Lisa Marie Thalhammer is an artist living in Washington D.C.[1]

Lisa Marie Thalhammer
Born
EducationUniversity of Kansas
Known forVisual art, painting, murals
Websitewww.lisamariestudio.com

Education

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Thalhammer was born in Florissant, Missouri. She first studied art at St. Joseph's Academy while working as a waitress at her family's truck stop. She attended the Art Institute of Chicago at the age of 16, for an art program that focused on figure drawing.[2] She received, with honors, her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting with a double minor in Women's Studies and Art History from the University of Kansas and studied abroad at Staffordshire University in England.[3] She moved to Washington D.C. in 2004.[4]

Career

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Thalhammer's work has been covered by publications including U.S. News & World Report, the Washington Post, and the Washington Blade.[5] The Blade featured her on its cover in 2008 and nominated her for "best visual artist" in 2013.[6]

Thalhammer has been influenced and inspired by Artemisia Gentileschi.[7]

Thalhammer has exhibited her works at several galleries in Washington D.C. such as the Transformer Gallery and G-Fine Arts Gallery.[2] In 2013, she had a solo show called Intimate Network at The Fridge Gallery in Washington, which included 13 pieces of portraiture and abstract work.[8] In 2010, she collaborated with another Washington artist, Sheila Criter, to create a window mural at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center called Butterfly Speeches.[4]

Art and activism

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Lisa Marie Thalhammer uses her artworks as part of political actions to communicate positive messages of equality, persistence, empowerment and love.

LOVE

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Thalhammer's LOVE design made its debut in the 2016 Capital Pride Parade as float banners. In January 2017 Thalhammer created posters with her LOVE artwork, advocating for an end to hate while protesting the United States presidential inauguration.[9] She has since carried her LOVE poster art in many political protests in Washington D.C. including the People's Climate March, the Native Nations March,[10] the March For Our Lives[11] and the Capital Pride 2017 & 2018 Parades.[12]

In January 2018, Thalhammer's original 10 foot wide LOVE painting on paper was exhibited at Into Action, a social justice art festival in Downtown Los Angeles.[13][14]

Strong Woman

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As part of an organized effort of multiple artists from Washington and Los Angeles, Thalhammer used her artwork to participate in the 2017 inaugural Women's March on Washington. A racially diverse team of women carried Thalhammer's 24 foot diameter painting titled Strong Woman: LOVE for All which features a multiracial women flexing her arms wearing camouflaged pants in front of a rainbow colored background.[15][16] The artwork was later displayed at the 2018 United State of Women Summit in Los Angeles, CA.[17]

 
Thalhammer's Boxer Girl mural, located at 73 W Street NW, Washington D.C.

Notable murals

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Boxer Girl

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Boxer Girl, Thalhammer's first public mural, was installed over Memorial Day weekend in 2009 and is located at 1st and W Streets NW in Washington.[18] It was inspired by the women in Thalhammer's life and her observations of women's interactions with male peers in her community,[19] and also by her athletic experiences and appreciation for team sports.

The mural sparked some controversy as members of the neighborhood had mixed reactions to it.[19] In a neighborhood committee meeting, a police officer reported that after installation of the mural, crime in that area had decreased by 55 percent.[19]

The DC Commission of Arts and Humanities awarded Thalhammer a grant to create Boxer Girl.[19] Thalhammer decided to paint Boxer Girl in her own neighborhood, Bloomingdale, on the side of the home of a long-time supporter and friend, Veronica Jackson.[18]

LOVE mural

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Thalhammer painted her LOVE mural in the Blagden Alley Shaw neighborhood of Washington D.C. in August 2017 on four steel gates. It has since become popular among Instagram users and photographers.[20][21][22] The mural has appeared in Washingtonian Magazine,[23] a Destination DC Date Night commercial,[24] and the Netflix series "Stay Here.[25]

Mural controversy

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In 2016 Thalhammer collaborated with fellow artist Aja Adams on the design of a mural which Thalhammer completed in summer 2017; it is located in the alley next to 57 O Street NW in Washington, D.C. The project received a $50,000 grant from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Adams was not paid the amount she expected for her contributions. In response to her complaint, the commission initially threatened to pull the grant, but later stated that it was simply a contractual disagreement.[26][27]

