Ally Derusso

Ally DeRusso  - Artsfest

she/her 

I am an interdisciplinary artist working with printmaking, photographing, and sewing. I am currently a 2025 MFA candidate at the State University of New York at Albany, where I am developing a body of work that explores themes of memorization, preservation, and domesticity. I am interested in how photographs function as stand-ins for lived experiences, serving as evidence of the past. I challenge the notion of the photograph as a prized object of memory. To do this I use a variety of printmaking processes, to fragmented images and translate them into new forms. I view this process as an untethering of the image from its evidentiary form and transforming it into an image which mirrors the process of recollection. As an artist and educator, I am deeply committed to sharing knowledge and creative exploration. Through my MFA degree, I’ve been awarded an assistantship as an Instructor of Record, where I teach an introductory photography course. Additionally, I lead printmaking workshops at Saratoga Arts, where I guide adult learners through various techniques, including drypoint, relief, monotype, and screenprinting. Beyond teaching, I also have extensive experience in arts administration.

As the Exhibitions and Marketing Coordinator at Saratoga Arts, I curate exhibitions in the Main Gallery, oversee our Art in Public Places program, and design marketing materials. I find great joy in supporting artists and cultivating community. The community-focused aspect of the Stomping Grounds

residency resonates deeply with me, as sharing my passion for art and fostering creativity in others is important to me.