Mary Pinto is a Queens, New York–based artist working with alternative photographic processes, monotype, collage, and artist books. Her works on paper explore themes of wonder and the interdependence of humans and the natural world.

Pinto holds an M.F.A. from the Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts at Bard College and a B.A. in Spanish from the University of Delaware. Her work has been exhibited nationally at institutions including the Steinberg Museum of Art, Culture Lab LIC, and The Ohio State University. She has participated in residencies at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and the Openings Collective.

A two-time recipient of the Queens Council on the Arts New Work Grant, Pinto also received a 2025 Queens Arts Fund grant administered by the New York Foundation for the Arts. Her practice continues to examine our relationship with the natural world through material experimentation, observation, and a sense of wonder.

“Exploring the language and uses of photography, my work considers overlooked or hidden aspects of the natural and built environments. I often work with the photogram, a cameraless process associated with the earliest stages of photographic exploration and invention—a time marked by wonder at photography’s ability to record the world. The resulting images evoke early botanical and medical prints while also recalling contemporary forms of architectural and scientific imaging, including blueprints, X-rays, and scans.”

— Mary Pinto, 2026

Rediscover the practice of close looking in this 90-minute collage workshop led by artist Mary Pinto. Inspired by historical and contemporary botanical art, participants will begin by observing the forms, patterns, and details found in the natural world.

Using gardening catalogs, nature photographs, and mixed-media materials, participants will create an imagined botanical specimen of their own. Through cutting, layering, and composition, familiar images will be transformed into unexpected forms—encouraging experimentation, attentive observation, and a personal connection to nature.

All materials are provided. No prior art experience is necessary.