Involvement in the LGBTQIA+ community

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In February 2017 the Washington Blade, covering the LGBTQIA+ Community since 1969, listed Lisa Marie Thalhammer as one of the city's "Most Eligible Singles".[28] The Blade also nominated her "best visual artist" in 2013.[29]

In August 2017 Thalhammer gave a eulogy[30] at the memorial for Cassidy Karakorn, a 39-year-old executive with the LGBT civil rights advocacy group Human Rights Campaign who was killed in a traffic collision.[31]

Awards and honors

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Thalhammer was voted Best Artist by the Washington Blade Reader's Choice Awards 2018.[32]

References

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  1. ^ Judkis, Maura (September 25, 2014). "Artist Lofts: Where Talent Has Room to Bloom". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "isa marie thalhammer". G Fine Art. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  3. ^ "Lisa Marie Thalhammer". Transformer. The Transformer. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Trescott, Jacqueline (August 25, 2010). "Sheila Crider and Lisa Marie Thalhammer create a mural, 'Butterfly Speeches'". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  5. ^ "Lisa Marie Thalhammer". Lisa Marie Thalhammer. 2013. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  6. ^ "Best of Gay D.C. 2013: People". Washington Blade. Brown, Naff, Pitts Omnimedia Inc. October 24, 2013. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  7. ^ Sparage, Dale (November 19, 2009). "Truck Stop and 17th Century Painter Influence Thalhammer". Thedetroiter. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  8. ^ Hope, Eric (February 13, 2013). "East City Art Reviews: Lisa Marie Thalhammer's Intimate Network at The Fridge". East City Arts Review. East City Art. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  9. ^ "Protesters Address President Trump On Inauguration Day". HuffPost. 2017-01-20. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
  10. ^ "Lisa Marie Thalhammer on Instagram: "Proud to be marching with my native friends and indigenous communities in DC! Colonization has caused mass human trauma for hundreds of…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
  11. ^ "Lisa Marie Thalhammer on Instagram: "@marchforourlives art by @lisamariestudio #LOVE #disarmhate #vote #loveart #enoughisenough #gunsdown #nonviolence #lovelisamarie…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
  12. ^ "Lisa Marie Thalhammer on Instagram: "#happypride"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
  13. ^ "Artists". Into Action. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
  14. ^ Vankin, Deborah (13 January 2018). "'Into Action' festival blends art, music and social justice; a 'momentum builder' for sparking activism - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
  15. ^ "A divided nation meets: Scenes from inauguration weekend". Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
  16. ^ "Inside the warehouse where the Women's March prepares for their moment on the streets". Rare. 2017-01-20. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
  17. ^ "The 2018 United State of Women Summit Schedule". theunitedstateofwomen2018.sched.com. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
  18. ^ a b "Boxer Girl". ArtAround. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  19. ^ a b c d "Artnet:Public Murals, Public Controversy". Artnet. October 22, 2009. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  20. ^ "The 25 most Instagrammable spots in D.C." Time Out Washington DC. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
  21. ^ "Where to find all those D.C. murals you've seen on Instagram". Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
  22. ^ "District of Design - On Tap Magazine". On Tap Magazine. 2018-06-30. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
  23. ^ "The Runner's Guide to Washington". Washingtonian. 2018-07-03. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
  24. ^ washingtondc (2018-01-15), Do Date Night Right in DC, retrieved 2018-10-23
  25. ^ "Stay Here | Netflix Official Site". www.netflix.com. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
  26. ^ Kurzius, Rachel. "Embattled Artist Pushes Back Against Claims She Stole D.C. Mural Idea". DCist. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  27. ^ Capps, Kriston (October 13, 2017). "Artists Feud Over Intellectual Property Rights of a New Truxton Circle Mural". Washington City Paper. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  28. ^ "MOST ELIGIBLE SINGLES: Lisa Marie Thalhammer". Washington Blade. February 13, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  29. ^ "Best of Gay D.C. 2013: People". Washington Blade. Brown, Naff, Pitts Omnimedia Inc. October 24, 2013. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  30. ^ "Lisa Marie Thalhammer is at Human Rights Campaign". Facebook. Lisa Marie Thalhammer. September 3, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  31. ^ Weil, Martin (August 28, 2017). "Civil rights executive is killed in traffic crash". Washington Post. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  32. ^ "Best of Gay D.C. 2018 Winners". Washington Blade: Gay News, Politics, LGBT Rights. 2018-10-18. Retrieved 2018-10-23.