BIO
Erika Lizée was born in Chicago, Illinois, but grew up in a tiny town in Northern Wisconsin. Much of her childhood was spent exploring the woods, swimming the lakes and climbing the snowdrifts of this serene part of the country. Her upbringing fostered a strong connection to the natural world, which remains an important aspect of Lizée’s life and artwork.
Ms. Lizée creates expansive site-specific, illusionistic installations created with acrylic paint. She has created works within the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum in Mesa, AZ; the Museum of Art and History in Lancaster, CA; the Pierce College Art Gallery in Woodland Hills, CA; the Palm Springs Fine Art Fair, Palm Springs, CA; and the International Terminal at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to name a few. Her work has been featured in Juxtapoz, Beautiful/Decay, HiFructose, The Huffington Post and Beautiful Bizarre magazines.
Erika Lizée earned a BFA in Painting from UNC Asheville, and her MFA in Painting from CSU Northridge. She serves as the Visual Arts Department Chair at Moorpark College, as well as the Director of the Moorpark College Art Gallery. She lives and works in the greater Los Angeles area.
Resume
Education
2007 M.F.A., Painting, High Distinction, California State University, Northridge
1999 B.F.A., Painting, Magna Cum Laude, University of North Carolina, Asheville
Solo and Partner Exhibitions
2019
Infinite Love/Flesh and Blood, Museum of Art and History (MOAH), Lancaster, CA
2018
Gazing Into the Great Unknown, Pierce College Art Gallery, Woodland Hills, CA
The Fleeting, Floating and Transient World of Unsui, Cloud and Water, Hosmer Gallery, Forbes Library, Northampton, MA
Emergence, Palm Springs Fine Art Fair, CA
2017
Eternally Searching (0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13), Gallery 825, Los Angeles Art Association, CA
2016
Transfiguration, Tom Bradley International Terminal, LAX, CA
…and yet, things continue to unfold, 643 Project Space, Ventura, CA
2015
Erika Lizée and Michael Maas, GALA Exhibits, Glendale, CA
2011
Invited to the Moment, JK Gallery, Culver City, CA
2010
Beyond the Familiar, (with Linda Stoudt), FireHouse Gallery, Rogue Community College, Grants Pass, OR
Seeing Beyond the Familiar, College of Southern Nevada, Cheyenne Campus, Artspace Gallery, North Las Vegas, NV
2009
Beyond the Familiar Glance, (with Jody Alexander and Donovan Widmer), Monterrey Peninsula College, Monterrey, CA
2008
Recent Work, Moorpark College Art Gallery, Moorpark, CA
2006
contemplating the intricate nature of reality and the influence of consciousness, West Gallery, CSU Northridge, MFA thesis exhibition
Selected Group Exhibitions
2023
Visual Syntax: Contemporary Abstract Art, Mesa Contemporary Art Museum, Mesa, AZ
2022
Open Show, Los Angeles Art Association/Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
Realization, CSU – Northridge, West Gallery, Northridge, CA
Kipaipai Exhibition, Melissa Morgan Fine Art, Palm Desert, CA
Begin/Again, Open Mind Art Space, Los Angeles, CA
2021
Portals, Angels Gate Cultural Center, San Pedro, CA
Multifaceted, Tufenkian Fine Arts, Burbank, CA
2020
Retrograde, Carnegie Art Museum Studio Gallery, Oxnard, CA
2018
Imagine, Blue Roof Studios Arts Festival, Los Angeles, CA
Feminism Now, Grafiska Sallskapet, Stockholm, Sweden
Women on the Rise, Vita Art Center, Ventura, CA
Feminism Now, Shoebox Projects, Los Angeles, CA
2017
The Reality of Nature, LAUNCH LA, Los Angeles, CA
It’s a Wonderful World, Groundspace Project, Los Angeles, CA
Spring Cleaning, 643 Project Space, Ventura, CA
5th Tiny Biennale, Temple University, Rome, Italy
High Priestess, ArtShare LA, Los Angeles, CA
Personal Narrative, Annenberg Community Beach House, Santa Monica, CA
2016
Shift and Fade, BLAM, Los Angeles, CA
Transparency, SugarMynt Gallery, Pasadena, CA
2015
Turning to the Light, Angels’ Ink Gallery, San Pedro, CA
Blank Canvas, Benefit Show, United Cerebral Palsy Los Angeles, Washington Reid Gallery, Culver City, CA
MASque Attack, Temporary Art Space, Hollywood, CA
6th Busan Calligraphy Biennale, Maze Exhibition and Baeksan Hall of Busan Citizens Park, Busan, Korea
Where the Magic Happens, Gallery H, Phantom Galleries LA, Hawthorne, CA
New Familiar, The Brayer Gallery, Ventura, CA
Spectrum Gestalt 2, bG Gallery, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, CA
Illuminate, Surrogate Gallery Projects, Pasadena, CA
2015 Los Angeles Juried Exhibition, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Los Angeles
