Lee Lee
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biography


Intha Market - Burma


venta los platanos - Guatemala


Rain

Lee Lee - Mother of a Combat Medic in Iraq
Vrnda: Mother of a Combat Medic in Iraq

Lee Lee - Inle Lake, Burma
Weave

Lee Lee - Varanasi, India
The Making of Dust


Leap

Lee Lee - artist in Cambodia painting of Angkor Wat
Ta Prohm - Cambodia


Brand


Chinatown Eggcase


Salla Dancer

Weep


Queen Jayarajadevi


Femme d'Afrique Ouest

current

2-3.12: Miniatures - Millicent Rogers Museum, Taos

6-7.12: Guatemala: Mayan Women in the New Year - Dairy Center for the Arts, 2590 Walnut Street, Boulder, CO

9.12: ISEA2012: Machine Wilderness - Reinvisioning Art, Technology & Nature. My studio featuring our high desert Permaculture/Aquaponics installation as well as the paintings that have grown from the process of building it. Also on view will be a current exploration of the environmental impacts of Plastic.

The Tales of Thatcher Gray

The Tales of Thatcher Gray explores contemporary issues and manifest the voices of chidren in our world. Current themes regard Plastic and Agriculture. More can be learned at the TalesOfThatcherGray.com

The Tales of Thatcher Gray: Metropolis
Metropolis is a book of words for children. The words were chosen to reflect the essence of Burning Man. Following Thatcher Gray on his first visit to Black Rock City, the illustrations manifest the event from the perspective of a two year old. He immediately embraced the participatory nature of the community and was delighted to explore the highly interactive art. In the way that children his age are encouraged learn through play, Thatcher Gray seemed to pick up on the fact that the artists and intellectuals who contribute most to the community often present experiments in which they are furthering their own education through play. For more information on Burning Man at BurningMan.com - Learn more about Thatcher Gray's specific experience on his blog, TalesOfThatcherGray.com

 


CV

clippings

11.11: Reverse the Gaze Catalog of the exhibition, Man as Object: Reversing the Gaze at SOMArts in San Francisco, CA.
11.2.11: Preview of Man as Object: Reversing the Gaze, SF Weekly
11.4.11: Man as Object questions perceptions of male beauty, The Good Men Project
10.
28.11: Man as Object pushes our taken for granted ways of seeing, Ms. Magazine
5.11: A 150,000-Pound Hand-Me-Down. Yay? by Neil Genzlinger, Metropolitan Section of the New York Times
4.11: The Plastic Flow: From Waste to Waves - Feature written by Camilla Thiele, The United Nations Environment Programme
3.11: An Exchange with Sol Lewitt - Catalog of the exhibition curated by Regine Basha in collaboration with Mass MoCA - Cabinet Magazine
11.10: Hundreds Fill Santa Fe Riverbed To Bring Attention To Climate Change - Article written by Jessica Dyer, Albuquerque Journal
Spring 2010: Publication in Art Alive: A Fresh Approach to the Basics - Based on the teachings of Sally Bartalot
10.09: St. Petersburg exhibition of Lee Lee paintings highlights degradation of environment By Lennie Bennett, St Petersburg Times
Fall 2009: Publication of Preservatives in Tampa Review 37
1.09: CALYX, A Journal of Art & Literature by Women - Collapsed Home in Vares, Bosnia - Confined Shrine, Myanmar - Angkor Shrine, Cambodia
6.08: 'Cradle' Hopes to Nurture Africa - Albuquerque Journal
4.8.08: Eight artists offer 'React,' an eclectic show at C. Emerson Fine Arts, by Lennie Bennett, St Petersburg Times
11.07: Art Questions if Spirit Matters - Susan King, St Petersburg Times
05.04.07: Sudan's faces of suffering, by Erika Gonzalez - The Rocky Mountain News
04.07: On the Subject of Genocide, by Bonnie Ganglehoff - SouthwestArt Magazine
04.07: Reflections of Reality, by Julie Dugdale - 5280 Magazine
2.07: The Human Element - An Interview with Lee Lee, by Ian MacKenzie of Brave New Traveler
28.01.07: Art exhibit a testament to triumphs of survivors, by Cindy Rodriguez - The Denver Post
10.01.07: Eyewitness Reports: The message is in the medium at the Mizel Museum's new show, by Susan Froyd - Westword

