Intha Market - Burma

venta los platanos - Guatemala

Rain

Vrnda: Mother of a Combat Medic in Iraq

Weave

The Making of Dust

Leap

Ta Prohm - Cambodia

Brand

Chinatown Eggcase

Salla Dancer

Weep

Queen Jayarajadevi

Femme d'Afrique Ouest

current

Plastic
2.13: Grant received from the Puffin Foundation
Support was provided by the Puffin Foundation through a grant to continue research and create artwork which will be used as a foundation to engage young people to consider how Plastic is having an impact on the world which they will inherit. It takes effort to pay attention to how we use the most common materials in our lives. It is important to encourage youth to start paying attention to our daily actions to encourage their understanding of our places in context of the world in which we live. In doing so, they may feel empowered to incorporate small changes in their own lives which would inspire waves of change in the larger spheres of our communities.

We need to come up with alternatives which will aid in shifting away from the disposable nature of our consumer culture towards a culture which places value on the materials that fill our lives by cultivating an understanding of how we can cycle materials back into productive use. This work will ultimately be used to speak out and engage people to question how much we need plastic in its “disposable” form. Current work under way explores questions which have to do with chemical impacts on our bodies, and how those impacts parallel the environmental impacts as manifested through wildlife. Plastic is a material through which we gain heavy body burdens, and is an important subject to explore as we dissect our lives in this chemical age.

10-11.12: La Napoule Art Foundation - Themed Residency at the Clews Center for the Arts in Southern France
Dedicated to preserving the legacy of Henry and Marie Clews and promoting art that serves the greater good, La Napoule Art Foundation seeks to nurture and inspire artistic talent, while fostering the creative process as a means of advancing international understanding. The Fall 2012 residency & exhibition will challenge accomplished artists to create a work or body of work designed intentionally to appeal to children. While intended to engage this younger audience, showcased works will be created with the same technical expertise, aesthetic rigor and emotional power of fine art exhibited for adults. The artists’ goal will be to transcend all ages.
View work created on the residency

4-5.11: Art from Detritus, Williamsburgh Art & Historical Center, Brooklyn NY

4.11: The Plastic Flow: From Waste to Waves by Camilla Thiele for the UN Environment Programme

Nourish
Permaculture: A Year in Grandpa's Garden
A Year in Grandpa’s Garden seeks to educate children with solutions to some of today’s biggest environmental problems which are caused by the industrial food machine. This body of work follows the development of a permaculture garden by Thatcher Gray and Grandpa. Important solutions stem from growing food in a sustainable way that involves the next generation. Exploring the importance of composting, gray water recycling & filtration through wetlands, habitat construction & maintenance, seed saving, biodiversity and nourishment, Thatcher Gray learns to be conscious of impacts we have on our surroundings. Peter Thatcher Leonard (Grandpa) is a master gardener who focuses on a return to tradition while incorporating new developments in polyculture, aquaponics and permaculture. He is writing haiku to compliment the paintings. The work is available online with expanded explanations and links specific to the subjects addressed

5-6.13: Urban Earth - Downtown Aurora Visual Arts Center, CO

12.12: An Artful Adventure in Sustainable Living by Lyn Bleiler – Eco Source Magazine

10: Slow Food USA delegate to the Terra Madre conference, Torino Italy
Terra Madre establishes a space “for those who seek to grow, raise, catch, create, distribute and promote food in ways that respect the environment, defend human dignity and protect the health of consumers” to exchange ideas and solutions. It promotes solidarity between eaters and producers, those from the city and those from the countryside, the global North and the global South. It encourages all of us to be united in an international, diverse movement rooted in many different histories, cultures, and communities. Terra Madre shows the international public that a diversity of people-powered, values-based solutions can pave the way for better food and farming around the world.
Synopsis: Global Perspectives on Localized Food Movements

9.27.12: ISEA2012: Machine Wilderness - Reinvisioning Art, Technology & Nature.
Featured our high desert Permaculture/Aquaponics installation around the studio, as well as the paintings that have grown from the process of building it.

