Liza Sylvestre is a multimedia artist and Research Assistant Professor within the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign where she has co-founded the initiative Crip*: Cripistemology and the Arts. Her work has been shown internationally at venues including the Plains Art Museum (Fargo), Weisman Art Museum (Minneapolis), Roots & Culture (Chicago), Soap Factory (Minneapolis), Soo Visual Arts Center (Minneapolis), John Hansard Gallery (Southampton), ARGOS (Brussels), and MMK (Frankfurt). Sylvestre has been the recipient of both an Artists Initiative and Arts Learning grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, a fellowship through Art(ists) on the Verge, a VSA Jerome Emerging Artist Grant, an Art Works grant from the NEA, and a fellowship from the Kate Neal Kinley Foundation and, most recently, she has been named a 2021 Joan Mitchell Fellow. She has been artist-in-residence at the Weisman Art Museum and the Center for Applied and Translational Sensory Science (CATSS). In 2019 she received a Citizens Advocate Award from the Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing (MNCDHH). Sylvestre’s work has been written about in numerous publications and books including Art in America, Mousse Magazine, Ocula Magazine, Art Monthly, and SciArt Magazine.
C.V.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2022 John Hansard Gallery (upcoming October 2022)
2019 Third Space, New Genres Art Space, Rockford IL
Third Space, The Plains Art Museum, Fargo ND
2018 Captioned. Granary Arts, Ephraim UT
2017 Interference. Soo VAC, Minneapolis MN
2015 Meridians. Public Functionary, Minneapolis MN
2014 Elements Unheard. MacRostie Art Center, Grand Rapids MN
GROUP EXHIBITIONS, SCREENINGS & EVENTS
2023 Flashlight Project. MIT List Visual Arts, Cambridge, MA
Flashlight Project. Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis MN
2022 The Other Four. Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis MN (upcoming)
2021 Crip Time. MMK, Frankfurt Germany.
Activating Captions. ARGOS, Brussels Belgium.
This Set of Actions is a Mirror. Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago IL (screening)
2020 Flashlight Project for Heavy Breathing. Land & Sea Gallery, Oakland CA
Many voices, all of them loved. John Hansard Gallery, Southampton England
2019 The Film and Video Poetry Symposium at Cinema Kosmos, (screening) Moscow Russia
The Other Four. The Plains Art Museum, Fargo ND
MFA Thesis Show. Krannert Art Museum, Champaign IL
2018 Captioned. Lease Agreement (screening). Huntsville TX
Symposium on Sensory Loss and Art. Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis MN
A Place for Us. Hairpin Arts Center, Chicago IL (curated by Heather Darcy Bhandari)
The Film & Video Poetry Society (screening). Los Angeles CA
The Feminist Film Festival (screening). Champaign IL
Humanly Possible. Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, Milwaukee WI
2017 Twentieth International Opening Exhibition. Woman Made Gallery, Chicago IL
Society for Photographic Education, Northwest Conference (screening). Portland OR
Between the Sky & the Earth. Roots & Culture, Chicago IL (curated by Sharmyn Cruz Rivera)
2016 Michael Dandley / Liza Sylvestre. Nahcotta, Portsmouth NH
Art(ists) on the Verge 7 Fellowship Exhibition. Soap Factory, Minneapolis MN
2015 Meridians. Public Functionary, Minneapolis MN
Enormous Tiny Art Show 18. Nahcotta, Portsmouth NH
2014 Enormous Tiny Art Show 16. Nahcotta, Portsmouth NH
Ned Evans / Carly Glovinski / Liza Sylvestre. Nahcotta, Portsmouth NH
Get Lucky. Soo VAC, Minneapolis MN
2013 Enormous Tiny Art Show 14. Nahcotta, Portsmouth NH
2012 The Collector, Berkeley CA
Natural Curiosities. Miami International Airport, Miami FL
This and That. Art Center of South Florida, Miami FL
2011 Recently Acquired. Audrey Love Gallery, Miami FL
2010 Small Works. The Swenson Gallery, Miami FL
Lucky You. Audrey Love Gallery, Miami FL
COLLECTIONS, COMMISSIONS, AWARDS & RESIDENCIES
