Marcy Elise Bernstein was born in Queens, NY, and grew up in a small town near Asbury Park, NJ.  Even as a young child, she knew that she wanted to be an artist. Although talent ran in the family, (her mother and grandmother had both been painters), the NJ suburbs felt culturally bereft.  After a move to the West Village of Manhattan in 1982, Bernstein’s connection to the contemporary art world took hold. She holds a BFA in Painting (with honors) from Parsons School of Design (1986) a teaching certification from Bank Street College of Education (1986) and an MFA in Painting from SUNY New Paltz (1989)

 

Marcy is an inspired outdoor enthusiast who has climbed all 46 peaks over 4000 feet in NY State. She has consistently tested her boundaries as a technical rock climber for over 30 years, climbing both locally in the beautiful Shawangunk Ridge cliffs and traveling to adventure locations all over the United States. She has enjoyed running half marathons and has been an avid cyclist. 

 

​ In 2015, Bernstein had a life-changing bicycle accident that brought her 30-year career, teaching painting and photography in a New York inner-city high school, to a close.

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However, this was not an ending but a transformation.

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Marcy founded Roost Studios and Art Gallery, a non-profit for the arts, in 2016.  In her role as Executive Director, Marcy coordinates, curates, and produces community art events, fulfilling a mission to build community through the arts.

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Pushing boundaries, and facing challenges, both creatively and physically, are inseparable qualities from which Marcy’s life and work stem.