04.05.06: Poetry and art speak to each other, by Kyle MacMillan - The Denver Post
1.06: CALYX, A Journal of Art & Literature by Women - Ta Prohm
12.05: 5280 magazine - drawings featured as part of Laurel Quint's interior design.
4.05: The Art of Recycled Trash: Appealing pieces with a political point by Tequila Minsky. Downtown Express, New York
4.05: Flights of Fancy included in the Off Limits section of Westword.
10.10.04: Garden Fete sends summer on its way, by Suzanne Brown - The Denver Post.
1.04: Painting chosen for the National Breast Cancer Coalition's raising funds and awareness for their grassroots advocacy. Live studio interviews on ABC and CBS newscasts.
11.03: Showcase: American ingenuity ties pieces of history, by Betsy Lehndorff, Rocky Mountain News
11.02: From Denver to Africa and Back...A Plea for Understanding, by Patterson Benero, In the Black Magazine.
09-10.01: FiberArts The Magazine of Textiles - Interpretations of a War-Torn Country, by Jennie Shortridge.
12.99: Viet Nam News The National English Daily - American Artist Lee Lee celebrates Viet Nam's circle of life, VNS.
Fall.99: Colorado Home & Lifestyles Magazine - Kitchen Duty by David Wallace.
07.95: Providence Journal Bulletin - Making the Art of the Real by Gina Macris.
06-08.90: Saigon, a Guidebook - contributed to the first publication of the guide, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

 

solo

7-8.10: Guatemala - Coinciding with the Biennial of the Americas - Gallery 420, Denver CO
10.09: Reap: The Environmental Unsustainability of the American Food Machine - C Emerson Fine Arts, St Petersburg, FL
12.08: Sacred - DAC, 1301 Glenarm, Denver
6.07: Weave, Weilworks, 3611 Chestnut Place, Denver
8.06: Flow - Kitchens'Ink, 757 Santa Fe, Denver CO.
6.06: Ritual based on winter travels through India, Myanmar & Vietnam - HMK Designs, Denver
9.05: Ta Prohm - 2 person show at Weilworks, 3611 Chestnut Place, Denver CO
8.05: Brand - supporting the Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, Denver CO
8.05: Red - Kitchens'Ink, 757 Santa Fe, Denver CO.
7-8.05: Bas Bleu - 401 Pine St, Fort Collins CO.
1-2.03: Hawai'i - St Marks, Denver CO
1-2.02: Umbered - supporting the Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, Denver CO
7-8.01: Pieta - Angels with fire from Havana's graveyard. St Mark's, Denver CO
6.00: A Humanitarian Journey - supporting PeaceTrees Vietnam. Installation to raise awareness of landmines & UXO, Bell Harbor Conference Center in Seattle.
Also shown 9.00 at a benefit concert with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on Bainbridge Island, WA
1-2.00: Lazy Shamrock Ranch - supporting the Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, Denver CO
12.99: 9 - Site specific installation at the Metropolitan Center, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
7.98: Women of Ancient Greece - Elizabeth Schlosser Fine Art, Denver CO

