SELECTED PROJECTS
JUKEBOX, current
Jukebox is a new community storysharing project being commissioned by the City of Cambridge, MA, through Cambridge Arts Council, for the Cambridge Foundry. A jukebox stocked with community stories will come to life at the Cambridge Foundry which is opening in early 2022. This project reimagines the idea of jukebox as a machine that plays stories rather than music. Ultimately, there will be 100 tracks on the jukebox - an audio archive of authentic community voices housed in a unique, artistically restored, vintage jukebox, created to celebrate the equally unique, rich perspectives, backgrounds and stories of folks in Cambridge. Audio content for the jukebox is being developed in partnership with The Loop Lab, a Cambridge-based non-profit social enterprise that empowers people of color in the media arts to develop careers in audio/video through job training and job placement. Leading up to the opening of The Foundry, virtual programs will act as an extension of the jukebox itself by providing a space for community members to gather together and connect to one another through storysharing.
Learn more about the project and how you can be a part of it at www.FoundryJukebox.org and follow the project on Instagram @FoundryJukebox!
Jukebox is a new community storysharing project being commissioned by the City of Cambridge, MA, through Cambridge Arts Council, for the Cambridge Foundry. A jukebox stocked with community stories will come to life at the Cambridge Foundry which is opening in early 2022. This project reimagines the idea of jukebox as a machine that plays stories rather than music. Ultimately, there will be 100 tracks on the jukebox - an audio archive of authentic community voices housed in a unique, artistically restored, vintage jukebox, created to celebrate the equally unique, rich perspectives, backgrounds and stories of folks in Cambridge. Audio content for the jukebox is being developed in partnership with The Loop Lab, a Cambridge-based non-profit social enterprise that empowers people of color in the media arts to develop careers in audio/video through job training and job placement. Leading up to the opening of The Foundry, virtual programs will act as an extension of the jukebox itself by providing a space for community members to gather together and connect to one another through storysharing.
Learn more about the project and how you can be a part of it at www.FoundryJukebox.org and follow the project on Instagram @FoundryJukebox!
BLOSSOMS, 2020
I have always loved spring in New England, late as it often seems to come in Massachusetts. When the pandemic changed all of our lives in March, I felt as if I had been enveloped in a fog of purgatory. The world was lonely and scary. Creativity, which has always been easy for me, was hard and distant. I took many long, solitary walks on those gray days, trying to escape the weariness of our new everyday. But slowly, sure as they do every year, green bursts of life began to make themselves known again. Soft blossoms unfolded in cautious hope, and I watched the world around me come back to life. In these deeply challenging days, meditating on these blossoms' forms, and escaping into the pleasure of color, line, texture and shape, have been a wonderful gift. In our darkest times, we must remember the beautiful things.
Pieces are crayon, ink, gouache and oil pastel on paper and are 22-1/4” x 22-1/4” each.
I have always loved spring in New England, late as it often seems to come in Massachusetts. When the pandemic changed all of our lives in March, I felt as if I had been enveloped in a fog of purgatory. The world was lonely and scary. Creativity, which has always been easy for me, was hard and distant. I took many long, solitary walks on those gray days, trying to escape the weariness of our new everyday. But slowly, sure as they do every year, green bursts of life began to make themselves known again. Soft blossoms unfolded in cautious hope, and I watched the world around me come back to life. In these deeply challenging days, meditating on these blossoms' forms, and escaping into the pleasure of color, line, texture and shape, have been a wonderful gift. In our darkest times, we must remember the beautiful things.
Pieces are crayon, ink, gouache and oil pastel on paper and are 22-1/4” x 22-1/4” each.
UNDERLINE, 2017 - 2020
This continuing body of work explores my biracial identity through the introspective creation of continuous-line, blind-contour self-portraits; a drawing process that asks me to engage fully with my own visual form, and translate that form into line while not looking at what I am creating or lifting my mark from the page. As a biracial person how I am seen shifts in the eye of the beholder and depends on social context. Through these explorations I contemplate my own visual form while relinquishing the ability to control how I look. I embrace a process of discovery that asks me to truly see myself, and asks the viewer to find me within, and beneath, the wandering lines. These drawings began in black and white, but gradually shifted towards multicolored expressions of self. Through this process I have discovered that none of us are just one thing- we are all multicolored beings beneath the surface.
