Liz LaManche

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Liz LaManche
Liz LaManche with one of her paintings, ~2022
Born
Elizabeth Manicatide

1967 (age 56–57)
Alma materYale University
Known forPublic Art
Street art
Graphic Design
Websiteearthsign.com

Liz LaManche (born Elizabeth Manicatide[1] 1967) is an American artist based in Somerville, Massachusetts, known for creating large-scale public installations and street art in the Boston and Washington, DC, areas.[2]

Education[edit]

LaManche received a B.A. in Architecture at Yale University studying graphic design under Inge Druckrey, and did a thesis project in architectural ornament/site specific urban installations advised by sculptor Kent Bloomer.[3]

Career[edit]

Early[edit]

LaManche spent her early professional career in software user interface design, web development and graphic design, painting in her spare time.[4]

Festival Art[edit]

At Burning Man in 2005, LaManche began to experiment with large-scale murals illuminated with programmed color-changing LED lighting,[5] later known as "art for kinetic light".[6] These murals and their successors were some of the first experiments in this genre of LED art as architectural LED lighting first became available to makers and artists.[7][8] LaManche's murals appeared for several years at the Burning Man festival in Black Rock City, NV,[5] and at the Boston and New York Decompression events.[9]

Art in Public Spaces[edit]

The "bright color, fanciful characters" and "playful figures" of LaManche's festival work and its layered use of symbolic & iconographic details"[7][10] proved a crowd-pleasing combination, and commissioned work for large-scale murals and installations in the Boston and Washington D.C. areas followed.[4] Her work in Hyattsville, Maryland achieved national notice for both its innovative use of LED technology and its role in that city's urban renewal,[8] launching opportunities for local projects in her home state.

A goal of Lamanche's work is to humanize the urban environment, the legacy of her architectural training. In a 2016 interview, LaManche stated: "I'd like to provide ways for people to engage with each other and break down barriers, contributing to greater understanding, peace and justice in our society. Literally, I believe we need this to be sustainable as a species." to , and create a more inclusive, progressive vision of human society."[4]

Works[edit]

Public Commissions[edit]

"After Dark, Hyattsville" (2011)[edit]

A 40x14-foot mural for kinetic light on the Franklin's Brewery building, facing Route 1 in Hyattsville, Maryland, part of the designated Arts District.[11][12] ""After Dark" has been described as the first permanent outdoor mural for kinetic light.[7] The piece features colorful characters and dreamlike imagery alluding to aspects of the neighborhood, including the local college's mascot and a humorous reference to another piece of public art in a nearby park.[13] Programmed light shows projected on the piece via architectural lighting are designed to make the colors in the painting appear to swap and move.[8]

"Stairs of Fabulousness" (2014)[edit]

Main Atrium Staircase, Boston City Hall (1981)

This 2014 installation in the Boston City Hall building was the product of a New Urbanism design competition run by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh's Office of New Urban Mechanics, aimed at improving public spaces in Boston with temporary, low-budget installations designed to "surprise and delight."[14] One of 9 winners of the 2014 Public Space Invitational,[15][16][17] LaManche's "Stairs of Fabulousness" placed 1,200 linear feet of safety non-skid tape on the large central brick staircase in Boston City Hall's main atrium, a building renown for its off-putting Brutalist aesthetic and failure to create a "welcoming public space."[18] LaManche's tape, in an array of fluorescent colors, created a large rainbow gradient over the whole height of the staircase, which served "to essentially transform the concrete milieu into something colorful and inviting."[19][20]

"Stairs of Fabulousness" was described as "simple yet tremendously effective."[20] The installation was praised for having brought vibrant, attractive color to the Boston City Hall stairs, and LaManche was lauded for her work as one of "Fifty on Fire" in the Boston culture scene: "anyone who can successfully spice up the facade of Government Center through creativity is on fire in our books."[21]

"Connected By Sea (West African Tatoo)" East Boston Shipyard, Liz LaManche

"Connected By Sea" (2014-16)[edit]

