Photos of Leisa by David Clifton-Strawn
Additional art works for sale at: www.saatchiart.com/leisar
Find Leisa’s art on wescover:Leisa Rich’s Wescover Map
Rich published her first children's book in 2015, comprised of 26 hand made dioramas and matching tongue twister type pages. View it at: www.animalalphabettravelingtwisters.com To order: Amazon
Rich has also published a line of How To books about Fosshape. Check them out now at: https://www.blurb.ca/b/9552452-fosshape-volume-one-the-basics
Ordering, shipping, hanging & maintenance FAQ
How to purchase an art piece? Many works are for sale in my Works For Sale tab. Custom orders are ALWAYS welcomed. I love personally creating the right art works for individuals and corporations, so that you are happy and enjoy my work for years to come.
How long will it take? Packing and shipping are done expeditiously. The only exception would be if I am on vacation, in which case I will let you know the exact date I am able to ship your order. That will NEVER be more than 2 weeks on in-stock pieces.
Is shipping covered? How is my purchase shipped? Many works have shipping included. However, with some large pieces, shipping is not included in the listed price. I will work with you to find the least expensive shipping option. I send all packages UPS or Fedex unless we agree on alternate shipping arrangements. Contact me regarding shipping.
Is my purchase insured? The first $100 is covered. I can insure your purchase additionally for an extra fee.
Is there a guarantee or return policy? Yes! All of my art works come with a 30 day guarantee and return policy. Ship it back to me at your expense if you are not happy, and let's see if we can work together to create something new, instead!
Cleaning/Maintenance: Instructions provided.
Hanging Instructions: Included, if needed.
More questions? Just ask at monaleisa@bellsouth.net
RESUME
EDUCATION
2007 Master of Fine Arts in Fibers, The University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
1993 Bachelor of Education in Art, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
1982 Bachelor of Fine Art in Fibers, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024 Buried Seeds Crack Open In The Dark, KSOA Gallery, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
2023 Safe Zone, MELT Studio Gallery, Picton, Ontario,Canada
2022 She Packs A Punch, MAK Gallery, Gananoque, Ontario, Canada
2020 Diversionary Antics, Coastal Carolina University Bryan Art Gallery, Conway, South Carolina
2019 Aftermath: In The Pink, Thomas Deans Fine Art, Atlanta, Georgia
The Saccharine Sublime, Signature Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
2017 Artist Spotlight: Leisa Rich, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, Louisiana
2016 grownupland, Stanley Beaman Sears Gallery 180, Atlanta, Georgia
Techstiles, Pop up, solo exhibition curated by Danielle Carlson, Atlanta, Georgia
2010 Inconsistencies: Stitching Past to Present, Fine Arts Blount Space, Maryville, Tennessee
2009 Beauty From the Beast, Callanwolde Fine Arts Center Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
2007 (in)CONSEQUENTIAL, Cora Stafford Gallery, The University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
2001 Under the Surface, Focus Gallery, Irving Arts Center, Irving, Texas
1984 Contradictions, Brights Grove Gallery, Brights Grove, Ontario, Canada
SELECTED TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2016 Wash & Wax: A Collaboration, The Irving Arts Center, Focus Gallery, Irving, Texas
Wash & Wax: A Collaboration, Jacksonville State U., Hammond Gallery, Jacksonville, Georgia
2015 Wash & Wax: A Collaboration, Abernathy Arts Center Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
2012 Connecting the Dots, Collaboration with Terri Dilling. Sponsors: The Center For Chemical
Evolution and NASA, Spruill Art Center Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
2005 beyond COLOR, with Laura Jennings, University of North Texas Union Gallery, Denton, Texas
2012 Connecting the Dots, Collaboration with Terri Dilling. Sponsors: The Center For Chemical
Evolution and NASA, Spruill Art Center Gallery, Atlanta, GA
2010 Inconsistencies: Stitching Past to Present, Solo, Fine Arts Blount Space, Maryville, Tennessee
2009 Beauty From the Beast, Solo, Callanwolde Fine Arts Center Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
2007 (in)CONSEQUENTIAL, Solo, Cora Stafford Gallery, Denton, Texas
2005 beyond COLOR, with Laura Jennings, University of North Texas Union Gallery, Denton, Texas
2001 Under the Surface, Solo, Focus Gallery, Irving Arts Center, Irving, Texas
SELECTED GROUP/INVITATIONAL/JURIED EXHIBITIONS
2023 World of Threads, Oakville Community & Cultural Centre, Oakville, Ontario
Among The Garbage & The Flowers, Mississippi Valley Textile Museum, Almonte, Ontario
Safekeeping, 108 Contemporary, Tulsa Oklahoma
Gentle Disruptions, Union Gallery, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario
Tenuous Threads, Atlantic Gallery, NYC, New York
unframed, Propeller Gallery, Toronto, Ontario
Glenhyrst Biennial Juried Exhibition, Glenhyrst Art Gallery, Brantford, Ontario
2022 Juried Exhibition, The Art Gallery of Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario
The Material Is The Message, 378 Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