Pieces are crayon on paper, and gesso and crayon on paper, approximately 22" x 22" each.
This continuing body of work explores my biracial identity through the introspective creation of continuous-line, blind-contour self-portraits; a drawing process that asks me to engage fully with my own visual form, and translate that form into line while not looking at what I am creating or lifting my mark from the page. As a biracial person how I am seen shifts in the eye of the beholder and depends on social context. Through these explorations I contemplate my own visual form while relinquishing the ability to control how I look. I embrace a process of discovery that asks me to truly see myself, and asks the viewer to find me within, and beneath, the wandering lines. These drawings began in black and white, but gradually shifted towards multicolored expressions of self. Through this process I have discovered that none of us are just one thing- we are all multicolored beings beneath the surface.
Pieces are crayon on paper, and gesso and crayon on paper, approximately 22" x 22" each.
PACK OUR BAGS, 2018
Pack Our Bags is interactive installation in which the public is invited to help The Traveler pack a suitcase filled with the values that will lay the groundwork for our next world. In this exploratory installation, the public is encouraged to examine concept sculptures created by the artist and place the objects either in the suitcase for the Traveler to take, or on the floor to leave behind. All are also invited to examine and re-evaluate what others chose to pack, and to re-place objects as they deem necessary. This interactive piece debuted as part of "Interstellar Sanctuary" at the Mills Gallery, Boston in Spring of 2018, and was redeveloped for "Nine Moments for Now" at the Cooper Gallery, Cambridge in Fall of 2018, and was recently installed at the International Center for Photography in New York, NY as part of a special collaboration with For Freedoms.
Pack Our Bags is interactive installation in which the public is invited to help The Traveler pack a suitcase filled with the values that will lay the groundwork for our next world. In this exploratory installation, the public is encouraged to examine concept sculptures created by the artist and place the objects either in the suitcase for the Traveler to take, or on the floor to leave behind. All are also invited to examine and re-evaluate what others chose to pack, and to re-place objects as they deem necessary. This interactive piece debuted as part of "Interstellar Sanctuary" at the Mills Gallery, Boston in Spring of 2018, and was redeveloped for "Nine Moments for Now" at the Cooper Gallery, Cambridge in Fall of 2018, and was recently installed at the International Center for Photography in New York, NY as part of a special collaboration with For Freedoms.
DRAWN TOGETHER, 2018
Drawn Together was a collaboration with fellow artist Graham Yeager that took place at Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Summer of 2018. The project consisted of an expansive collaborative glass drawing that was created on-site by the artists, as well as a one-day interactive program in which museum visitors were invited to make their own collaborative drawings. In the Drawn Together method, partners stand on either side of a glass panel and pull a random selection from a pool of object prompts that were developed by the artists. After both partners have seen the prompt, the pair must create a single drawing together with markers tip to tip on either sides the glass. While creating the drawing, partners strive to keep their connection to the other's marker without speaking, and without knowing where the drawing will begin, or how it will end.
Drawn Together was a collaboration with fellow artist Graham Yeager that took place at Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Summer of 2018. The project consisted of an expansive collaborative glass drawing that was created on-site by the artists, as well as a one-day interactive program in which museum visitors were invited to make their own collaborative drawings. In the Drawn Together method, partners stand on either side of a glass panel and pull a random selection from a pool of object prompts that were developed by the artists. After both partners have seen the prompt, the pair must create a single drawing together with markers tip to tip on either sides the glass. While creating the drawing, partners strive to keep their connection to the other's marker without speaking, and without knowing where the drawing will begin, or how it will end.
SLIDESHOW, 2017
Commissioned by Now+There, Slideshow took place October 12 - 15, 2017 as part of HUBweek on Boston City Hall Plaza. The project was a series of curated slide talks and an interactive photo exhibit taking place in and around a 20' shipping container. The artist invited ten Boston-area women from varying backgrounds each to photograph a week in her life and then to choose 25 images that she would use to tell her story in an analog slide talk. Slideshow amplified and celebrated the life experiences of ten generous, brave, Boston-area women through photography and storytelling, and invited the public to share in the day-to-day work, family life, and social context of each woman through the women's talks and through physical examination of the images on a communal light table.