"Connected by Sea" or the "Dock Tattoo Project", also dubbed "The 1000-foot tattoo" is located in a sculpture park in a working shipyard in East Boston that is part of the Boston Harborwalk.[22][23] A series of 19 large tattoo-themed designs, stained into the cement surface of a 1000-foot long pier, forms a walking path to its end and a view of Boston Harbor. The work illuminates :"the cultures local maritime trade has connected with around the world"[24] to a "poignant" effect, memorializing the "indelible bond" Boston maintains with its harbor.[25] This inclusive and multicultural story of Boston's history[26] was ranked as one of the "50 best pieces of Boston public art" by WBUR's ARTery in 2016.[24]

"Salem's Connected World" (2015)[edit]

A sister project to "Connected By Sea", this temporary installation made up a walking path that covered three city blocks of the Downtown Salem District in Salem, Massachusetts. It consisted of painted tattoo-themed symbols and designs from the different cultures specifically connected to Salem's maritime history.[5] Installed in the spring of 2015, it was the first project funded by the new Salem Public Art Commission.[27] Some of the designs are still visible along the cement walk of Artists Row.

"Lowell: Water and Work" (2016)[edit]

A commissioned piece for the City of Lowell, Massachusetts, the entire installation included a 16-foot mural, and 2 blocks of sidewalk and other wall art along a new pedestrian walkway, and "rain art" using hydrophobic coating on the pavement to make art that appears when it rains.[28][29] The entire project, called the Decatur WAY Green Alley, created a pedestrian walkway from a disused back alley in a program to use green technology to deal with storm water runoff.[30] The mural depicts the Lowell mills and canals with a portrait of a young Harriet Hanson Robinson, a mill worker who became a labor leader and suffragette.[31][32]

Small-scale public art & street art[edit]

  • Wraparound building exterior in Bartlett Yard, Boston.[33][34]
  • Cambridge Brewing Company mural, 2014.[35][36]
  • "The Goddess of Winter Hill", Somerville, MA 2014: 8x10-foot panels on the rear of Somerville post office. Client: City of Somerville.[37]
  • "Safety Dance" crosswalk, 2016: 96-foot long crosswalk depicting pedestrian safety figures dancing.[38][39]
  • "The Tattoo Heart", a Boston street piano, 2016.[40][41][42][43]
  • "The Soul's Journey As A Series of Weird Old Cars" Somerville, MA 2016.[44]

See also[edit]

Writing[edit]

  • "Connected By Sea" The Artists Working: Theory and Practice, Vol. 1 No. 1, pp. 59–72. May 2016 ISBN 978-0-692-72809-3