Modern Meets Tradition, Surface Design Association, publication
2019 January Group Exhibition, Mason Fine Art, Atlanta, Georgia
2018 In Her Hands, Robert Mann Gallery, New York, New York
Repurposed, Gallery Walk At Terminus, Atlanta, Georgia
2017 Art Fields, Lake City, South Carolina. Finalist in competition.
2016 Arising: Yoko Ono Project, Reykjavik Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland
Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series finalist, Mason Fine Art, Atlanta, Georgia
Multiplicities, Baylor University Martin Museum of Art, Wacom Texas
World of Threads Int’l Biennial, Queen Elizabeth Cultural Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Materials: Hard & Soft, Patterson-Appleton Arts Center, Denton, Texas
First LaGrange Southeast Regional, LaGrange Art Museum, LaGrange, Georgia
The Motherload Project, Hannah Maclure Centre, Dundee, Scotland
2015 Giving Attention, Ernest G. Welch Gallery, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia
(In)Organic, Racine Art Museum, Racine, Wisconsin
Flight Patterns, Hartsfield Jackson ATL Airport, concourse T-north, Atlanta, Georgia
Flight Patterns, Ernest B. Welch Gallery, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia
Body & Mind, Sulfur Studios, Savannah, Georgia
The Art of Nature, The Blue Heron Nature Preserve, Atlanta, Georgia
Touched, The Ground Floor Gallery, Nashville, Tennessee
The Motherload Project, curators Lesli Robertson and Natalie Macellaio, Dallas Museum of Art,
Dallas, Texas and on-line http://www.themotherload.org/
2014 Mysterious Worlds, Further Polycontemporary Gallery, Tula Art Center, Atlanta, Georgia
Flight Patterns, Hartsfield Jackson ATL Airport, concourse T-north, through April 2015
World of Threads International, various locations, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
(In)Organic, Racine Art Museum, Racine, Wisconsin
New Fibers, Eastern Michigan University Gallery, Ypsilanti, Michigan
Materials: Hard & Soft, Greater Denton Arts Council, Meadows Gallery, Denton, Texas
Triage, Fuse Art Center, C4, Atlanta, GA
Fiber Options, Maryland Federation of Art Gallery, Annapolis, Maryland
The Motherload Project, curators Lesli Robertson and Natalie Macellaio, Dallas Museum of Art,
Dallas, Texas and on-line http://www.themotherload.org/
2013 Object Object!, Helmuth Projects, San Diego, California
UrbanFronts, AIA- ATL Institute of Architects, installation with Sixfold Collective, Atlanta, Georgia
Connecting Threads, LAX airport, Los Angeles, California
National Fiber Directions 2013, Wichita Center for the Arts, Wichita, Kansas
Fantastic Fibers 2013, Yeiser Art Center, Paducah, Kentucky
The Motherload Project, curators Lesli Robertson and Natalie Macellaio, Prescott College Art
Gallery, Prescott, Arizona and on-line http://www.themotherload.org/
Teapots! 7th Invitational, Morgan Contemporary Glass Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA
Georgia Artists Selecting Georgia Artists, Museum of Contemporary Art, Atlanta, Georgia
2012 All Mixed Up, dk Gallery, Marietta, Georgia
Fibers, Wonderroot Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
New Fibers ’12, Eastern Michigan University Gallery, Ypsilanti, Michigan
de rerum natura, World of Threads Exhibition, Oakville/Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Surface and Structure, Beep Beep Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
Talent Loves Company, Barbara Archer Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
Fibers, Madison Morgan Cultural Center, Madison, GA
Fiberart International, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2011 LAIR, Sixfold Collective, Abernathy Art Center, Atlanta, Georgia
Volusia Wrapped in Fiber, Gateway Center for the Arts, DeBary, Florida
Little Things Mean A Lot, Swan Coach House Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
Collective Thread, The University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, Missouri
Fiberart International, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2010 Fiberart International, travelling: Rochester, New York, San Francisco, California
The Sculpted Wall, The Terminus Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
2009 National Fiber Directions Exhibition 2009, Wichita Center for the Arts, Wichita, Kansas
