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RECENT COMMISSIONS
Cordifolia #3 Cordifolia #3
Private Residence
Jacksonville, FL
My horticultural series made of paperback book covers continue to be popular with consultants and private collectors. Cordifolia #3 is the latest addition to this series, many of which can be seen on my
Commissions page →
Room 414 Room 414
The Gunter Hotel
San Antonio, TX
What a thrill to make an asemic piece based on a musical score! And to have it hanging in a historic hotel where the blues legend Robert Johnson once had a recording studio in room 414. This is the first time I had the opportunity to use asemic “notes” and I loved the opportunity to acknowledge the importance of Johnson in the evolution of a quintessentially American musical genre.
Dorian's Rose #2 The Dorian
Calgary, Canada
This commission, for a Victorian-themed hospitality venue,
stipulated three elements: that the piece be made from vintage
copies of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, that the
overall shape be the Alberta Rose, the provincial flower of
Alberta, and that, although a wall piece, it needed to be
sculptural. I love working within these types of limitations.
Using six different copies of the book, I made Dorian’s Rose
from both the pages and the covers of the classic novel.
More commissions examples →
East Meets West Raffles Boston
Boston, MA
Given the theme of East Meets West for a hospitality venue, I created fourteen patinated copper pieces which use asemic text, both horizontal and vertical, in the form of punctured holes made with a sewing machine. Manipulated safety pins are an additional element in some of the pieces.
More commissions examples →
MENTORING & CRITIQUE
I work one-on-one with many artists in my Coaching/Mentorship Program, an outgrowth of decades of mentoring graduate students in local colleges and universities. The program is tailored to the needs of each artist and includes six one-hour meetings or the equivalent to be completed within six months.
Artists use their coaching/mentorship sessions for critique and career development, as well as issues related to maintaining a consistent studio practice.
For artists who live outside of the San Francisco Bay Area, mentorships are available via Zoom.
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RECENT ACQUISITIONS
Sexual Deviations Sexual Deviations, a humorous book on sexual preference, was recently acquired by the Cynthia Sears Artists’ Book Collection at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.
PMS Handbook PMS Handbook, PMS Handbook was acquired by Special Collections at the Savannah College of Art and Design, Atlanta Campus Library.
Syllabary Syllabary,from my Wandering Alphabet series, was recently acquired by a private collector in Oak Park, IL.
BOOK COVERS
I am frequently asked to provide photos of a specific piece for use as a book cover. Recently, two of my past works have been used for this purpose.
O Say Can You See In September, Editions Verdier, a French publisher, will publish Constellacination, a book of short stories by Louise Bentkowski, and will feature O Say Can You See, made of thread, nails and industrial felt (2020), on the cover.
The Unemployment Problem, a mixed media pulped and reassembled book (2007) graces the cover of Experimental Writing, written by Larwrence Lenhard and Will Cordeiro and published by Bloomsbury.
EXHIBITIONS
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Cultural Currency: Contemporary Art from the Riemer Collection
Salina Art Center,
Salina, KS
Mar. 19 – May 11, 2025
Several of my stitched currency pieces are in this nationally traveling exhibition curated by Emilee Enders featuring the collection of money-themed art begun in 1995 by Louise Rothman-Riemer and Davis Riemer. The exhibition presents the innovative ways artists use money as a medium to explore preconceived notions of value and worth beyond declared denominations. The 38 artists in the exhibition investigate monetary value by meticulously repurposing bills and coins into exquisite, conceptually engaging artworks.
Stitched: Contemporary Embroidery
Bedford Gallery
Walnut Creek, CA
January 11, 2025 - March 30, 2025
Opening reception:
January 11,
12:00-2:00 p.m.
When one thinks of embroidery, it is usually of hand embroidery, but there is a whole world of machine embroidery that exists. It’s a thing and I do it! I’m so happy to be invited to participate in this international exhibition of embroidery artists whose work is varied in every way. I will be showing work from both The Wandering Alphabet and from my latest series of work on silk.
Crossing the Line: The Passport Re-Imagined
San Francisco Center for the Book
San Francisco, CA
April 26 - June 15, 2025
Passport to Lesbianism, one of my artist’s books, is part of a show highlighting artists’ books that are inspired by the passport, travel documents, and stories of migration. It is an honor to be included in this traveling exhibition on a very timely contemporary topic.
INTERVIEW
Contemporary Jewish Museum
The Four Questions With Lisa Kokin
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The Four Questions is a monthly series of short-form interviews in which artists who have shown at the CJM answer four Jewish culture-related questions. I was honored to have been chosen to be the first artist interviewed.
Read Interview →
MY TALK AT THE CONTEMPORARY JEWISH MUSEUM
Below is a short video of my talk at the Contemporary Jewish Museum where I was interviewed by Gravity Goldberg.