2022 Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Fellowship
Interlude Residency, Livingston NY
2021 Joan Mitchell Fellow, Joan Mitchell Foundation
Disability Aware Cities. Arts CO+RE, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation (UIUC)
Cripping the Arts. Presidential Initiative: Expanding the Impact of the Arts and Humanities (UIUC)
Crip* Colloquium. Broadening Inclusion Grant, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (UIUC)
2019 Kate Neal Kinley Fellowship, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
Mary Jane Near Scholarship, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
Citizen Advocate Award, the Minnesota Commission of Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing (MNCDHH)
New Genres Art Space Digital Media Lab Contribution
2018 Artist in Residence - Center for Applied Translational Sensory Science & Weisman Art Museum
Graduate Thesis Travel Grant, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
Mary Jane Neer Scholarship, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
Best Experimental Film, Feminist Film Festival, Champaign IL
Best Documentary Film, Feminist Film Festival, Champaign IL
Audience Impact Award, Feminist Film Festival, Champaign IL
2017 Art Works Grant, National Endowment for the Arts (in conjunction with SooVAC)
Mary Jane Neer Scholarship, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
2016 University Fellowship, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
Newtopia Cyder, San Diego CA (Commission)
2015 Art(ists) on the Verge 7 Fellow (Jerome Foundation)
VSA Jerome Emerging Artist Grantee
Metropolitan Regional Arts Council - Arts Learning Grantee
2014 MN State Arts Board - Arts Learning Grant Grantee
MN State Arts Board - Artist Initiative Grantee
2012 The James Hotel, Miami FL (Commission)
Rochester Museum of Fine Art. Rochester NH (Permanent Collection)
PUBLIC LECTURES & PANELS
2023 Altered Access. Max Wasserman Forum MIT List Visual Arts Center
Aesthetics of Access at the Whitney Museum
2020 MN Artists Presents at the Walker Art Museum
2019 Artist Talk and Museum Tour, Plains Art Museum
Disability in Art and Culture Workshop, DRES (Disability Resources & Educational Services, UIUC)
Keynote speaker - DRES - Employer Networking Dinner
Center for Empathy and the Visual Arts, Empathy Lab - Minneapolis Institute of Arts
2018 Say What Club Convention - Artist Talk/Lecture
2018 Women’s Cross Disability Panel, UIUC - Panelist
2015 MN State Arts Board - Artist Initiative Panelist
2014 MN State Arts Board - Artist Initiative Panelist
EDUCATION
2019 MFA - University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
2006 B.A. Fine Art - University of Minnesota
TEACHING & PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2022 - Present - Research Assistant Professor, College of Fine and Applied Arts
Co-Director of Crip*—Cripistemology and the Arts
Co-Director Cripping FAA
2020 - 2022 - Curator of Academic Programs, Krannert Art Museum
2019/20 AY - Lecturer - School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Spring 2019 - Instructor of Record - UIUC - Art as Communication
Fall 2018 - Instructor of Record - UIUC - Time Arts I
Spring 2018 - UIUC - Arts 451/351 - Advanced/Intermediate Studio
Spring 2018 - Instructor of Record - UIUC - Drawing for Non-Majors
Fall 2017 - Instructor of Record - UIUC - Drawing for Non-Majors
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Zilis, Anthony. “Going deaf has influenced her Art”, News-Gazette, May 11, 2019.
Anderson, Stephen. “Liza Sylvestre: Captioned - Twentieth Century”. The Rib.
Bracha, Diane M. “‘Empathy’ artists offer chance to consider reality of other people”, Milwaukee Journal, February 1 2018.
Guerber, Megan, "5 Senses, 5 Artists", SciArt Magazine, June 2016.
Abbe, Mary, "Abstract Tensions", Star Tribune, December 18 2015.
Regan, Shelia, "Liza Sylvestre's Sensual Investigations at Public Functionary", City Pages Art Blog