I make art to connect with people.
Public spaces are an ideal way to combine my performance art and sculptural work. In contrast, my small drawings reflect a desire for intimacy and reflection.
Either way, my art practice is fueled by the principles of accessibility, love, and compassion.
I don’t remember ever going to a gallery or museum as a young girl in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, but I remember playing outdoors and organizing theatre performances and dog shows (although we didn’t have a dog) with the neighborhood kids. Discarded cardboard, shoe boxes, old bottles, and junk mail became our props.
When I was 12 years old, my parents and seven siblings moved to Nogales, Arizona where I felt I had met “my people” in the warm and welcoming Mexican-American community there.
I moved to a mud adobe home in the desert near Tucson where I still live and have my studio. When I lost my young son, I embarked on a journey to study and practice site-specific, interactive public art in Spain, Italy, France, New York City, Washington, D.C., Boston, and other places. My love of other cultures and making connections is at the crux of my identity and artistic expression.
One time, I was laid up in bed with a broken knee and began making small sumi-e ink drawings – drawing one each day. I called them “pause drawings” because my temporary physical predicament caused a pause in my performance art and daily routine. Recently during the COVID-19 quarantine, the pause drawings have taken on a deeper meaning of intimacy, self-reflection, and connection.
My favorite aspect of the creative process is taking risks. There’s no erasing, no do-overs. I keep creating and moving on. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. It’s kind of like Life – if the hand you were dealt or the choices you made didn’t work out, you’ve got to adapt, evolve, and live with love, compassion, and inclusion.
Spontaneity
Nature
Cultural Relevance
Impermanence
Shantell Martin
Georgia O’Keefe
Kiki Smith
Marina Abramovic
Pencil & Ink
Intuitive mark-making
Spiritual Transcribing
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Fine Art, Cum Laude, Studio Arts, Smith College, Northampton, MA
Sculpture in an Outdoor Setting,Prescho Study Abroad Participant, Cordoba, Spain
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
“Metallo” – Jewelry Exhibit, Bonuccelli Gallery, Solana Beach, CA, 2018
“Ador(n)ation” – Performance, Tucson, AZ, 2018
“Peace to Paris” – Performance, Siena, Italy, 2017
“#RedLineSelfie” – Installation, Cape Cod Museum of Art, Dennis, MA, 2015
“Beneath II” - Installation, Heritage Museums and Gardens, Sandwich, MA, 2014
“Garden Gate” - Installation, Heritage Museums and Gardens, Sandwich, 2013
“The Nature Zone” - Installation, Prescott College, Tucson, AZ, 2010
“Water Table” - Installation, Rillito River Project, Tucson, AZ, 2009
“Come Play One More Day” – Installation, Toscana Studio & Gallery, Tucson, 2007
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Connors, Lisa Leigh. “Top Ten People to Watch.” Cape CodMagazine,February 2016, pp 30-31.
Libby, Terry Ward. “Upward Motility.” Cape CodViewMagazine,Sept/Oct 2013, pp 24-28.
Artist’sJourney.Filmed by Terri Huff and Doug Karlson, 2012.
RELATED PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
Board of Directors, Tucson Pima Arts Council, Tucson, AZ, 2006-2008
Co-Chair, Tucson Open Studios Tour, Tucson, AZ, 2006-2008
Co-Founder/Co-Owner, Santa Theresa Tile Works, Tucson, AZ, 1992-1998
AWARDS, GRANTS AND RESIDENCIES
Lumie Award, Nominee, Tucson Pima Arts Council, 2010, 2011
Kresge Sense of Place Grant, Grant recipient, 2010
School of Visual Arts, Residency, New York, NY, 2016
Fine Arts Work Center, Residency, Provincetown, MA, 2014