Exuberance, Angels' Ink Gallery, San Pedro, CA
Los Angeles Art Association 2015 Benefit Auction, Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
The Mark on The Wall, Greenly Art Gallery, Bloomsburg University, PA
Smaller Peaces, Moorpark College Art Gallery, Moorpark, CA
Smaller Peaces, Ventura County Government Center, Atrium Gallery, Ventura, CA
2014
1st OMNIS International, Minan Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Pot-Luck Up-Pop, Surrogate-Gallery Projects, Pasadena, CA
Faculty and Student Show, Artwork from Moorpark College, Ventura County Government Center, Ventura, CA
2013
NIJIIRO Exhibition: One Mind and One Heart, Castel dell'Ovo Gallery, Naples, Italy
The WILD Flowers, Sturt Haaga Gallery, La Canada Flintridge, CA
2012
Interpretations, City Hall Bridge Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2010
Thickening the Plot, Angel's Gate Cultural Center, San Pedro, CA
Revisiting Beauty, Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Ana, CA
Brilliant Paintings & Amazing Ceramics, Sylvia White Gallery, Ventura, CA
Rebus Reconstructuring, Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock, CA
2009
Sweet Subversives: Contemporary California Drawings, Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA
Rebus, Amelia Museum of Archaeology, Umbria, Italy
More With Less, Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
Of Intricacy, Los Angeles International Airport
Natural Worlds, Brand Library Art Gallery, Glendale, CA
2008
Los Angeles Juried Exhibition, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, CA
Of Intricacy, Eagle Rock Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock, CA
California Visual Artists, 2nd City Council, Long Beach, CA
Black & White (with shades of gray and a pinch of color), LAX Airport, Los Angeles, CA
2007
BLOOMS, Bridge Gallery, Los Angeles City Hall, CA
Southern California Open Regional Exhibition VI, VIVA Gallery, Sherman Oaks, CA
Art International, A Fine Art Fair, LA Municipal Art Gallery Booth, Pasadena, CA
Inspired Black and White, Long Beach Arts, Long Beach, CA
Biannual, LAAA South, Los Angeles, CA
Liminal, Phantom Galleries, Pasadena, CA
Crackerjack, Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
2007 California Open Exhibition, Long Beach Arts, CA
New Members, Dept. of Cultural Affairs Slide Registry Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
gem, Gallery 825/LAAA, Los Angeles, CA
Faculty Exhibition, Moorpark College, Moorpark, CA
W.O.P., The Brewery Project, Los Angeles, CA
2007 Juried Open, Topanga Canyon Gallery, Topanga, CA
2006
Utopia, A Shenere Velt Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Greater LA MFA Exhibition and Film Screening, CSU Long Beach
2006 Juried All Media Exhibition, Palos Verdes Art Center, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
On Site at the Gate 2006, Angels Gate Cultural Center, San Pedro, CA
CSUN Painting Guild 2006 Juried Exhibition, West Gallery, CSU Northridge, CA
Art Alumni Show, University Gallery, UNC Asheville
2005
Petite Works, LAAA/Gallery 825, Bergamot Station Annex, Santa Monica, CA
Southern CA Open Regional Exhibit, Valley Institute of Visual Art, Sherman Oaks, CA
Beauty Revisited, Mt. Scott Art Center, Portland, OR
Annual Student Art Exhibition, Main Gallery, CSU Northridge, CA
1502 Minutes of Fame, Gallery 324, CSU Northridge, CA
Art Alumni Show, University Gallery, UNC Asheville, NC
2004
2004 Topanga Canyon Gallery Juried Open, Topanga, CA
69th Annual National Exhibition, Cooperstown Art Association, NY
Westmoreland Art Nationals Juried Exhibition, Westmoreland County Community College and Westmoreland Arts and Heritage Festival, Latrobe, PA
7th Annual Celebration of the Arts, National Juried Exhibition, The Montpelier Center for the Arts and Education, VA
13th National Exhibition, Northern Colorado Artist Association, Fort Collins, CO
Vivid Visions, Lankershim Art Gallery, North Hollywood, CA
Awards, Residencies, Lectures
2023
Juror’s Award, Visual Syntax: Contemporary Abstract Art, Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum, Mesa, AZ
2019
Focus on the Masters, Artist Spotlight, Ventura, CA
2018
Kipaipai Professional Development Workshop, Ojai, CA
Quick Grant Program Award, Center for Cultural Innovation, San Francisco, CA
2017
FOCA Fellowship Grant Nominee, Los Angeles, CA
2016
Guest Artist, Ryman Arts, CSU Fullerton, Fullerton, CA
Winner, Installation, 2nd 2016 ArtSlant Los Angeles Showcase
