UW–Parkside ceramics professor exhibiting work now thru April 8, 2022
Lisa Marie Barber, a ceramics professor at the University of Wisconsin–Parkside, is exhibiting her work now through Friday, April 8, 2022, at Gallery 120. Art shows and exhibitions are hosted at Gallery 120’s brick-and-mortar location in the atrium of the Fine Arts building on the Inver Hills Community College campus in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota.
Originally from Tucson, Arizona, Lisa Marie Barber earned her B.S. in Sociology/Art minor at Northern Arizona University and her M.F.A. from the University of Texas at Austin. Lisa Marie is a full professor in the Department of Art and Design at UW–Parkside, where she teaches ceramics, art foundations, and studio seminars. She also serves as director for liberal studies and as academic director for the UW Collaborative Associates of Arts and Sciences program.
Prior to her professorship, Lisa Marie worked as a university and youth art instructor in the San Francisco bay area, including positions at Santa Clara University and the Palo Alto Art Center. She has received numerous honors and led workshops and outreach activities from New York to California.
In addition to exhibiting nationally with more than 50 solo/two-person exhibitions to her credit, Lisa Marie has held artist-in-residence positions at the following institutions and centers:
- City University of New York
- Hunter College
- Northern Clay Center
- Watershed Center for Ceramic Art
- Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts
- Works, San Jose
- Clay Studio of Missoula
- Mendocino Art Center
Learn more about Lisa Marie Barber by visiting her artist’s website.
WHAT: Ceramics Exhibition
WHO: Lisa Marie Barber
WHEN: Now thru Friday, April 8, 2022
WHERE: Gallery 120
Fine Arts Building
Inver Hills Community College
2500 80th Street East
Inver Grove Heights, MN 55076
General: 651-450-3000
Gallery: 651-450-3101
Lisa Marie Barber Artist Statement

My aesthetic sensibility is rooted in Mexican Folk Art and the Latin American Catholic shrines of my heritage and upbringing. During my childhood in Tucson, Arizona, this was the artwork I knew and I practiced making creations in similar ways. I came to believe that ornamentation and excess denoted value and importance; materials weren’t required to be “fine” and tools were expected to be simple. Evidence of “the hand” (the maker) was never something to be self-conscience of or craftily removed. Throughout my life, I’ve remained loyal to this style of making.
The majority of my studio practice consists of creating large-scale ceramic sculptures and installations from recycled clay. The work is multi-fired with ceramic materials at low temperatures. I also create functional vessels, clothing, paintings, and large mixed-media quilts where I employ various drawing, dyeing, printing, and applique techniques. Regardless of material, my embedded concepts and style are consistent.
My works are imagined conceptions of home, gardens, friends, peacefulness, playfulness, and celebration. They are personal meditations on the happiness and beauty that outlines every day.
Learn more about Lisa Marie Barber’s ceramics exhibition at Gallery 120 by contacting:
Jay Jensen
Ceramics Faculty
Gallery Curator and Coordinator
651-450-3485
Gallery 120 on Facebook
Gallery 120 Online
Learn more about the A.F.A. in Art at Inver Hills by contacting:
Rob Kolomyski
Painting and Drawing Faculty
651-450-3256