Quilt National 2009, The Dairy Barn, Athens, Ohio- touring through 2011
Spotlight 2009, American Craft Council Exhibition, Kennesaw, Georgia
2008 AAC Annual National Juried Exhibition, AAC Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
Led By Thread, Target Gallery- Torpedo Factory Art Center, Alexandria, Virginia
Mining the Surface: New Sensibilities in Art Textiles, Swan Coach House Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
SELECTED NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL TRAVELING EXHIBITIONS
2013-16 The Motherload Project, curators Lesli Robertson and Natalie Macellaio (above)
2016 World of Threads Int’l Biennial, various locations, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2014 World of Threads Int’l Biennial, various locations, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2010-12 Fiberart International, Venue One-Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Venue Two-Memorial Art Center, Rochester, NY
2012 World of Threads International, various locations, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2010 Sum of the Parts, Dane G. Hansen Memorial Museum, Logan, Kansas
2009 Sum of the Parts, Acadiana Center for the Arts, Lafayette, Louisiana
2008 Sum of the Parts, Museum of Texas Tech, Lubbock, Texas
Sum of the Parts, J. Wayne Stark Gallery, College Station, Texas
2002- 05 Masterpieces: A Voyage of Self Discovery, Husqvarna Viking Gallery of Quilt Art traveling
exhibition venues:
International Quilt Market, Houston, Texas 2002
International Quilt Festival, Houston, Texas 2002
Spring Quilt Festival, Chicago, Illinois, 2003
International Quilt market, Portland, Oregon, 2003
Craft and Quilt Fair, Melbourne,VIC, Australia 2004
Craft and Quilt Fair, Sydney, NSW, Australia 2004
Craft and Quilt Fair, Perth, WA, Australia 2004
Craft and Quilt Fair, Launceston, TAS, Australia 2004
Senior Expo, Sydney, NSW, Australia 2004
Husquvarna Fabric Museum, Sweden 2005
Quilt Show, France 2005
CURATORIAL EXHIBITIONS
2015 Invisible:visAble, Abernathy Arts Center Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia. 16 international artists who face invisible disabilities, including Leisa Rich, exhibited work produced from their experiences dealing with these challenges, in a provocative and insightful exhibition of video, painting, fiber, kinetic sculpture, and more.
RECENT AWARDS
2022 Modern meets Tradition, Surface Design Association, publication award
2019 Distinguished Fellowship, Fulton County Arts & Culture and Hambidge Arts Center, Atlanta, GA
2014 Honorable Mention, Georgia Artists: A Juried Exhibit, Abernathy Arts Center, Atlanta, GA
2013 Honorable Mention, Georgia Artists: A Juried Exhibit, Abernathy Arts Center, Atlanta, GA
Award of Excellence, Surface Design Association, Fabricate Exhibition, San Antonia, TX
2008 Second Place Award, Atlanta Artist Center National Juried Exhibition, Atlanta, GA
2007 Distinguished Jury Award, Earth Matters,The University of Texas-Pan American, Edinburg, TX
Juror’s Award, Materials: Hard and Soft Exhibition, The Meadows Gallery, Denton, TX
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS, REVIEWS & FEATURES- T.V, RADIO, INTERNET
2022 Turning Art interview, https://blog.turningart.com/in-studio/leisa-rich
2018: Atlantan, feature. September/October 2018
2017: Review: http://burnaway.org/review/grownupland-leisa-rich-gallery-180/
2016: Textile Nature, Anne Kelly, p. 80
Tracy & Tom WTFFF?! Leisa Rich Feature Podcast. Episode 275
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wtfff-!!-3d-printing-podcast/id986120629
2015: 3D Mixed Media Textile Art, Joe and Sam Pitcher, TextileArtist.org
Review: Artists grapple… http://www.artsatl.com/2015/11/invisible-visable-abernathy
2014: Textile Art Around the World, Ellen Bakker, p. 160
2013: Plastics in Fiber: Creative Friend or Environmental Foe? Fiber Art Now Summer ‘13 (author)
Mastering the Art of Embroidery, Chronicle Books, p. 249-250
Morgan Contemporary Glass’ teapots exhibit pours on the creativity: Review-Pittsburgh Tribune
http://triblive.com/aande/museums/4018396-74/teapot-glass-says#axzz2VjQzFdnr
Inspiration: Leisa Rich, Stitches magazine, p. 43
