Solo Exhibition: Loretta Park

Loretta Park’s practice is one of adaptive reuse, or the transformation of overlooked, discarded, and everyday materials into compelling works of art. Repurposing woven plastics, reclaimed wood, fabric, and found objects, Park reveals new possibilities within familiar materials, challenging assumptions about value, permanence, and waste. Through processes of weaving, layering, cutting, and assembling, she creates vibrant sculptural works that embody renewal, resilience, and imagination.

For her first exhibition Adaptive Reuse: Loretta Park in Philadelphia, at Cherry Street Pier presents a series of new works, anchored by her Fighting Sticks series.  Cherry Street Pier, a landmark that exemplifies adaptive reuse, is a testament to the creative potential of reinvention. Just as the historic pier has been reimagined as a vibrant center for artists and community, Park’s sculptures demonstrate how materials can be given new purpose through acts of making. Rich in color, texture, and unexpected forms, the works invite viewers to reconsider the everyday, not as something to discard, but as a source of possibility, beauty, and transformation.

Loretta Park is an artist and educator with an MFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) and a BA from Bowdoin College. She creates playful mixed-media work that explores accessibility and material hierarchy. Her work has been exhibited at venues including the MassArt Art Museum, Boston University Art Galleries, Somerville Museum, and Dimensions Variable in Miami. Reviews of her exhibitions have appeared in Boston Art Review, Artscope, Art New England, The Boston Globe, and Korean Daily. She lives and works in Boston.

Leah Triplett is Curator of Contemporary Art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). Previously she was a curator at Now + There, where she facilitated the Public Art Accelerator and organized large-scale public art commissions in Boston. Her writing has appeared in ArtAsiaPacific, ArtNet News, Sculpture, Public Art Dialogue, Flash Art, Hyperallergic, The Brooklyn Rail, and others. She taught MFA painting and sculpture students at Boston University from 2021 to 2023.