7.12: Publication in Edible Santa Fe - Featuring the Tales of Thatcher Gray watercolors on Permaculture

8-9.11: Nature: Working! Exhibition on Permaculture at 910Arts, Denver CO

Food Justice: Impacts of the Industrial Food Machine
Exhibitions featuring works on Industrial Agriculture:
6-8.12: Natural/Constructed Spaces, The Painting Center, New York NY
5-8.12: Taos Contemporary - Metropolitan State University - Center for Visual Art, Denver, CO
10.10: Vanishing Pollinators, Bioneers Conference – WEAD installation, San Rafael, CA
5.10: Art & Agriculture, Columbia Center for the Arts, Hood River OR
10.09: Reap: The Environmental Unsustainability of the American Food Machine, C Emerson Fine Art, St Petersburg FL
10.09: Bitter but Beautiful Harvest – Lee Lee’s stark style captures anger and elegance among environmental degradation by Lennie Bennett, St Petersburg Times
5-7.09: Extinction: Artists Respond, Denver Botanic Gardens, CO – catalog available

Hybrid
Initiated by Rian Kerrane, a native of Ireland, Hybrid asks fourteen artists to “cross over”. The artists’ work examines the experience of crossing the Atlantic in the current political climate while acknowledging historic influences from each artist’s perspective; identifying experiences of (dis)placement and immersion in cultural and social surroundings from either side of the Atlantic. RedLine provides the first venue for a pair of exhibitions, the second of which will take place in Ireland, allowing each artist to engage both with “local” proximity and “foreign” distance in turn.

8-9.12: Hybrid - Redline: 2350 Arapahoe Street, Denver CO 80205 - Exhibition curated by Rian Kerrane - August 11 – September 30, 2012 - Catalog

8.19.12: At RedLine, Colorado and Irish artists take on each others' lands by Ray Rinaldi for the Denver Post

6.12: Awarded a Terraphilia residency through the Colorado Art Ranch on which the Hybrid work was developed around the long term ecological impacts of hardrock mining on the Arkansas river. The bulk of the miners who came out west were from Ireland and have had a lasting imprint on the culture here.

2015: The finalization of the exchange in Ireland

Resillience in the Face of Globalization
Guatemala
5-6.13: Solo installation at the Dairy Center for the Arts, 2590 Walnut Street, Boulder CO

10.12: Borders & Boundaries - Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, NM

7-8.10: Guatemala, Biennial of the Americas, Gallery 420, Denver CO

Women
10-11.12: Exhibitions at Kepco Plaza Gallery Museum in Seoul & Gwangju Cultural Foundation’s MediaCube 338 in Gwangju, South Korea
This exhibition is spearheaded by the International caucus of the Women's Caucus for Art and lands in venues within the areas of the Gwangju Biennale and compliments the theme of "Roundtable" which explores "the possibility of democratic and non-hierarchical exchange concerning global cultural production, through various forms of collective endeavor, research into historic entanglements among societies, and the exploration of diverse contexts of belonging." - Catalog available

11: Media for Woman & Body:
ArtNews - ArtSum - WomanCS - Monthly Photo.com - Homae - Economic Post - Design Sori - Photo.co.kr - 4x4 News Korea - International Korean Business Centre - ChosunBiz - ACROFAN - News1 Korea - News Hankuk - Energy Daily - Korean Press Agency - iPhos webzine - ETNews Korea - Coca News - Korea Media United News - ArtGuide Korea

CV

clippings

Media: Features
12.12: An Artful Adventure in Sustainable Living by Lyn Bleiler – Eco Source Magazine
6.12: The Tales of Thatcher Gray: A Year in Grandpa’s Garden – featured in edible Santa Fe
4.11: The Plastic Flow: From Waste to Waves by Camilla Thiele for the UN Environment Programme
11.10: Hundreds Fill Santa Fe Riverbed To Bring Attention To Climate Change by Jessica Dyer, Albuquerque Journal
10.09: Bitter but Beautiful Harvest – Lee Lee’s stark style captures anger and elegance among environmental degradation by Lennie Bennett, St Petersburg Times
10.07: Myanmar by Cat Legere, Five Magazine
4.07: On the Subject of Genocide by Bonnie Ganglehoff, SouthwestArt Magazine
5.4.07: Sudan's faces of suffering by Erika Gonzalez, The Rocky Mountain News Spotlight
2.07: The Human Element - An Interview with Lee Lee by Ian MacKenzie, Brave New Traveler
28.1.07: Art exhibit a testament to triumphs of survivors by Cindy Rodriguez, The Denver Post
12.05: Small Wonder, paintings featured within Q Interior Design spaces, 5280 Magazine
1.04: Featured on ABC and CBS newscasts regarding my collaboration with the National Breast Cancer Coalition.
11.03: Showcase: American ingenuity ties pieces of history, by Betsy Lehndorff - Rocky Mountain News Spotlight
11.02: From Denver to Africa and Back...A Plea for Understanding by Patterson Benero, In the Black Magazine
10.01: Interpretations of a War-Torn Country by Jennie Shortridge, FiberArts - The Magazine of Textiles
12.99: American Artist Lee Lee celebrates Viet Nam's circle of life VNS, Viet Nam News
10.99: Kitchen Duty by David Wallace, Colorado Home & Lifestyles Magazine
7.95: Making the Art of the Real by Gina Macris, Providence Journal Bulletin
6-8.90: Saigon, a Guidebook, writing and photographing for the first publication of the guide, Vietnam.

