into consideration and continue exploring and photographing the Island as she still had multiple days left in the two-week residency.

“I was pleased with what I created,” she said, referring to her nighttime photos.

One special moment she recalled was getting goosebumps the first time she visited the trees where the “Is it you?” scene was filmed in the movie “Somewhere in Time.” She had never watched the movie before she was accepted as an artist in residence.

Overall, Ms. Murphy-Feather said she’s had a great time during her residency. She didn’t want to come in with big expectations – she just wanted to explore. She liked finding the little “nuggets” around the Island, like the Secret Garden and the Mickey Mouse cutouts on the fence posts on French Lane. She enjoyed the alone time, being able to immerse herself in the culture and the time to create her art. She thought about her work and passion more deeply on the Island, she said, than back at home. In the future, she wants to photograph wild mustangs in Montana.

“[It’s] just the tiny little things, you know?” she said.