Arlene Black Mollo

Arlene Black Mollo of Falmouth, MA formerly of Norwood and Wellesley passed away peacefully on November 23, 2019. Born on June 2, 1947 in Lynn, MA, she was one of eight children born to the late Peter F. and Arlene Marie (Kelly) Black. Arlene grew up in Norwood and graduated from Norwood High School with the class of 1965; she also traveled as an AFS exchange student to the Philippines. After high school, she attended Emmanuel College in Boston where she earned a Bachelor of Arts with distinction in Fine Art. She also studied at St. Hilda’s College in Oxford, England. She then went on to earn her graduate degree in Art Education from Massachusetts College of Art and her Ph.D. in Law, Policy and Society with a concentration in the Arts from Northeastern University.

Arlene was a visual artist, educator, and professional watercolorist. She used watercolors as her medium to express herself through her work. While many artists find watercolors to be difficult, Arlene found this medium to be thrilling and exciting as it forced her to be clear and daring with her strokes and to use the white spaces as areas of greatest light. In Arlene’s own words, “I am consciously aware of my perceptions and my own way of looking and seeing — that is with utmost concentration — aware of the “white spaces” that I see. I am by nature both daring and confident. My watercolors are my own “white spaces.” For me, they are tangible realities that say, “I am alive. I am here. This is what I see; this is how I feel.”

Being an artist was both Arlene’s career and her passion. She created many landscapes and images on location in England, Ireland, Scotland, France, and Italy and throughout the United States especially Cape Cod, Florida, and California. Her artwork has been represented by the SouthCoast Artists Guild at ArtWorks! in New Bedford, MA and at Gallery One in Petaluma, CA. Her work has also been exhibited in numerous galleries including, Gallery 244 at UMass Dartmouth, The Margaret Fergusen Gallery of Wellesley College, Woods Gerry Gallery at Rhode Island School of Design, Federal Reserve Gallery in Boston, AAMARP Gallery of Northeastern University, Hobbs Brook Gallery in Waltham, Schlesinger Library of Radcliffe College, Harvard Neighbors Gallery of Harvard University and the Atrium Gallery at the Episcopal Divinity School. She also had her works exhibited in several juried shows at the Zullo Gallery in Medfield; the Cotuit Center for the Arts of Cape Cod, and the North Shore Artists Association in Gloucester, MA. Arlene was also been a member of the New England Watercolor Society and received awards for winning works of art in juried exhibitions. She received a National Endowment for the Humanities Grant for Maritime America in the Age of Winslow Homer. In addition, she was a co-founder for the Norwood Art Association and co-founded the Norwood Friends of Field Hockey. Finally, she wrote grants for Falmouth Public Arts and helped design landscape architecture.

Arlene also received many commissions to design stained glass and liturgical banners for churches and worship spaces in and around New England, including the United States Coast Guard Academy Chapel in New London, CT, St. Anthony Church in Lowell, the Pilgrim Center Chapel in Braintree, St. Thomas More Church in Braintree, and St. Timothy in Norwood, MA. Her artwork is also included in numerous private collections throughout the United States, Canada, and England. Arlene also taught in the graduate and undergraduate programs in Art Education in the College of Visual & Performing Arts at UMass Dartmouth, where she was Professor and Chair of the Department of Art Education. Arlene was a docent at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and also taught Studio Art Classes at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Arlene also enjoyed playing the piano, reading, gardening, traveling, fine dining and visiting museums. She loved children and taught K-12 art to students in the Canton and Medfield public schools for more than 15 years. Together with her husband, she loved the outdoors, especially walking in Woods Hole, visiting the ocean and exploring nature. Most importantly she loved spending time with her family.

Beloved wife of Peter J. Mollo for more than 50 years. Loving mother of Jane Singh & her husband Prem of Westwood and Sarah Zengo & her husband Christopher of Medfield. Cherished grandmother of Julian and Catie Singh and Jack and Molly Zengo. Devoted sister of Paula Kelter & her husband Col. Robert Kelter of MD, David Black & his wife Marilyn of Bedford, Steven Black & his wife Linda of Stoughton, Richard Black & his wife Kara of Sandwich, Laura Dyer & her husband Jim of NJ, the late Peter F. Black, Jr. & his surviving wife Hon. Mary Louise Schofield Black of CT and the late Martha McCann & her surviving husband Timothy of Norwood. She is also survived by many nieces & nephews and grandnieces and grandnephews.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend calling hours on Tuesday, November 26 from 4-8pm in the Gillooly Funeral Home 126 Walpole Street, Norwood. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in St. Timothy Church, 650 Nichols Street, Norwood on Wednesday November 27 at 10:30 am. Interment will follow in Highland Cemetery, Norwood. In lieu of flowers donations in memory of Arlene may be made to the Emmanuel Fund at Emmanuel College 400 The Fenway Boston, MA 02115.