Media: Catalogs & Books
5.12: Howl: Invoking Change University of New Mexico Press
11.11: Reverse the Gaze Catalog of the exhibition, Man as Object: Reversing the Gaze at SOMArts in San Francisco, CA
4.11: Metropolis: A Tale of Thatcher Gray on Burning Man
3.11: An Exchange with Sol Lewitt - Curated by Regine Basha in collaboration with Mass MoCA & Cabinet Magazine
1.10: Art Alive: A Fresh Approach to the Basics, by Sally Bartalot
9.09: Preservatives, published in The Tampa Review
1.09: Women in War, published in CALYX - A Journal of Art & Literature by Women.
5.06: The Dead Weight of Complacency, book & exhibition panels published by the Mizel Musem, Denver
1.06: Cambodia, published in CALYX - A Journal of Art & Literature by Women.

Media: Reviews
8.19.12: At RedLine, Colorado and Irish artists take on each others' lands by Ray Rinaldi, The Denver Post
11.21.11: Naked Men Everywhere: New Exhibit Reverses the Gaze by Thomas Gladysz, Huffington Post
11.2.11: Preview of Man as Object: Reversing the Gaze, SF Weekly
11.4.11: Man as Object questions perceptions of male beauty, The Good Men Project
10.28.11: Man as Object pushes our taken for granted ways of seeing, Ms. Magazine
5.11: A 150,000-Pound Hand-Me-Down. Yay? by Neil Genzlinger, the New York Times
6.08: 'Cradle' Hopes to Nurture Africa - Albuquerque Journal
4.8.08: Eight artists offer 'React,' an eclectic show at C. Emerson Fine Arts by Lennie Bennett, St Petersburg Times
11.22.07: Art Questions if Spirit Matters, by Susan King, St. Petersburg Times
10.31.07: Living & Worshipping in a Material World, by Megan Voeller, Creative Loafing
4.07: Reflections of Reality, by Julie Dugdale, 5280 Magazine
1.07: Eyewitness Reports, by Susan Froyd, Westword
5.06: Poetry and art speak to each other, by Kyle MacMillan, The Denver Post
4.06 The Making of Dust, by Michael Paglia, Westword
6.05: The Art of Recycled Trash: Appealing pieces with a political point, by Tequila Minsky, Downtown Express, NY
10.10.04: Garden Fete sends summer on its way, by Suzanne Brown, The Denver Post

Solo Exhibitions

Gallery Exhibitions

Museum Exhibitions

10-11.12: Women & Body, Exhibitions at Kepco Plaza Gallery Museum in Seoul & Gwangju Cultural Foundation’s MediaCube 338 in Gwangju, South Korea – catalog available
2-3.12 & 3-5.10 Miniatures - Millicent Rogers Museum, Taos
6-12.09: Looking for Loci, Denver Community Museum, CO & San Francisco Mobile Museum, CA
5-7.09: Extinction: Artists Respond, Denver Botanic Gardens, CO – catalog available
1-4.07: 10 “Glocal” Artists Interpret Genocide, the Mizel Museum, Denver, CO
10.06: Arts at Altitude, coinciding with the opening of the Denver Art Museum expansion - Kitchens’Ink, Denver CO
2.05: HeartArt - Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver CO
11.04: AIDS: the Tragedy in Africa, Museum of Natural History, Denver CO
9.97: 32nd Annual Open Exhibition, San Bernandino County Museum, CA

Exhibitions Curated by Lee Lee

3.08: Nomad, International photography, Gallery 420, Denver CO
2-4.07: 10 “Glocal” Artists Interpret Genocide, the Mizel Museum, Denver, CO
11.03: Hidden in Plain View, Stiles African American Heritage Center, Denver CO.
11.02: Final Breath: A Love Poem, supporting Kenyan families infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. Gallery 420, Denver
8.95: These Members of my Family, collaboration with the homeless population of Providence. Exhibited at Brown University in the Sarah Doyle Women's Center & in the Central Congregational Church, RI.