Learn more about Slideshow here: www.nowandthere.org/slideshow
Commissioned by Now+There, Slideshow took place October 12 - 15, 2017 as part of HUBweek on Boston City Hall Plaza. The project was a series of curated slide talks and an interactive photo exhibit taking place in and around a 20' shipping container. The artist invited ten Boston-area women from varying backgrounds each to photograph a week in her life and then to choose 25 images that she would use to tell her story in an analog slide talk. Slideshow amplified and celebrated the life experiences of ten generous, brave, Boston-area women through photography and storytelling, and invited the public to share in the day-to-day work, family life, and social context of each woman through the women's talks and through physical examination of the images on a communal light table.
Learn more about Slideshow here: www.nowandthere.org/slideshow
SOUND LAB, 2017
Over the course of one week in March 2017, Elisa Hamilton transformed the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum's Calderwood Hall into a hands-on community listening space that featured the sounds of our Boston communities. In this six-month collaboration with four local community organizations, the artist taught workshops focused on listening more closely to the sounds of our ordinary lives, and recorded each community group at work. From this audio, the artist created a collection of 39 custom picture discs that featured the sounds and images of the community groups. The "Sound Lab" featured the custom records along with a selection of vintage records curated to reflect Boston’s rich musical traditions. The artist created a 20' x 20' map of Boston, atop which visitors were invited to touch, hold, and play the records on locally made turntables. During the run of the installation, the artist curated workshops and performances lead by community partner organizations, and hosted an Sound Lab Open Mic each day with a different theme. At the conclusion of the exhibition, the record collections and turntables were gifted to each community partner.
Learn more about Sound Lab here: www.wbur.org/artery/2017/03/09/sound-lab-gardner-museum
Over the course of one week in March 2017, Elisa Hamilton transformed the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum's Calderwood Hall into a hands-on community listening space that featured the sounds of our Boston communities. In this six-month collaboration with four local community organizations, the artist taught workshops focused on listening more closely to the sounds of our ordinary lives, and recorded each community group at work. From this audio, the artist created a collection of 39 custom picture discs that featured the sounds and images of the community groups. The "Sound Lab" featured the custom records along with a selection of vintage records curated to reflect Boston’s rich musical traditions. The artist created a 20' x 20' map of Boston, atop which visitors were invited to touch, hold, and play the records on locally made turntables. During the run of the installation, the artist curated workshops and performances lead by community partner organizations, and hosted an Sound Lab Open Mic each day with a different theme. At the conclusion of the exhibition, the record collections and turntables were gifted to each community partner.
Learn more about Sound Lab here: www.wbur.org/artery/2017/03/09/sound-lab-gardner-museum
COMMUNITY LEGACY, 2017
In September 2017, Elisa Hamilton collaborated with the MIT List Center for Visual Art to create a participatory installation in response to the institution's Student Loan Art Program. The Program is an annual tradition since 1969, which allows students to borrow artworks from the List's permanent collection and keep in their homes for the school year. The artist was moved by the generosity of this program, which, instead of hoarding valuable works of art, lends them to students to be enjoyed, creating a positive daily impact in the lives of community members. In the spirit of the generosity of the Student Loan Art Program, the artist asked community members a question about their own giving: "what will you leave behind?" Participants were encouraged to write down their response, tuck it into a box, and place it on a shelving unit that became a growing, physical evidence of community offerings. Participants were encouraged to explore others' responses by peering through the clear acrylic vessels to the writing inside. The 179 results have now been digitally catalogued and are published online as public evidence of the community’s legacy.
Learn more about Community Legacy here: communitylegacy.squarespace.com
In September 2017, Elisa Hamilton collaborated with the MIT List Center for Visual Art to create a participatory installation in response to the institution's Student Loan Art Program. The Program is an annual tradition since 1969, which allows students to borrow artworks from the List's permanent collection and keep in their homes for the school year. The artist was moved by the generosity of this program, which, instead of hoarding valuable works of art, lends them to students to be enjoyed, creating a positive daily impact in the lives of community members. In the spirit of the generosity of the Student Loan Art Program, the artist asked community members a question about their own giving: "what will you leave behind?" Participants were encouraged to write down their response, tuck it into a box, and place it on a shelving unit that became a growing, physical evidence of community offerings. Participants were encouraged to explore others' responses by peering through the clear acrylic vessels to the writing inside. The 179 results have now been digitally catalogued and are published online as public evidence of the community’s legacy.