 

group

11.11: Man as Object, Reversing the Gaze - SOMArts Cultural Center, 934 Brannan Street, San Francisco. Reverse the Gaze Catalog of the exhibition available.
8-9.11: Nature:Working! - exhibition on permaculture - the Events Center at 910 Arts, Denver CO
8-9.11: Rhode Island School of Design New Mexico Alumni show - Scripps Fine Art: 821 Canyon Road, Santa Fe NM
7.11: Urban Art - Curated by Michelle Yamamoto - Columbia Arts Center, Hood River OR
6-7.11: Local Color: Voices from the Rio Grande - Gallery on the Green, Taos Country Club, NM
5: N.A.W.A. members exhibition - Sylvia Wald & Po Kim Gallery - 417 Lafayette Street, New York NY 10003. Catalogue available
4-5.11: Art from Detritus - Williamsburgh Art & Historical Center (WAH), 135 Broadway, Brooklyn NY 11211 - Opening Reception April 23rd, 4-6pm - Turtles Swimming in a Plastic Ocean
1-3.11: An Exchange with Sol Lewitt - Curated by Regine Basha in collaboration with Mass MoCA - Cabinet Magazine Exhibition Space, 300 Nevins Street, Brooklyn NY. Catalogue available
11.10: Environmental Photography Exhibition at the Colorado Environmental Film Festival, American Mountaineering Center, 710 10th Street, Golden CO
10.10: Bioneers Conference - Bee included in the Vanishing Pollinators installation by WEAD (Women Environmental Artists Directory) - San Rafael, CA
9.10: Taos Open - Convention Center, Taos NM. Best Mixed Media Award for When offerings lay in the mud, the Laundry is taken out, India
5.
10: Art & Agriculture - The Columbia Arts Center, OR - Rain -
4-5.10: Texas National 2010 - Invited by Judy Pfaff - Bleed -

3-5.10: GhatMillicent Rogers Museum & the Town Hall, Taos NM
3.10: Security - An exhibition of artwork that investigates issues of safety & community well-being. ROOT DIVISION San Francisco, CA - Vrnda: mother of a combat medic stationed in Iraq
6-7.09: Extinction - Denver Botanic Gardens - Sparrow -
10.08: Environmental Horror - at Nova 535, St. Petersburg, FL
9.08: The Human Condition - C Emerson Fine Arts, St Petersburg FL
Portraits of Vrnda, mother of a Combat Medic stationed in Iraq and Nga, from Vietnam.
4.08: React - C Emerson Fine Art, St Petersburg, FL - ritual - confined shrine - torched angels
11.07: Spirituality & Materialism - C. Emerson Fine Arts, St Petersburg, FL
7.07: Cultivating Compassion - Site specific installation at the Seventh Biennial Conference of the International Association of Genocide Scholars in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, themed Responding to Genocide Before It's Too Late: Genocide Studies and Prevention
1-4.07: 10 "Glocal" Artists Interpret Genocide & The Dead Weight of Complacency Mizel Museum
1-2.07: Colleagues Weilworks, 3811 Chestnut Pl, Denver
8.06-1.07: Best of Colorado Artists, Denver International Airport.
10.06: Arts at Altitude - Kitchens’Ink, 757 Santa Fe
6.06: CAP at the Denver Center for Performing Arts
4.06: The Making of Dust invitational at Weilworks, Denver, CO
5.06: dog Saks Galleries, Cherry Creek - Denver, CO
3.06: Western art at the Grand National Rodeo, San Francisco, CA
8-10.05: "strange", "confrontational", "offensive"...Found Objects Colorado, 1401 Wewatta St, Denver
4-5.05: Art from Detritus Synagogue for the Arts, 49 white St, New York NY.
2.05: HeartArt, Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver CO
12.04: Support for UNICEF ground work in Rwanda, Arvada Center for the Arts & Humanities, CO
11.04: Denver and Africa Working Against AIDS, Museum of Natural History, Denver CO
2.03: Spark Selects invitational at Spark Gallery, Denver CO
1-3.02: Corporate Collections 2002, Republic Plaza, Denver CO
6-8.00 & 01: Nautilus Presents, Crescent Pond Gallery, Block Island, RI
4.98: Women in the Visual Arts, international exhibition at the Erector Square Gallery, New Haven, CT
4.98: Works on Paper '98, San Jacinto College South, Houston TX
3.98: The Faces of Woman, National exhibition sponsored by the Las Vegas Arts Council, NM
2.98: National exhibition at St John's University, Jamaica NY
10.97: Exhibited and received merit award at the Hoyt National Art Show, PA
9.97: 32nd Annual Open Exhibition at the San Bernandino County Museum, CA
3.96: Group show at the Woods Gerry Gallery, Providence RI
2.95: Painterly Prints of Mexico - Group show at the Instituto Allende, Guanajuato Mexico.

