Member Highlight: Liz Mitchell

March 11 - April 30, 2023

The Paper Boat Project

The Paper Boat Project began in 2020 during the pandemic. The concept came through an exploration of ideas that would add focus to my practice as chaos clamored and the virus forced us to shelter-in-place. With so much uncertainty, I needed an element in my practice that would ground me. I would keep making boats over and over until I had enough to release on a body of water once the virus dissipated and it was safe to be together again.

The boat form had been moving in and out of my visual vernacular for years through my artwork. Metaphorically, the boat transports us from one element to another, bringing us to safety or bringing us to danger. It was a perfect opportunity to bring my idea of the boat into three-dimensional form.

The first event of the Paper Boat Projects took place in April 2022 on Earth Day weekend. I launched the paper boats onto a farm pond in Stockton, New Jersey with friends and family around to celebrate the day. Being together and watching the quiet drift of the paper boats was good medicine for all of us.

The Paper Boat Projects continue with this immersive installation.

Liz Mitchell

About the Artist

“I look to nature for a richness of content and surfaces and emulate these characteristics through my varied materials and processes. Within this visual context, I investigate the elements of human nature which move us to ask questions and consider the peculiar and odd using themes found in religion, folklore, and fairy tales.”

Liz Mitchell is most known for her narrative paper and fiber installations. She is a multi-media artist who uses a broad range of materials and processes including printmaking and collage to tell her visual stories. She uses innovative layering techniques that create ancient-looking, timeworn surfaces creating a sense of intimate curiosity. The scale of her work ranges from small handmade books to site specific installations.

She has exhibited her work nationally and internationally in group and solo exhibitions for over 20 years. Her work is included in the collections of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, in Alexandria, Egypt; Pennsylvania Power and Light; Johnson and Johnson WHQ, Allergan Corporate Art Collection; William Paterson University; The Experimental Printmaking Institute, and Skillman Library at Lafayette College, among others.

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