“History may clarify our understanding of the supreme work of art, but can never account for it completely; for the Time of art is not the same as the Time of history.”
LISA BLAS, Aluminum clouds, after S.H. / P.N., Acrylic on watercolor paper on Arches paper, 51 x 92 inches, 2017
The American Wing, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, July 2012
Abbreviated CV:
2017 / Lisa Blas is a New York based artist working in painting, photography, and installation. She draws from art history, the history of photography, and current events to reflect on specific cultural and political legacies, past and present. She has taught across disciplines in Fine Art and Art History at the undergraduate and graduate level, with a special focus on the museum and historical archives. Blas has produced an artist project for the Spring issue of Public Art Dialogue, published in May 2016.
UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS:
Social Photography V / Carriage Trade, New York, NY
Curator: Peter Scott
RECENT SOLO EXHIBITIONS:
2017
LISA BLAS / Monday's image, at Emily Harvey Foundation, New York, NY.
Curators: Christian Xatrec, Agustin Schang
2016
LISA BLAS / After lost space(s), at Kai Matsumiya Gallery, New York, NY.
"Don't Make A Scene" programming: February 7 - March 13, 2016.
2012-13
LISA BLAS / Still Lifes, Sometimes Repeated, at Galerie Rossicontemporary, Brussels, Belgium.
2011
LISA BLAS / Meet Me At the Mason Dixon, Schmucker Art Gallery, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: Curator: Shannon Egan (Catalogue).
2011
LISA BLAS / As if pruning a tree, after Matisse, Musée Matisse, Cateau-Cambrésis, France. Exhibition organizer: Amanda Crabtree/Art Connexion, Lille, France.
2011
LISA BLAS / Tourner La Page. Four exhibitions at Gallery Commune, Tourcoing, France.
Curators: Undergraduate/Graduate students of “Pôle/Exposition” - Département Arts Plastiques (Catalogues).
2009
LISA BLAS / Regarding Territories and Bodies, Salve Regina Gallery, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC. Curator: Dr. Lisa Lipinski, Faculty in Art History, Catholic University.
2008
LISA BLAS / Meet Me At The Mason Dixon, Meat Market Gallery, Washington, DC.
Organizer: Fabian Bernal.
RECENT GROUP EXHIBITIONS:
2017
Bellingham National 2017 / Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, Washington.
Curator: Catharina Manchanda
Americanah
2017 SPRING BREAK / ART FAIR, New York, NY.
Curator: Natasha Becker
Press release
Emergency Eyewash
(conceived by Barry Schwabsky and Carol Szymanski)
Tanja Grunert Gallery, New York, NY.
January 12 - February 18, 2017
2016
Foundation Barbin Presents: Redeux (sort of)
Kai Matsumiya Gallery, New York, NY.
January 5 - February 5, 2016
Curator: Lucky DeBellevue
2015
Sensations That Announce The Future
Evergreen Gallery at Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington
Group exhibition organized in response to Thinking In An Emergency by Elaine Scarry
September 19 - December 2, 2015
Curator: Shaw Osha.
2014
A Particular Kind of Solitude: An exhibition inspired by the writings of Robert Walser. The Elizabeth Street Garden, New York.
A site-specific exhibition engaging over 50 artists, writers, readers, musicians, dancers and filmmakers responding to the observations and writings of Robert Walser.
Curator: Serra Sabuncuoglu.
Audio/Video
2013
Typhoon Haiyan Benefit, The Lodge Gallery, New York.
Group exhibition and artwork donation to benefit NAFCON and support those affected by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.
Curators: Rachel Fick, Aaron Johnson, Ryan Schneider, Keith Schweitzer, Jason Patrick Voegele.
Press Release
2013
Are We What We Eat? Sustainability and Art, Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, Milan. Group exhibition of Corcoran College of Art & Design faculty and students (catalogue).
Curators: Franco Marrocco, Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera & Lynn Sures, Corcoran College of Art & Design.
Catalogue
2012
post-/hyper-/anti-/alter @ College Art Association – Annual Conference 2012.
Presented by the Services to Artists Committee.
Commission of video work, Expedition in gold, silver, copper and all other reflections. Group exhibition / projection, Bonaventure Hotel, Los Angeles, CA.
Curators: Cindy Smith and Ken Gonzales-Day.
2011
Summer Soul Sis
Emerging women artists from California: Jaus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA.
Curator: Ichiro Irie, Director, Jaus Gallery.
2011
Culturescape
Group exhibition at Addison Ripley Fine Art, Washington, DC.
Curators: Isabel Manolo, Christopher Addison.
Press
2009
Sondheim Prize 2009/Semi-finalist exhibition
Maryland Institute College of Art, Meyerhoff Gallery, Baltimore, MD.
Curators: Ellen Harvey, Artist, Valerie Cassel Oliver/Curator: Contemporary Arts Museum Houston,
Elisabeth Sussman/Curator of Photography: Whitney Museum of American Art.
2009
Washington Project for the Arts, Art Auction Gala 2009, American University, Katzen Center, Washington, DC. Donation of artwork benefiting the Washington Project for the Arts.
Curators: Georgia Deal, Margaret Boozer, Mark Alice Durant, Kimberly Gladfelter Graham, Daniel Kunitz, Luis Silva, Matthew Witkovsky.