 

education

08.93 - 05.96: Awarded a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, Providence RI
1995-2005: Study of printmaking at the Art Students League of Denver, Honolulu Academy of the Arts, & the Instituto Allende, Mexico.

 

education, lectures & discussions given:

7.11: Art & Social Justice - Conference hosted by the Women's Caucus for the Arts - Regional Arts Commission, Saint Louis MO
Panel discussion on Genocide and Visual Representation with Naomi Natale of One Million Bones.
7.07: International Conference of Genocide Scholars, Sarajevo Bosnia: Genocide & Visual Representation
2.06-5.07: Rocky Mountain Survivors Center - encouraging expression by survivors of torture and war trauma.
4.06 & 6.07: University of Colorado lectures regarding how my work addresses racial issues & multiculturalism.
9.05-1.08: Board member of Working With Artists, photography school in Denver
2001-2003: Visiting Artist at La Academia, an alternative high school in Denver; the Spot, an organization to keep kids off the streets in Denver; and in the IB program at George Washington High School in Denver.

 

Artist Biography

Lee Lee attained her BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, and has spent time in over 40 countries. These experiences have led her to develop a wide range of painting styles in response to the diverse conditions of our world. Her work is informed by several movements through art history including the feminine expressionist drawings of Kathe Kolwitz and the actions of the 1970s which embraced such processes as using a shotgun or fire. Rich textures developed through destructive means speak to socio political situations imposed on people as well as environmental degradation. Sensitive mark making atop of these textures explores the emotional textures within a community, emphasizing resilience in the face of adversity. Recently, strong environmental themes have entered into her repertoire as she recognizes that social and political stress is driven by the scarcity of our resources.

Resilience as a theme grew from the opportunity to curate an exhibition in regards to Genocide for the Mizel Museum which was developed into an installation for the 7th Biennial International Conference of Genocide Scholars in Sarajevo, Bosnia, for which she also presented her discourse on genocide and visual representation. This presentation was also featured at the Art & Social Justice conference in St Louis. Other international exhibitions have included an installation of prints at the Instituto Allende in Mexico and paintings exploring the imprint of tradition in contemporary Vietnamese culture at the Metropolitan Center in Saigon, Vietnam.

Recent environmental exhibitions have included REAP: The Environmental Unsustainability of the American Food Machine at C Emerson Fine Art in St Petersburg, FL, Extinction at the Denver Botanic Gardens, and Vanishing Pollinators as part of the Bioneers Conference on Sustainability in San Raphael, CA. Resilience in the face of environmental degradation was explored through an series of work, Guatemala: Mayan Women, created for the 2010 Biennial of the Americas in Denver, and on view during the Mayan New Year at the Dairy Center in Bouder in 2012.

Currently, Lee Lee is using plastic as a material to explore the impacts of plastic on the environment as well as the chemical imprints left in our bodies. Complimenting this theme is work being created which follows the development of a permaculture installation around her Taos, NM studio. The small scale production of food will be presented in contrast to industrial agricultural practice, which like plastic, is exacting a tremendous toll on the environment. She is working with 910Arts in Denver to explore soutions through the development of sustainabe food production.

visits

Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia, Botswana, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Canada, China, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Peru, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Tibet, Trinidad, US, Vietnam, Virgin Isands, West Indies, Zambia, Zimbabwe...

 

blogs

Tales of Thatcher Gray
Taos Artist Organization

Preserve the Season


read full chronology

links