|
Achievements |
2008 Member: National Association
of Professional Women
2003-present Founder: Sisterhood of the Burnin’Bush
The West Coast Coalition for Women in the Arts
2003-04 Founder/Organizer: Burnin’Bush — Fire
& Metal Arts Festival
2000-present Conceptual
Designer / Director: Draka the Dragon
Draka is a 112-ft
long, mobile/kinetic sculpture built on a truck pulling 3 trailers.
With the creation of this fire-breathing beast the mythological dragon
now has new meaning. Originally built in the year of the dragon (2000)
in the northern Nevada Desert, Draka is made of mostly recycled materials.
55-gallon steel drums were cut to make her scales and old cedar shingles
form her belly. She is capable of blowing a 50-ft burst of flame, and
inside she has a full bar, elegant décor, room for live music, plush
seating, and the capacity to carry and entertain 75 to 100 people.
Other Facts: The vision
of Draka was inspired by the book Wicked - The Life & Times of
the Wicked Witch of the West and its description of a Dragon Clock Tower that
roams from village to village, displaying twisted puppet theatre. On
May 14, 2002 an accidental fire sparked by a welding machine sent Draka’s
belly up in flames. From the ashes I was able to reconsider, then reconstruct,
all that had been rushed in the dragon’s original construction two years
prior. During the summer months of four consecutive years approximately
100 volunteers worked under my direction making repairs and improvements
while learning metalworking skills. |
| Grants / Awards |
2006 Orange
Show Center for Visionary Art Grant Houston, TX
2005 Orange
Show Center for Visionary Art Grant Houston, TX
2004 Orange
Show Center for Visionary Art Grant Houston, TX
2004 Houston
Art Car Museum Grant Houston, TX
2001 Burning Man Art Installation Grant San Francisco,
CA
2000 Burning
Man Art Installation Grant San Francisco, CA
1999 Burning
Man Art Installation Grant San Francisco, CA
1989 Massachusetts
Arts Lottery Grant Somerville, MA
1988 The Basil
H. Alkazzi Award in Painting for travel to London New York, NY |
|
Group Exhibitions |
2008 Houston Art Car Parade
2007 Houston Art Car Parade
2006 Everyones Art Car Parade Draka
the Dragon wins 2nd Place Best Art Car, Houston, TX
2006 Art Outside – The Enchanted
Forest Austin, TX
2005 Art Crawl – Houston, TX
2005 Everyones Art Car Parade Draka
the Dragon wins 1st
Place Best Art Car, Houston, TX
2004 Two Halves, One Whole: Exploring
Gender Archetypes – SOMARTS Gallery,
San Francisco, CA
2004 Houston Art Car Parade Draka
the Dragon (participant) Houston, TX
2003 Beyond Belief – Burning Man Art Festival Draka the Dragon (rebuilt
after fire) Black Rock Desert, NV
2002 The
Floating World – Burning
Man Art Festival Dahud-Ahes the Mermaid Black Rock
Desert, NV
2001 The Seven Ages – Burning
Man Art Festival Draka
as Public Transport (DPT) Black Rock City, NV
2000 The
Body – Burning Man Art Festival
Draka the Flaming Metal Dragon as Spirit of "Man”
Black Rock Desert, NV
1999 The
Wheel of Time – Burning
Man Art Festival Diana: Fertility Goddess as Sundial Installation & Performance, Black Rock Desert, NV
1998 The
Whole Enchilada – Whole
Gallery San Francisco,
CA
1997 Eclectic New Works – Studio 402 San Diego, CA
1995 TX2CH:
Works on Paper – Galerie
Tumb Zurich, Switzerland
1994 Trends
in Mutilation – ArtSpace curated by Linda Montano; presented by the Artists Coalition
of Austin, TX
1993 A
Show Without Walls – The
Artist’s Cooperative of Austin
TX
1993 Women
and Sexuality – The Alternate
Current Art Space Austin, TX
1991 The
Mother of All Group Shows –
Speedway Gallery Boston, MA
1990 Salon
des Refusees – Fauve Gallery Amherst,
MA
1990 27:
An Exhibition of Twenty-Seven Grant Winners in the Visual Arts – Brickbottom Gallery Somerville, MA
1989 Figures
and Faces – Wortzel Gallery
Boston, MA
1988 Transforming the Narrative – Ariel Gallery
New York, NY |
|
Solo Exhibitions |
1992 A
Religious Experience The Trident Booksellers & Cafe,
Boston, MA
1992 Works
on Paper: 1984 to 1991 The MiddleEast Cafe, Cambridge, MA
1991 The
Figure in Motion DV-8 Gallery at Axis, Boston, MA
1990 Eleven
Heads Somerville Public Library, Somerville, MA
1989 The Figure in Color Barillari
Books, Harvard Square Cambridge, MA |
| Reviews / Publications |
• Marquis, N. Albert
; Who’sWho of America Women 2007 & 2008
• Kristen, Christine; "Art & Freedom at the Nevada Desert
Festival" RAW Vision 2006, p.29-31
• Willsheer, Andy; Chroom n Flammen "Automotive Art"
Nr.12 Dec 06
• Rice, Harvey; "Everyones Art Car Parade/Bumper-to-bumper
artistry" Met Front, Houston Chronicle, May 14, 2006, p.1B
• Marquis, N. Albert ; Who’sWho in America 60th
Diamond Edition 2006
• Vose, Kenneth E; "Monster Nation: The Best Transformed
Vehicles from Coast to Coast"Meredith Books, May 2004
• Doherty, Brian; "This is Burning Man: the Rise of a new
American Underground" Little, Brown & Co., July 2004, p.195
• Westbrook, Bruce; “Joy Rides – Wheeled Works of Wacky Art”
cover story – Entertainment Guide, Houston Chronicle,
May 6, 2004, p.18F
• Nigro, Lisa; “Draka, the Flaming Metal Dragon” published
in Leonardo Journal - MIT Press, Nov. 5, 2003 Special
Issue: The Art of Burning Man, p.351