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Mircea Manicatide: August 23, 1938 - February 28, 2017". Tribute Archive. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  2. ^ Mills, Alexa (September 28, 2015). "The Displaced Artists of Somerville". CoLab Radio. CoLab Radio. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  3. ^ "Liz LaManche". Earthsign.com.
  4. ^ a b c Parker, Manna (August 31, 2016). "The Art of the Outdoor Piano". The Somerville Times. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  5. ^ a b c Broaddus, Will (May 20, 2015). "Artist's Sidewalk Paintings in Salem Influenced By Local History". Salem News. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  6. ^ LaManche, Liz. "Kinetic Light Paintings". Earthsign.com.
  7. ^ a b c "First of its Kind, Kinetic Light Mural Adds a New Glow to the Downtown Route 1 Restaurant District". Hyattsville Community Development Corporation. Hyattsville, MD. 2013-04-09. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  8. ^ a b c Spivack, Miranda (April 19, 2013). "For Mike Franklin, the art's the thing in Hyattsville". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  9. ^ Verona, Zilya (November 5, 2007) "LED Mural from NYC Decom 2007" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr_kjQxWHvs
  10. ^ Currie, Susie (April 7, 2013). "Franklins Facelift". Hyattsville Life & Times. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  11. ^ Alexander, Jonathan (October 1, 2013). "Franklins Mural". HCTV. Chandler, Jim (producer), Sandel, Abby (producer. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  12. ^ Simmons, Holley (October 23, 2014). "How to Spend $40 in Hyattsville". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  13. ^ Tuck, Tammy (February 20, 2014). "Check Out the Murals at Local Breweries". Washington City Paper. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  14. ^ Farrell, Michael B. (June 5, 2014). "Contest Aims to Enliven Public Spaces in Boston". The Boston Globe (boston.com). Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  15. ^ "2014 Public Space Invitational". City of Boston (boston.gov). 2019-03-07. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  16. ^ "Mayor Walsh Announces Winners of Boston's First Public Space Invitational". City of Boston (boston.gov). June 5, 2014.
  17. ^ Shao, Yiqing (June 5, 2014). "Boston's Public Space Invitational Winners Announced". Boston Magazine. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  18. ^ "Why is Boston City Hall the way it is?". The Boston Globe (boston.com). Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  19. ^ "Temporary Public Art in Boston". Boston Art Commission. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  20. ^ a b DeLuca, Nick (September 19, 2014). "The Stairs of Fabulousness Inject an Inviting Vibrancy in Concrete City Hall". Bostinno. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  21. ^ Milnes, Hillary (October 28, 2014). "Announcing the 50 on Fire Finalists in Arts & Entertainment". BostInno. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  22. ^ Shao, Yiqing (2014-08-12). "Dock Tattoo Project Inks East Boston with 1,000-Foot Tattoo Art". Boston Magazine. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  23. ^ Mills, Alexa (September 20, 2014). "Artist's 'tattoo' project will cover pier". The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  24. ^ a b "The 50 Best Works Of Public Art In Greater Boston, Ranked". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  25. ^ Tucker, Lindsay (2014-11-25). "20 Reasons We Loved Boston in 2014". Boston Magazine. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  26. ^ "Rustic Marlin and Harbor Arts: The sign makers of Rustic Marlin; making a tattoo for Boston Harbor". WCVB Chronicle. WCVB. September 26, 2014. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  27. ^ Keith, Spencer (June 11, 2015). "Thousands Visit the Salem Arts Festival and Connect with Swath of Creatives". NoBo Magazine. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  28. ^ Malakie, Julia (June 3, 2016). "Opening of Decatur Way Water, Art & You art walk". The Lowell Sun. Retrieved November 27, 2016. One of the amphibian designs embedded in the pavement, that only shows up when wet.
  29. ^ LaManche, Liz (May 31, 2016). "Rain Art & Paintings in Decatur Way Green Path, Lowell, MA". Earthsign.com. Earthsign Studios. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  30. ^ Cicco, Nancy (May 31, 2016). "Transformed Decatur Way to Open as an Art Space in Lowell". Umass Lowell. UMass Lowell. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  31. ^ Welker, Grant (June 3, 2016). "Water, Art and You brighten formerly blighted Acre alley in Lowell". The Lowell Sun. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  32. ^ LaManche, Liz. "Lowell: Water and work. Harriet Hanson Robinson". Earthsign.com. Earthsign Studios. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  33. ^ Guerra, Kristela (June 3, 2015). "A final look at the art created at Bartlett Yard". The Boston Globe. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  34. ^ LaManche, Liz. "Bartlett Yard". Earthsign.com. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  35. ^ "New CBC Mural!". Cambridge Brewing Company. Cambridge Brewing Company. November 30, 2014. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  36. ^ LaManche, Liz. "Cambridge Brewing Company". Earthsign.com. Earthsign Studios. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  37. ^ LaManche, Liz. "Goddess of Winter Hill". Earthsign.com. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  38. ^ Ruppenthal, Alex (September 7, 2016). "WalkMedford completes 96-foot crosswalk art project at Medford High School". Medford Transcript. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  39. ^ Evangelista, Lisa (August 30, 2016). "Walk Medford Completes First Ever Decorated Crosswalk at MHS!". Medford Public Schools. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  40. ^ "Somerville residents chosen as artists for Street Pianos Boston". The Somerville News Weekly. August 5, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  41. ^ Parker, Manna (August 31, 2016). "The Art of the Outdoor Piano". The Somerville Times. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  42. ^ "Greenway - Dewey Square Park, Downtown". Street Pianos. August 31, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  43. ^ LaManche, Liz. "Boston Street Piano 2016: The Tattoo Heart". Earthsign.com. Earthsign Studios. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  44. ^ Cook, Greg (October 14, 2016). "New Mural In Somerville Honors Beloved Auto Mechanic". Local Coverage. WBUR. Boston, MA. Retrieved November 27, 2016.

External links[edit]

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