Thomas

Ferraro

EAC Rostered Teaching Artist

Artist Biography

Thomas Ferraro is a painter, teaching artist, and a public art multi media artist. His work references the influence of place and emotion as elements that shape our identity within the context of contemporary life. In 2012, Tom co-founded The Looking Glass Art Project, a program designed to facilitate collaborative input by encouraging participants to tell their stories, then transform those stories into public art. The Looking Glass program provides a platform to celebrate the lives and talents of a community through the creation of public art.

Artist Statement, Mural Making Process, and Art Style(s)

The Looking Glass Art Project is a program design by Erie based artists Tom Ferraro and Ed Grout in 2012. In 2018, the artist team was joined by local artist Steve Mik. Their mission is to give a voice to community participants by providing a platform to celebrate the lives and talents of their community through the creation of public art. The most vital part of what we do is engaging stakeholders in the creative process facilitated by the Looking Glass team in community workshops. Our activities include brainstorming, art education, design concepts and storytelling along with a variety of visual exercises leading to a Big Idea and ultimately a final design. Every project and every community necessitates a different approach. In the end, the finished product is always as exciting and unique as the community involved.