A Studio Visit with Dwora Fried

This semester, students in Intro to 2D Art & Design created works inspired by personal and family history, exploring how that history can become a foundation for visual storytelling. To deepen that exploration, Visual Arts Instructor Daphna Lapidot took her students on a student visit to the home of artist Dwora Fried—the mother of two Marlborough alumnae and an artist whose own work draws powerfully on personal narrative. Students had the unique experience of stepping inside a working artist’s studio, engaging with her process from conception to finished piece, and seeing firsthand what a life dedicated to art looks like. 8th grader Ellie H. ’30 reflects on the experience:

On Monday, March 16, and Tuesday, March 17, 2026, the E and I period Intro to 2D Art class took a field trip to Ms. Dwora Fried’s art studio in her backyard. This trip was so formative for all of our young minds because we got to learn from someone who has dedicated their whole life to art. Being able to enter her art studio, one of her most sacred spaces, was so fascinating. We got to see a large amount of her finished pieces, but also some of her pieces in progress. Getting to look through all of her materials and previous art pieces was an experience that us students will never forget. We learned so much from Ms. Fried, but one thing that stood out to me was that she wasn’t afraid to make mistakes. She told us a story about how she wanted to use blue for a box but she found a red dresser that she adored and immediately switched her idea to using red for everything, which I thought was very inspirational. Ms. Fried uses dolls to communicate her understanding of human nature, which I never thought about doing. Ms. Fried isn’t afraid of stepping outside of the boundaries of art, which is why we all learned so much from her.