• Pinchbeck, Daniel; “Heat of the Moment: the Art
& Culture of Burning Man”
mention - ARTFORUM November
2003, p.177
• Krueter, Holly; Drama
in the Desert: The Sights & Sounds of Burning Man Raised Barn Press, 2003, p.60 & 138
• Vanderhoff, Mark; "Desert Playa becomes Sea of Humanity"
Reno Gazette Journal 8/30/02
• Marin, Rick; “The
Least Likely Burning Man”
photo - New York Times Sept
10, 2000, p.1
• Pinchbeck, Daniel; “The
Fire This Time” mention -
Rolling Stone Magazine 11/
9/00,p.118
• Ranputa, Janaki; “Women
Artists in Black Rock : Magical Collaboration” review - Black Rock Gazette The Art Edition,
September 3, 1999
• Stofer, Judith; “Austin meets Zurich” review- Dienstag
Zurich, Switzerland 4/11/1995 Nr.71
• Grant, William; “Art
Goes Almost Anywhere” review
- ArtSpeak NY, NY Oct 1, 1988 p.17 |
| Television |
2006 KPRC-Channel
2 Everyones Art Car Parade Special Broadcast. Draka wins 1 of Top 5
Viewer’s Choice May 25, Houston, TX
2005 Discovery
Channel Draka the Dragon and Lisa air on Monster Nation
February
2004 KPRC-Channel
2 Everyones Art Car Parade Special Broadcast. May 8, Houston, TX
2003-4 Discovery
Channel Draka and Lisa feature on Backyard Monsters
– a special segment of Monster Garage, Aug 03 thru
mid-year 04
|
| Teaching Experience |
2006-7 Texas
State University . San Marcos
Adjunct Professor : 3-D Design.
Instructed students in developing a working understanding of the
visual/tactile vocabulary of three-dimensional design to use in making,
describing, and evaluating three-dimensional arts. In finding individual
solutions to a variety of design problems, the students explored the
expressive potential of materials, the contribution of craftsmanship
to content, and the possibilities allowed by additive and reductive
forming methods. The student also gained experience in handling both
plastic and rigid materials.
Summers 2000-03 Burning
Man Art Festival . Black Rock Desert, NV
Director / Instructor — Art Installations : Draka
the Dragon & Dahud-Ahes the Mermaid.
As one of the top five featured artists at Burning Man, I worked with
30 to 50 volunteers each summer in a harsh desert environment on the
construction of these large scale works of art. Faced with the new role
of director, I found myself instructing individuals of varying skill
levels in metal fabrication techniques. Beginning with the use of cutting
torches and grinders, volunteers moved on to welding and other creative
activities common to large-scale, mixed media, sculptural works, including
woodwork, interior design & decoration, lighting, mechanics, and
workshop safety.
Summer 1999 Burning Man Art
Festival . Black Rock Desert, NV
Director / Choreographer — Art Installation :
Diana-Fertility Goddess as Sundial & Performance.
After in-depth research on sundial construction, I led a group of approximately
15 to 20 volunteers in the construction of a 12 foot tall, metal lath
and mud covered Fertility Goddess that functioned as a real sundial.
For the finalé, I choreographed and directed an all woman performance
that climaxed with igniting the Goddess.
1997-98 Workshop
Instructor : San Francisco, CA
Media Alliance. Taught
Quark Intensive, Quark I, Quark II & Illustrator.
Artists Television Access.
Taught Quark & Illustrator 3 wk courses. Students learned to create
4-pg newsletters w/images imported from Photoshop & Illustrator.
Youth Industry : Artist - Mentorship Program.
Taught desktop publishing & web design to youth at risk age 18-25.
1992-95
University of Texas at Austin
Assistant Teacher : Sculpture.
Taught students bronze casting techniques; lost wax and investment mold
process. Instructed plaster and rubber mold making, welding, brazing,
forging, and grinding. Conducted critiques, lectured, and made slide
presentations on modern sculpture. Encouraged both traditional and modern
approaches to sculpture. I particularly enjoyed working with students
interested in creating environments and installations.
Assistant Teacher : Painting & Drawing.
Assisted students with painting and drawing techniques, conducted critiques,
and gave instruction on the oil painting process and mixing of colors.
Supplied information on art materials & tool uses.
Assistant Teacher : Graphic Design. Instructed students
in the use of Quark, Photoshop, HyperCard & MacroMind Director.
Assistant Teacher : Painting & Drawing — Summer Program
in Italy.
Worked with students on painting and drawing projects. Traveled
throughout Italy assisting in educating students on famous works of
art found in the museums and churches of Florence, Rome, Bologna, Siena,
and other cities; and attended the world-renowned Venice Biennale.
|
| Education |
1994 MFA
Sculpture University of Texas at Austin
1990 Artist
in Residence Vermont Studio Center
1985 BFA
Painting University of Massachusetts, Amherst |
| Collections |
1994 Private Collection “Catfish” pastel on paper; Daniel Derwelis - Brooklyn, NY
1993 Private Collection “Spermaid” bronze sculpture, “Hole” lithograph, and drawings; George McCall Seacrest - Houston
|
| Internet |
ArtistsSpace (MoMa Archives) • The
Fund for Women Artists •
Leonardo Journal • Steel Girl • Serious
Wheels •
Burning Man: Art Installation Image Gallery
|