2009
PUBLIC/PRIVATE, Arlington Arts Center, Arlington, VA, 2009.
Curator: Jeffry Cudlin, Former Director, Arlington Arts Center.
Audio discussion with Jeffry Cudlin.
2008
Picturing Politics 2008: Artists Speak To Power. Arlington Arts Center, Arlington, VA, 2008.
Curator: Rex Weil (Catalogue).
Catalog
2008
Mid-Atlantic New Painting 2008. University of Mary Washington Galleries, Fredericksburg, VA.
Curator: John Ravenal, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art/VMFA, Richmond, VA, (Catalogue).
Press
RECENT TEACHING:
Spring 2014
Visiting Artist Studio Critiques, MFA majors, Department of Visual Art, The School of Visual Art, New York.
Fall 2012-Spring 2013
Fine Art Seminar for Junior year BFA majors, Painting: Materials and Methods for Sophomore year BFA majors, Fine Art Core Curriculum for Sophomore year BFA major, Corcoran College of Art & Design, Washington, DC.
Fall 2011-January 2012
Atelier Général, 1 & 2, (equivalent to Foundation and Sophomore year studies in Drawing, Painting and Sculpture), Université de Lille 3, Tourcoing, France.
Spring 2011
Pôle Exposition (Tourner la page), graduate curatorial seminar in Photography, Université de Lille 3, Tourcoing, France.
Spring 2010
Final Critique panelist, Year 3 and 4, Atelier Dessin, La Cambre, Ecole Nationale Supérieure Des Arts Visuels,
Brussels, Belgium.
Organizers: Catherine Warmoes, Céline Gillain.
Spring 2010
Nomadism, Site-specificity and other modes of transit, graduate seminar with l’École Supérieure d’Art Tourcoing & Université de Lille 3.
Organizer: Vèronique Goudinoux.
2004-2009
Senior Core Thesis faculty for Senior year BFA majors, Corcoran College of Art & Design.
2007-2009
Fine Art Core Curriculum for Junior year BFA majors, Corcoran College of Art & Design.
2004-2007
Drawing/Painting faculty, George Washington University, Washington, DC.
RECENT TALKS AND CONFERENCES:
2016
Artist talk at Trestle Art Gallery
Brooklyn Art Space, Brooklyn
Moderator: Lauren Bierly
2015
Artist talk at Evergreen College, Olympia Washington, as part of Artist Lecture Series and in conjunction with the group exhibition, Sensations That Announce The Future.
Moderator: Shaw Osha
2015
Skype interview with undergraduate seminar at Lake Forest College, Chicago, Illinois
Moderator: Professor Miguel de Baca
2015
Skype interview with "Art Now" undergraduate class at George Washington University/Corcoran School of Art & Design, Washington, DC
Moderator: Professor Lisa Lipinski.
2013
Artist talk at University of Virginia, Charlottesville, McIntire Department of Art.
Organizers: Sarah Betzer, Howard Singerman.
2013
Artist talk at Museu de Arte do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Moderator: Gaudencio Fidelis, Director, Museu de Arte do Rio Grande do Sul.
Press
2013
Artist talk at University of São Paulo, Department of Visual Arts, São Paulo, Brazil.
Moderator: Sonia Salzstein.
2012:
AAANZ conference, Together <> Apart, University of Sydney, panelist in Toxic Blooms.
Organizers: Gary Sangster, Merilyn Fairskye, Anne Ferran.
2012
Cultural Studies Association conference, University of California, San Diego, stand-in chair and
panelist in Propaganda, Trauma, and Identity: Artists Respond to War.
Organizer: Karen Shelby, Baruch College, New York.
2012
Artist talk at Otis College of Art & Design, Painting department, Los Angeles.
Organizer: Holly Tempo.
2012
College Art Association conference, production of a video work for the group exhibition
POST-HYPER-ANTI-ALTER at the Bonaventure Hotel, Los Angeles.
2011
Gallery discussion with Miguel de Baca, Assistant Professor Art History, Lake Forest College.
Moderator: Shannon Egan, Director, Schmucker Art Gallery, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg,
Pennsylvania.
2011
Slought Foundation, Philadelphia, artist conversation with Thierry de Duve, moderated by Jean-Michel Rabaté, on the occasion of the exhibition Meet Me at the Mason Dixon, Schmucker Art Gallery, Gettysburg College, Pennsylvania.
Audio
2011
L’atelier en question conference (based on the book The Fall of the Studio: Artists at Work,
edited by Wouter Davidts and Kim Paice), l'ESA, Tourcoing, France.
Co-panelists: Wouter Davidts (Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art, Vrije Universiteit
Amsterdam), Devrim Bayar (Curator, Wiels, Brussels), Valérie Boudier (Art Historian, Université
de Lille 3), Stéphane Sauzedde (Director, l'Ecole Supérieure d'Art d'Annecy, France), Thierry de Duve
(Art Historian/Université de Lille 3).
Panel organizers: Nathalie Stefanov and Gilles Froger, Ecole Supérieure d'Art due Nord-Pas de
Calais-Dunkerque-Tourcoing.
EDUCATION:
2001 Claremont Graduate University / M.F.A., Painting, Claremont, CA.
1996 University of Southern California / B.A., Political Science, Los Angeles, CA.