Repetition and Ritual at Hudgens Center, Atlanta, Georgia, by Leisa Rich (author)
http://burnaway.org/2013/05/review-repetition-and-ritual-at-hudgens-center/
2012: Contemporary Sculptors: 84 International Sculptors, Schiffer, p. 170-171
World of Threads, Leisa Rich, Interview 79
http://www.worldofthreadsfestival.com/artist_interviews/079_leisa_rich_12.html
The Best of America Sculpture, Kennedy Publishing
2011: Noplaceness: Art in a Post-Urban Landscape, Atlanta Art Now
The Studio Quilt, No.6: State of the Art, Sandra Sider
2010: Hand to Hand: 195 Artists Witness the Iraq War, Cecelia Kane, Blurb Publishing, p. 281 & 327
Unique Fiber Art… http://artofday.com/wordpress/?tag=leisa-rich
Sweet Station Leisa Rich http://sweet-station.com/blog/2010/06/leisa-rich/
Threads of Reconnection http://artslammagazine.com/?p=6994
2009: Quilt National 2009, Lark Books, p.49
Artist Leisa Rich Gets to the Root of the Problem, Cinque Hicks
http://clatl.com/atlanta/artist-leisa-rich-gets-to-the-root-of-the-problem/Content?oid=1281230
2008: Best of America Sculpture Artists and Artisans, Volume 1, Kennedy Publishing, p.85
‘Mining’ Exhibition Diverse and Deep, AJC, H10, Atlanta, Georgia
Visual Arts review, Atlanta Journal Constitution, August 28, 2008, section H10
2006/07 In Context, Featured Artist, PBS Televised Interview, Dutch Rall, Producer
2005 Out of Site, www.gillensarmy.com/outofsite
2002 Alliance for American Quilts Association, Quilters S.O.S. Save Our Stories, Oral history
Interview, http://www.centerforthequilt.org/qso
SELECTED TEACHING
Present Self-Employed Art Educator: in studio workshops and classes
Travel-to-Teach Art Educator: arts programs, retreats, arts centers, universities
2008-13 Director/Teacher (Art), GASP Program, The Galloway School, Atlanta, Georgia
2007-12 Teacher (Art), Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, Atlanta, Georgia
2007-09 Teaching Artist, The High Museum, Atlanta, Georgia
2004-05 Teaching Assistant in Fibers, The University of North Texas School of Visual Art, Denton, TX.
Teaching Assistant- Design 1,The University of North Texas School of Visual Art, Denton, TX.
2002-04 Director/Teacher, Art & Beyond School of Art for Children and Adults, Coppell, Texas
COLLECTIONS
Hilton Hotel Group
The Works, Atlanta
Delta Airlines, Inc.
Emory Healthcare, Atlanta, Georgia
The Dallas Museum of Art- permanent, interactive installation, installed November 2011
The Kamm Teapot Foundation, 2012 and 2013 permanent collection
The University of North Texas
The University of Texas- Pan American
*Private collections. List available upon request.
Brief BIO
Leisa Rich is an experimental artist working with an array of new fibers, detritus and mixed media in 2D, sculptural, installation, 3D printing and laser cutting/engraving. Rich pulls from many art and fiber techniques but it is Free Motion stitching and sewing that are employed most often in her works. She exhibits internationally and nationally, has been featured on the PBS artist special inCONTEXT, in several books: 3D Mixed Media Textile Art, Textile Art Around the World; Mastering the Art of Embroidery; The Best of America Sculpture; NoPlaceness: Art in A Post-Urban Landscape; Modern Sculpture; The Studio Quilt No. 6: State of the Art; Hand to Hand; Quilt National 2009; The Best of America Sculpture Artists and Artisans and in magazines, newspapers, blogs and televised interviews. She holds Master of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts & Bachelor of Education in Art degrees and teaches in colleges, arts centers, educational institutions, studio, and travels to teach. Previous experience includes international fashion designer, set design, wearable art business and art school director. Leisa Rich has pieces in the collections of Hilton Hotel Group, Delta Airlines, Emory Healthcare and Emory Women’s Health, The Dallas Museum of Art, The Kamm Teapot Foundation, The University of North Texas, The University of Texas- Pan American, The Works Atlanta, and in private collections. She is also a Distinguished Hambidge Fellow. Leisa Rich has also written, illustrated and published a children’s book titled Animal Alphabet Traveling Twisters, available on Amazon.com, and a series of art books Fosshape, available on blurb.com. Links above.
