ARTIST STATEMENT
My main body of work consists of large ceramic sculptures consisting of hundreds of parts assembled in shrine-like fashion. Additionally, I create single, life-sized ceramic figures (like those submitted for this WMG exhibition), mixed media quilts, drawings, paintings, and original fashion. Regardless of material/medium, my embedded concepts and style are consistent. I strive to portray imagined, decorative conceptions of peacefulness, playfulness, and celebration. My aesthetic sensibility is rooted in Mexican Folk Art and the Latino Catholic shrines of my heritage and upbringing. For most of my childhood in Southern Arizona, this was the artwork I knew and I practiced making creations in similar ways. Whether it was through my novice interpretation or some forgotten informal training I received as a child, I came to believe that ornamentation and excess denoted value and importance. Materials weren’t required to be “fine” and tools were expected to be simple. Evidence of “the hand” (the maker) was never something to be self-conscience of or craftily removed. Throughout my life, I’ve remained loyal to this style of making. My artworks, while not simple compositions, are simple in concept and method. At their heart, they serve as personal meditations on the ease, happiness, and beauty that outlines every day.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Originally from Tucson, AZ, Lisa Marie Barber earned her BS in Sociology/Art minor at Northern Arizona University (1992) and MFA from the University of Texas at Austin (1998). She is currently a full Professor in the Department of Art and Design at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha, where she teaches and serves as the Community Liaison in the Arts. Prior to her professorship, she worked as a university and youth art instructor in the San Francisco Bay Area. Lisa’s aesthetic sensibility is rooted in Central American Folk Art and the Mexican Catholic shrines of her heritage and upbringing in Tucson, Arizona. Deliberate with showcasing the “handmade” quality of her work, she uses low-tech methods to create large assemblage ceramic sculptures and installations, as well as mixed media quilts. Her work encompasses imagined conceptions of home, gardens, peacefulness, playfulness, and celebration. She strives to have her work be accessible to audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
In addition to exhibiting nationally with over 50 solo/two-person exhibitions to her credit, Lisa has held Artist-in-Residence positions at City University of New York, Hunter College; Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis; Watershed Center for Ceramic Art, Newcastle, ME; Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, Nebraska City, NE; University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ; Mendocino Art Center, California; and Clay Studio of Missoula, Montana. She has received numerous honors and led workshops from New York to California. A full listing of her exhibition record, awards, and related activities can be found at www.LisaMarieBarber.com.
© Lisa Marie Barber