Suzanne Lacy

Suzanne Lacy (born 1945) is an internationally known artist whose work includes installations, video, and large-scale performances on social themes and urban issues. One of her best-known works to date is The Crystal Quilt (Minneapolis, 1987) a performance with 430 older women, broadcast live on Public Television.

In 1977 her performance piece "Three Weeks in May" highlighted issues relating to rape and rape prevention.

During the nineties she worked with teams of artists and youth to create an ambitious series of performances, workshops, and installations on youth and public policy, documented by videos, local and national news broadcasts, and an NBC program. Her work has been funded through numerous local and national foundations, including the National Endowment for the Arts and The Guggenheim Museum, Rockefeller, Surdna, and Nathan Cummings Foundations.

Also known for her writing, Lacy edited the influential "Mapping the Terrain: New Genre Public Art", published in 1995 by Bay Press, a book that prefigures current writing on politically relevant performance art. She has published over 60 articles on public art.

Lacy served as Chair of Fine Arts at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles from 2002-2006. In 2007 she launched a new MFA in Public Practice graduate program for Otis.

From 1987-97 she was Dean of the School of Fine Arts at the California College of the Arts, and in 1998 she became Founding Director of the Center for Art and Public Life. In 1996-7 she co-founded the Visual and Public Art Institute at California State University at Monterey Bay with artist Judith Baca. In the late 1970s, Lacy started the performance program at the Woman's Building in Los Angeles.

Active in Oakland cultural politics, Lacy was a member of Mayor Jerry Brown’s education cabinet and an Arts Commissioner for the City of Oakland.

Bibliography

* Smith, S. "Suzanne Lacy and Susan Leibovitz Steinman--The Confluence of Conservation Ecology and Community Economics." "Art Journal" v. 65 no. 1 (Spring 2006) p. 58-60

* Glowen, R. "Suzanne Lacy's @Under Construction' performance at The Residences on Georgia. "Artweek" v. 28 (September 1997) p. 29

* Fisher, J. "Interperformance: The Live Tableaux of Suzanne Lacy, Janine Antoni, and Marina Abramovic." "Art Journal" v. 56 (Winter 1997) p. 28-33

* Lacy, S. "Love, Memory, Cancer: A Few Stories" [accounts of the conception and reception of public art memorials in the United States] . "Public Art Review" v. 7 (Spring/Summer 1996) p. 5-13

* Tromble, M. "A Conversation with Suzanne Lacy, Artist." "Artweek" v. 26 (August 1995) p. 15

* Hankwitz, M. "Suzanne Lacy, Annice Jacoby, & Chris Johnson: The Roof is on Fire" (performance review). "Art Papers" v. 19 (January/February 1995) p. 39-40

* Gamble, A. "Reframing a Movement." "New Art Examiner" v. 21 (January 1994) p. 18-23

* Lacy, S., et al., "Saving the World [a dialogue between Suzanne Lacy and Rachel Rosenthal] ." "Artweek" v. 22 (September 12 1991) p. 1+

* "The Function of Art in Culture Today [90 artists, who have appeared in "High Performance", offer short statements] ." "High Performance" v. 11 (Spring/Summer 1988) p. 26-75

* Roth, M. (IDS Building, Minneapolis; Exhibition Review." "Art in America" v. 76 (March 1988) p. 162

* Roth, M. "The Crystal Quilt." "High Performance" v. 10 no. 3 (1987) p. 72-3

* Burnham, L. F. "Running Commentary: What Price Social Art?" High Performance v. 9 no. 3 (1986) p. 8-9

* Life Like Art." "Artforum International" v. 44 no. 10 (Summer 2006) p. 318-25, 376

* "Reality Art." "Public Art Review" v. 16 no. 1 (Fall/Winter 2004) p. 60-1

* "Performance Art: (Some) Theory and (Selected) Practice at the End of This Century" (19 article special section). "Art Journal" v. 56 (Winter 1997) p. 2-83

* Lacy, S., et al., "Alterations: A Series of Conversations." "Fiberarts" v. 23 (September/October 1996) p. 36-40

* "Artists Writing in Public." "Public Art Review" v. 6 (Spring/Summer 1995) p. 15-17

* Lacy, S. "Finding our Way to the Flag: Is Civic Discourse Art?." "Public Art Rev"iew v. 14 no. 2 (Spring/Summer 2003) p. 26-32

* Lacy, S. "The Name of the Game." "Art Journal" v. 50 (Summer 1991) p. 64-8

External links

* [http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/oralhistories/transcripts/lacy90.htm Interview with Suzanne Lacy from the Smithsonian Archives of American Art]
* [http://www.vdb.org/smackn.acgi$artistdetail?LACYS Suzanne Lacy] in the [http://www.vdb.org/ Video Data Bank]