A LITTLE LONGER STORY.....
Time spent in the hospital as a child led to my early connection to fibers.
As a baby, I had a favored blanket; the only way I could fall asleep was by working my fingers along the satin trim edging from one end to the other. During ages 2-4 while I was in and out of the hospital for medical complications and deafness, my mother made wonderful sewn and knit clothes for my Barbie and Ken which she would surprise me with on her visits to me during my hospital stays. One particular dress, made of a fiery red satin and white lace, enticed a growing tactile infatuation. Finger painting in the hospital art room -- large scuttling clouds and blowing treetops seen through the big picture window -- was my solace as I reveled in the squishy paint between my fingers.
Touch was there when humans were not.
Saturdays were spent with Dad at his electrical shop from age 5 on. Wires, bolts and bits of metal became diamond tiaras and bracelets with which to adorn myself as I played. I visited the other shops in the construction company enclave where my Dad's business was housed -- plumbing, pipe fitting and glass shops became my source for supplies to make tables and sculptures -- and the men who owned them my lunch buddies at the local diner. An electrical spool cable table and stools my Dad set up inside an enclosure of weeping willow branches in our home back yard became the perfect setting to host tea parties for my dolls and teddy bears, with no other sound but the rustling whish the leaves made in light wind as I played alone for hours. A trip to Disneyland in California at age 5 -- my very first real vacation after all of my childhood illnesses, and the ride, "It's A Small World" -- made a huge impact on me and most certainly inspired the fantastical worlds I have been creating!
Growing up in Canada meant a childhood inspired by nature: crystallized lakes to skate on, quiet forests to walk in, sluggish creeks to lazily swim in, and the violent elements of cold and hot to survive, all with their own extreme beauty.
At age 15, while attending Interlochen Arts Academy private boarding school in Michigan for piano and dance I developed thyroid complications from Mononucleosis, which caused weight gain and resulted in getting kicked out of the dance department until I lost some of the weight. A friend suggested I take weaving to temporarily replace dance. I fell in love with fibers and immediately switched my major to art. It seems to me now, that it was predestined.
Art chose me.
That peace I felt while cocooned within that weeping willow tree of my childhood disappeared with the frenetic pace of city life, the unavoidable hyper-speed influx technology that infiltrats most facets of daily life, the inhumane pace humans work at and live in, and social and political strife, has chipped away at our time and ability to notice nature and the many small but important moments. Inner reflection, and the quest for true connection, has been buried in hype, and in hyper-activity.
In 1989 I was paralyzed in a car wreck; the months of debilitating pain I spent prior to reconstructive surgery, and the joy I felt upon regaining mobility afterward, cemented in me the realization that life is short and meant to be lived with passion and purpose. Getting swept down a mountain in Indonesia a few years later in a mudslide during a torrential rainstorm, another horrific car crash in 2015, and severe Melanoma in 2018 at which time I lost a good portion of my face and thus my dignity, only regaining some of it back with extensive plastic surgery, furthered my belief that, like a cat, I have used up more than a few of my lives! so I might as well live to their fullest any left!
Through the years of trying to return to those early years of wonder, I took moments to look closely at items usually ignored: a small stone kicked aside while walking, a bit of broken glass frosted by its movement in water or sand, a fossil, a shard of twisted metal, a miniscule shell, a cell, a swirl of moss on a beach, a shy smile, wrinkled hands, folds of cloth. I wanted to transform those simple, ordinary things into the extraordinary in order to give greater significance to them. Inspired by those bits, I produced 2D and 3D art forms and installation works that were not meant to realistically “reproduce” organic structures of the natural world and magnify them but merely intimate them; using the power of scale--from tiny to gargantuan—I strove to portray an essence I saw in each object. I also strove to connect with the viewer in a visceral, tactile manner, to ask that they share just a little bit of their time to live in my world, through interactive art works and installations that invited them in to share my world. The last show during which I was able to do that, in early spring of 2020, was a hit.
Then Covid administered a different kind of hit. Suddenly, touch was impossible.
In fall of 2020, disgusted by the political situation and social unrest in the U.S., my husband and I left the U.S. and settled on a Canadian island accessible only by ferry, with no retail, no doctors, no gas stations, nothing but a few farms and houses. It is a refuge, provides solace, and is an endless source of new inspiration. It has inspired a whole new body of work, which was completed in fall of 2022, and which can be seen here in my site’s galleries.
A new body of work is forming…and I can’t wait to see where that goes!