Learn more about Community Legacy here: communitylegacy.squarespace.com
DANCE SPOT, 2012 to present
Dance Spot is a traveling public art project, in which the artist creates pop-up dance floors in unexpected places and invites the public to dance. Dance Spots are individually created for each location by the artist with different design and choreography for each spot. In Dance Spot’s foundational iteration, the artist transformed the sidewalks of Fort Point into impromptu dance floors. The original project consisted of five dance spots - places to dance - prominently located throughout the Fort Point neighborhood. Each Dance Spot had a colorful dance diagram drawn on the sidewalk, illustrating a specific dance routine that paired with a specific song. Each installation also featured signage that directed the public to the Dance Spot website, where one could stream the songs, watch videos of the dances, and learn to do them on site. Over the past five years, Dance Spot has engaged with a variety of communities all around Boston, as well as at the DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, and Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia.
Learn more about Dance Spot here: www.dancespotboston.com
Dance Spot is a traveling public art project, in which the artist creates pop-up dance floors in unexpected places and invites the public to dance. Dance Spots are individually created for each location by the artist with different design and choreography for each spot. In Dance Spot’s foundational iteration, the artist transformed the sidewalks of Fort Point into impromptu dance floors. The original project consisted of five dance spots - places to dance - prominently located throughout the Fort Point neighborhood. Each Dance Spot had a colorful dance diagram drawn on the sidewalk, illustrating a specific dance routine that paired with a specific song. Each installation also featured signage that directed the public to the Dance Spot website, where one could stream the songs, watch videos of the dances, and learn to do them on site. Over the past five years, Dance Spot has engaged with a variety of communities all around Boston, as well as at the DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, and Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia.
Learn more about Dance Spot here: www.dancespotboston.com
SUPERMARKET, 2016
In this 15-week processed-focused residency at Boston Center for the Arts, the artist conceived and created a neighborhood store that sold superpowers. Through community workshops developed and facilitated by the artist, the artist engaged the public with questions and explorations about personal heroism, social responsibility, the superpowers we desire, and the powers inherent to our humanity. In the culmination of the residency, the artist created the Supermarket itself; the artist crafted a line of 15 different superpower products based on public feedback, and “customers” were invited to purchase a superpower from the Supermarket. Visitors made their purchases not with money, but by sharing a superpower which they already possessed with the Supermarket.
Learn more about Supermarket here: www.improper.com/arts-culture/spring-into-action-visual-art/4/
In this 15-week processed-focused residency at Boston Center for the Arts, the artist conceived and created a neighborhood store that sold superpowers. Through community workshops developed and facilitated by the artist, the artist engaged the public with questions and explorations about personal heroism, social responsibility, the superpowers we desire, and the powers inherent to our humanity. In the culmination of the residency, the artist created the Supermarket itself; the artist crafted a line of 15 different superpower products based on public feedback, and “customers” were invited to purchase a superpower from the Supermarket. Visitors made their purchases not with money, but by sharing a superpower which they already possessed with the Supermarket.
Learn more about Supermarket here: www.improper.com/arts-culture/spring-into-action-visual-art/4/
LEMONADE STAND, 2016
Lemonade Stand, a Creative City project funded by New England Foundation for the Arts, in collaboration with Silvia Lopez Chavez, used a mobile lemonade cart to bring positive story-sharing public programs to housing developments in Mission Hill, Jamaica Plain, and Dorchester throughout the summer of 2016. Using the concept of "lemons to lemonade," participants were asked to share - in either pictures or words - their personal stories of overcoming challenges in their lives. The project took the form of a traveling artist residency with The Eliot School of Fine and Applied Arts.
Learn more about Lemonade Stand here: lemonadestandboston.blogspot.com
Lemonade Stand, a Creative City project funded by New England Foundation for the Arts, in collaboration with Silvia Lopez Chavez, used a mobile lemonade cart to bring positive story-sharing public programs to housing developments in Mission Hill, Jamaica Plain, and Dorchester throughout the summer of 2016. Using the concept of "lemons to lemonade," participants were asked to share - in either pictures or words - their personal stories of overcoming challenges in their lives. The project took the form of a traveling artist residency with The Eliot School of Fine and Applied Arts.
Learn more about Lemonade Stand here: lemonadestandboston.blogspot.com
