Artist Spotlight: Marcy Thompson
SOMA Celebrates Women and Female Artists for Women’s History Month
Marcy Thompson — Writer. Producer. Speaker. Advocate for the Arts. Fundraiser. Maplewood Maplewood Arts Council Co-Founder.
Marcy Thompson
Photograph by Sasha Erwitt
Writer / Producer = A Person with Ideas Who TWISTS Arms!
Title Logo of February 2020 TEDx Maplweood
Marcy Thompson has been mixing things up in Maplewood as a producer, writer, and performer for a good long time. Her partnership with Jenny Turner Hall led to the formation of Studio B, a local non-profit dedicated to connecting artists and audiences in the area. Together, they have created unforgettable events such as the Speakeasy Series, Story Slams, The Bizarre Bazaar, as well as a good many one-offs including variety show versions of Frankenstein, and the works of Edgar Allen Poe, plus a satirical look at the suburbs in the podcast ‘Milkwood.’
“If I have one area of expertise, it’s in working with people to get things done. Now, if I could only apply that to myself.”
Marcy’s work includes writing and/or producing everything possible, including podcasts and speeches; she has just finished the first draft of a pandemic-induced satirical novel about our great state, entitled ‘Industrious Subversion’.
Marcy’s last pre-pandemic event was TEDx Maplewood where she was the gracious and hilarious host of this insightful program, and although the theme was NORMAL, it was anything but.
Host of TEDx Maplewood, Marcy Thompson with Vanessa Pollock, Gold level sponsor of TEDx Maplewood with Pollock Properties Group
Holiday Bizarre Bazzar Logo Design
Marcy Thompson with Jenny Turner Hall
Studio B’s Speak Easy at The Woodland
Township Committeeman Vic DeLuca with the Abomidable Snowman at the Bizaare Bazaar
‘Milkwood’ Art
“This is an amazing town that is at its best when it works together, and sees itself as a whole - not as a set of individual wants and desires. Fortunately, that’s what artists do. So we’re in good hands.”
Marcy Thompson (Left) in the Live Taping of ‘Milkwood’ at SOPAC Loft
’Milkwood’ is a scripted, four-part satirical podcast recorded live in front of a studio audience, with a live band and sound effects. (Studio B)
Marcy was the co-founder of the Maplewood Arts Council in 2010 and continues today as its chair, helping to bring to life such initiatives as the ‘Black Lives Matter Poetry Project’, ‘Art In Motion’ (NJ Transit Tunnel Artwork), as well as several local artist summits. She repeats herself often by saying that artists are our town's "greatest natural resource," something that she sincerely believes, and will be happy to arm wrestle you if you think otherwise. If you ask her what the little black ears are on some of the pedestrian signs, she'll deny everything.
Studio B “LAWN” Sign
‘The African Burial Ground’ by Yusef Komunyakaa
‘Black Lives Matter Poetry Project’, 2021
Moss Freedman’s ‘Ants at a Picnic’ for ‘Art In Motion’
Marcy Thompson and Mayor Frank McGehee speaking to Black Lives Matter Poetry Project Poet, Yasmine Lewis
Installation of ‘Grace’ by Lisa Lackey for ‘Art In Motion’
Marcy Thompson and Jenny Turner Hall in the taping of ‘Biscuits and Bourbon’ at the SOPAC Loft
“Headphones off. Surrounded by people. Live events are the stuff of being human. There’s no end to the amazements of live performance; every laugh or gasp is a thrill. I specialize in defying expectations.”
Marcy Thompson in Commencement Speech, Chucklepatch Comedy Show, 2020
Marcy Thompson and Jenny Turner Hall
Being crazy, no it’s not Halloween
Photo by Scott Gries
Marcy Thomspon, Freedom Wand, Listen To Your Mother, 2014
Marcy Thompson is a member of SOMA Arts Registry, a free online hub serving Maplewood, South Orange and neighboring towns. It focuses on artists, arts professionals and arts organizations, with the goal to extend their local, regional and national market reach. SOMA Arts Registry was created by the Township of Maplewood and Maplewood Division of Arts & Culture to support the local arts community.
#SOMACelebratesWomen
Marcy Thompson, Listen To Your Mother, 2014
Studio B Logo
Contact Information
www.marcythompson.com
www.studiobmaplewood.org
www.maplewoodartsandculture.com
Instagram:
@neighborladee
@maplewoodartscouncil
@studiobmaplewood