Spring Sabbatical, Moorpark College, Moorpark, CA
Curatorial Residency, Surrogate Gallery Projects, Altadena, CA
2015
Winner, Installation, 4th 2015 ArtSlant Los Angeles Showcase
2nd Place, 2015 Los Angeles Juried Exhibition, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, CA
Co-Best in Show, The Mark on The Wall, Greenly Art Gallery, Bloomsburg University, PA
2014
Individual Artist Grant, Museum of Ventura County, Ventura, CA
Omnis Award, Minan Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2013
Artist-in-Residence, Viewpoint School, Calabasas, CA
2006
Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement and Service, College of Arts, Media and Communication, CSU Northridge, CA
2005
First Place, College of Arts, Media & Communication, 10th Annual Research & Creative Works Symposium, CSU Northridge, CA
Hans G. Burkhardt Memorial Scholarship Award, CSU Northridge, CA
The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, Book Award Scholarship
Reviews, Catalogs, Publications
My Modern Met, “Massive Mural Installations Look Like Portals Into Another Dimension,” Margherita Cole, June 12, 2023
Artillery Magazine, “Portals,” John David O’Brien, March 8, 2022
Art and Cake, “Portals at Angels Gate Cultural Center,” Genie Davis, March 24, 2022
Art and Cake, “LA Painting at the Museum of Art and History, Lancaster,” Betty Ann Brown, October 9, 2019
Art and Cake, “Erika Lizée at Pierce College Art Gallery,” Jennifer Susan Jones, September 27, 2018
Diversions LA, "Erika Lizée: Magical Mysteries," May 2, 2018
Voyage LA, "Art & Life with Erika Lizée," April 10, 2018
Fabrik: Contemporary Art and Design, "Erika Lizée, Eternally Searching," Jody Zellen, January 22, 2018
Art and Cake, "Erika Lizée: Eternally Searching (0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13)," November 4, 2017
Bizarre Beyond Belief Magazine, “Erika Lizée - Eternally Searching," October 31, 2017
Fabrik Magazine: Contemporary Art & Design, “LAX Airport Program Redefines the Experience of Transitory Public Space,” Shana Nys Dambrot, Issue 33, 2016, pgs. 68-75
Bizarre Beyond Belief Magazine, “Erika Lizée – Seed of Life,” October 24, 2016
HiFructose, “Erika Lizée’s Absorbing, Transcendental ‘Seed of Life’ Installation,” Andy Smith, October 19, 2016
Art and Cake, “Material, Metaphor and the Artist’s History on Display at BLAM Los Angeles,” Lorraine Heitzman, October 19, 2016
Diversions LA, “Shift and Fade: Ecstatic Art Adventures at BLAM”, Genie Davis, October 21, 2016
We Choose Art, “Erika Lizée,” Desiree Cormier, October 8, 2016
Tussle Magazine, “Artist Profile: Erika Lizée,” August 19, 2016
The Huffington Post, “Erika Lizée: Vision and Its Opposite,” Shana Nys Dambrot, August 15, 2016
Art and Cake, “Erika Lizée’s New Art Installation at LAX Wows!” July 12, 2016
Bizarre Beyond Belief Magazine, “Erika Lizée – Transfiguration,” July 7, 2016
Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, “Erika Lizée – And Yet, Things Continue to Unfold”, Jennifer Susan Jones, March 7, 2016
Bizarre Beyond Belief Magazine, “Erika Lizée, And Yet, Things Continue to Unfold,” February 22, 2016
Studio Visit Magazine, Volume 31, The Open Studios Press, 2015
Juxtapoz, “Otherworldly Installation by Erika Lizée”, September 11, 2015
Beautiful/Decay, “Erika Lizée’s Installations of Surreal, Flowing Forms Pull Us into the Other Side,” Christina Nafziger, September 9, 2015
Hometown Pasadena, “Illuminate,” August 3, 2015
365 Artists/365 Days, “Erika Lizée,” June 18, 2015
Shoebox PR, “A New Erika Lizée Installation at GALA Exhibits in Glendale Opening March 15th”, Kristine Schomaker, March 10, 2015
“NIJIIRO Exhibition: One Mind and One Heart” Catalog, Kim Juewhe, Castel dell'Ovo Gallery, Naples, Italy, September 2013
“Revisiting Beauty” Catalog, Peter Frank, Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Ana, California, April 2010
FORTH Magazine, “Sweet Subversives: Contemporary California Drawings”, Jason Hall, October 2009
“Of Intricacy” Catalog, John David O’Brien, Eagle Rock Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock, California, 2008
Teaching Experience
2019-present
Department Chair: Visual Arts Department, Moorpark College, Moorpark, CA
2008-present
Professor of Art, Moorpark College, Moorpark, CA
Director, Moorpark College Art Gallery, Moorpark, CA
2016-2017
Department Chair: Digital, Media and Visual Arts Department, Moorpark College, Moorpark, CA
2006–2008
Adjunct Faculty, Moorpark College, Moorpark, CA
2006-2007
Adjunct Faculty, CSU~Northridge