Mary Bangs
Mary Bangs known professionally as C Bangs, is a Brooklyn-based artist whose career spans over five decades, exploring the intersection of art and science. From her earliest experiences in painting and sculpture, she has cultivated a practice grounded in curiosity, experimentation, and dedication. Her work encompasses painting, printmaking, and interdisciplinary projects, including holographic installations designed for space deployment. C Bangs is a long-standing board member of Central Booking, an organization that fosters collaborations between artists and scientists and produces artist books.
C Bangs’ artistic practice often merges creative expression with scientific inquiry. She has collaborated with astrophysicist Gregory Matloff and holographer Martina Mrongrovius on projects that bring art into the realm of space exploration. Notably, her holograms were affixed to Cornell University’s Alpha CubeSat, now orbiting Earth, as part of the “Postcards from Earth” exhibition at the Intrepid Air and Space Museum. She has also contributed to exhibitions such as Plant Cure, exploring the medicinal and symbolic properties of plants, and Natura Mathematica, which investigates the mathematics underlying natural forms.
Educated at the Philadelphia College of Art (BFA) and Pratt Institute (MFA), C Bangs’ career includes a Jerome Fellowship at Bob Blackburn’s printmaking workshop and a NASA Faculty Fellowship from 2000 to 2004 at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Her work has been recognized for bridging scientific and artistic disciplines while remaining deeply personal and socially engaged. Through decades of practice, she has remained committed to honesty, rigor, and resilience in her work, continually pushing the boundaries of how art can interact with the wider universe.
• Pratt Institute - MFA
• Jerome Fellowship
• NASA Faculty Fellowship
• Artist work with NASA (Marshall Space Flight Center)
• Woven (organization working against violence toward children)
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to being able to persevere and continue doing what I believed I should be doing. Just being able to keep going, even when things were difficult, has been essential. Beyond that, I've been fortunate to find people who could help me in whatever ways, in many ways. Whether it was by buying my work, helping me exhibit, or supporting me through all sorts of other possibilities, those people made a real difference. Success comes from staying committed to your purpose and being open to the help that shows up along the way.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I've ever received is to follow your bliss. That guidance has stayed with me throughout my career and continues to shape how I approach my work and my life.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice is to persevere and continue doing what you believe you should be doing. Don't get discouraged by all the ways you can be discouraged as an artist. There are so many possibilities for discouragement: not being able to sell your work, not being able to get a gallery, not being able to find someone good to represent you. I mean, there's so many possibilities for things to go wrong. But the key is to persevere and keep doing what you believe you should be doing, no matter what obstacles come your way.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges in my field are that there are so many artists, and it's a field that's very difficult to make your mark in because of the art market. The sheer number of talented people trying to break through makes it an incredibly competitive environment, and standing out requires real persistence and resilience.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that are most important to me are honesty, dedication to my craft, and being willing to continue working no matter what. These three principles guide everything I do, both in my work and in my personal life. They keep me grounded, focused, and moving forward even when challenges arise.