‘Ray Materson: Metamorphosis’ Set for October 3 Opening

Ray Materson: Metamorphosis opens October 3, 2026, and runs through January 3, 2027, in the Level 2 Hunting Gallery. The exhibition presents Michigan-based artist Ray Materson’s intimate embroideries, stitched by hand from the unraveled threads of ordinary socks.

Materson came to this practice in his thirties while serving a prison sentence for robbery with a toy gun, committed at the nexus of narcotics addiction. The initial impulse was a childhood memory of his grandmother embroidering quietly on her porch. He began by sewing sports patches, portraits and national flags for fellow inmates.

What began as small gestures of community and survival became a sustained artistic vision encompassing portraiture, personal memory, Americana, theater and fantasy. Ray Materson’s ‘Self-Portrait’ is listed with its date unrecorded.

The works identified as made from sock threads include ‘A Fabled Love Story,’ ‘Untitled (Cat)’ and ‘Mark McGuire,’ while ‘Woman in Profile’ is identified as made from thread and felt.

The exhibition is part of three solo presentations at the museum showcasing how creativity gives people a sense of purpose, cultivates resiliency and reminds them of their shared humanity, with a focus on artists whose practices are informed by experiences of the justice system.