Teena Maree Ferguson

Artist Statement

Teena Maree Artist Statement : Salvaged Souls & Feminine Imagery
My work explores the complexity of womanhood—its strength, vulnerability, resilience, and transformation—through multimedia sculpture and collage. The Salvaged Souls doll series is the heart of this exploration: female figures sculpted from fused glass, ceramics, textiles, copper, found objects, and fragments collected from my travels. Each doll is a symbolic being, born of both myth and memory, embodying the stories of women who carry grief, power, and rebirth within them.
The process itself is an act of reclamation. I salvage discarded and forgotten materials—broken jewelry, antique textiles, aged wood, rusted keys—and assemble them into guardians, storytellers, and archetypes. Their porcelain faces, weathered wings, and armored cloaks reveal an ongoing dialogue between fragility and strength. They are not perfect; they are layered, scarred, and mended, just as women’s lives are.
The imagery of women in my work is deeply personal. Following the sudden death of my father, I began to make art as a way of surviving loss. What emerged were figures that held both sorrow and resilience—protectors of memory, symbols of endurance, and vessels of beauty forged from pain. Each doll reflects a fragment of my own journey while inviting others to see themselves in her story.
Through these works, I honor the women who came before me—ancestors, mythological figures, and everyday survivors. I also honor the women around me: friends, students, and strangers who remind me of the quiet power in persistence. The dolls become mirrors of feminine identity, transformation, and survival, reminding us that even in the aftermath of loss, something extraordinary can be created.
The Salvaged Souls series, and my broader exploration of female imagery, are not about perfection. They are about becoming—about salvaging grace, strength, and meaning from fragments of what has been left behind.

Tina Ferguson Biography: Teena Maree ART
Tina Ferguson is a Phoenix-based multimedia artist whose richly layered collages and mixed media sculptures weave together paper, textiles, glass, metal, and found objects collected from her travels around the world. Working under the name Teena Maree ART, she transforms fragments of memory, cultural ephemera, and discarded materials into soulful works that explore grief, resilience, and transformation.
With a Master’s Degree in Architecture from Arizona State University, Tina brings a structural sensibility to her intuitive process, balancing precision with play. Her work often incorporates vintage letters, maps, jewelry, textiles, and found objects—materials that carry hidden stories. Layer by layer, she creates compositions that honor both imperfection and beauty, mirroring the way memory and healing are built from fragments.
Following the sudden death of her father, Tina’s art took on new urgency and depth. Out of that loss emerged “Daddy’s Ashes”, a collection of memorial pieces that integrate cremation ashes and personal keepsakes into fused & stained glass, collage, and mixed media works. These bespoke heirlooms have become a way to help others honor and carry their own stories of love and loss.
Beyond her studio, Tina is the founder of HeARTsy, a nonprofit delivering inclusive fine arts programs to seniors with Alzheimer’s, adults with disabilities. Her work has been recognized with awards including Her international Women’s Art (2025) Phoenix Mayor’s Arts Award (2019) and Best in Show for glasswork (2020).
Whether she is layering ephemera into collage or designing symbolic memorial art, Tina’s work is deeply rooted in honoring life, loss, and transformation. Each piece becomes a vessel for memory, storytelling, and hope—an invitation for viewers to see the beauty that can rise from fragments.