Awards, Residencies & Exchanges

10-11.12: Do You See What I See?, Themed residency at the La Napoule Art Foundation, France
8-9.12: Hybrid, Exchange with Irish artists at Redline, Denver CO. The 2nd half will take place in Ireland, 2013
6.12: Terraphilia - Colorado Art Ranch, Salida CO
9.10: Awarded Best Mixed Media work at the Taos Fall Arts Festival, Taos NM
2.08: Residency at the Ragdale Foundation, Chicago IL
1.08: Fellowship received for a residency at the Vermont Studio Center, VT
8.06-1.07: Best of Colorado Artists, Denver International Airport
5-6.06 & 07: Residency at the Lazy Shamrock Ranch to develop work regarding the effects of global warming in CO.
8.98: Residency at Peche Farguet in the Lot Valley, France.

Lectures & Education Given

2012: Official delegate with Slow Food USA to the Terra Madre conference in Turin, Italy
2011: Genocide & Visual Representation, presentation for the Art & Social Justice Conference - Women's Caucus for the Arts - Regional Arts Commission, Saint Louis MO
2007: Cultivating Compassion, presentation for the International Conference of Genocide Scholars, Sarajevo, Bosnia
2.06-5.07: Rocky Mountain Survivors Center - encouraging expression by survivors of torture and war trauma.
4.06 & 6.07: University of Colorado lectures regarding how my work addresses racial issues & multiculturalism.
9.05-1.08: Board member of Working With Artists, photography school in Denver
2001-2003: Visiting Artist at La Academia, an alternative high school in Denver; the Spot, an organization to keep kids off the streets in Denver; and in the IB program at George Washington High School in Denver.

Artist Biography

Lee Lee attained her BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, and has spent time in over 40 countries. These experiences have led her to develop a wide range of painting styles in response to the diverse conditions of our world. Her work is informed by several movements through art history including the feminine expressionist drawings of Kathe Kolwitz to the actions of the 1970s which embraced processes using a shotgun or fire. Rich textures developed through destructive means speak to socio political situations imposed on people as well as environmental degradation. Sensitive mark making atop of these textures explores the emotional textures within a community, emphasizing resilience in the face of adversity. Recently, strong environmental themes have entered into her repertoire as she recognizes that social and political stress is driven by the scarcity of our resources.

Resilience as a theme was manifested through the opportunity to curate an exhibition in regards to Genocide for the Mizel Museum which grew into an installation for the 7th Biennial International Conference of Genocide Scholars in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Other international exhibitions have included an installation of prints at the Instituto Allende in Mexico and paintings exploring the imprint of tradition in contemporary Vietnamese culture at the Metropolitan Center in Saigon, Vietnam. Currently underway is the development of Hybrid, a residency exchange and exhibitions with artists in Ireland.

Recent environmental exhibitions have included REAP: The Environmental Unsustainability of the American Food Machine at C Emerson Fine Art in St Petersburg, FL, Extinction at the Denver Botanic Gardens, and Vanishing Pollinators as part of the Bioneers Conference on Sustainability in San Raphael, CA. Resilience in the face of environmental degradation was explored through an series of work, Guatemala: Mayan Women, created for the 2010 Biennial of the Americas in Denver, and which will be shown at the Dairy Center for the Arts for the Mayan New Year in 2012.

Currently, Lee Lee is using plastic as a material to explore the impacts of plastic on the environment as well as the chemical imprints left in our bodies. The UN Environment Programme recently wrote a feature article on her work about ocean plastic, entitled, The Plastic Flow: From Waste to Waves. Complimenting this theme is work being created which follows the development of a permaculture installation around her Taos, NM studio. The small scale production of food will be presented in contrast to industrial agricultural practice, which like plastic, is exacting a tremendous toll on the environment.

Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia, Botswana, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Canada, China, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Peru, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Tibet, Trinidad, US, Vietnam, Virgin Isands, West Indies, Zambia, Zimbabwe...

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