57 BOSTON-BASED ARTIST MICHAEL MAZUR (1935–2009) was a consummate draftsman, with strong ties to the Pioneer Valley. A New York City native, Mazur graduated from Amherst College in 1958, studying with Leonard Baskin, who was then on the faculty at Smith. Like Baskin, Mazur embraced a humanist approach, incorporating the deep study of literature, art, social issues and everyday life into his art. His focus on expressive figuration was cemented by his graduate study at Yale University (M.F.A. ’61). He worked actively in print- making, drawing, painting, sculpture and illustration throughout his long and productive career. In 2018, SCMA received an extraordinary gift of 32 drawings and pastels from the artist’s wife, the poet Gail Mazur ‘59. These works represent a range of Mazur’s subjects and techniques from the early 1960s to the late 1980s including figure studies, portraits and landscapes. The earliest dated work in the gift, a sensitive sepia ink drawing from 1960, captures Mazur’s keen skills of observation and the virtuosity of his use of line. The dramatic self-portrait of 1989 demonstrates the psycho- logical nature of his work with the human figure, as well as his use of color and facility with charcoal and pastel. Drawing is for me a way of being in a place as well as remembering it. — Michael Mazur HIGHLIGHT MICHAEL MAZUR DRAWINGS ABOVE LEFT: Michael Mazur. American, 1935–2009. Self Portrait, 1989. Charcoal and pastel on medium thick, rough, cream colored paper. Gift of Gail Mazur, class of 1959 ABOVE RIGHT: Michael Mazur. American, 1935–2009. Three Trees, 1960. Brown ink and wash on medium thick, smooth, white paper. Gift of Gail Mazur, class of 1959