Lisa Little's 'Rhizomatic Lilac Fizz" Installed At Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center (Photo) - 01/24/24
Salem, Oregon – “Rhizomatic Lilac Fizz,” a 29-foot suspended artwork by Los Angeles-based artist Lisa Little, now spans three walls of Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center's Additive Innovation Center lobby in Scappoose. Constructed from nearly 350 unique 3D-printed plastic nodes and 550 aluminum rods, the vibrant and asymmetrical canopy-style artwork was commissioned as part of Oregon’s Percent for Art in Public Places Program, managed by the Oregon Arts Commission.
“’Rhizomatic Lilac Fizz’ suggests an interconnected network as well as a dynamic flock of individual components,” said Little. “At the heart of this installation is an intended tension between the interconnected and the discrete, the network and the cloud, the complex and the organized, and the engineered and the free-form.
“Creating an artwork for the Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center presented an opportunity for an exciting partnership,” she added. “OMIC generously offered access to their state-of-the-art facility in the production of 41 stainless steel 3D printed parts which can be seen where the sculpture attaches to the walls.”
The art selection committee wanted artwork that would reflect the concept of innovation, said Renee Couture, who managed the project for the Arts Commission. “Lisa’s proposal was selected because she embraced the concepts of additive manufacturing, innovation and collaboration. The committee also appreciated that it would bring color into the building.”
The artwork hovers over the Center’s entry space and crosses into the adjacent hall, beckoning visitors and employees alike into the facility, said Couture.
Lisa Little is the founder of Los Angeles’ Vertebrae, which redefines craft through computation, engineering and artistic skill. She holds a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Architecture degree from the Southern California Institute of Architecture. Little is a licensed architect and teaches design at the University of Southern California. Her projects range from sculpture and public installations to residential and commercial commissions.
Oregon was one of the first states in the nation to pass Percent for Art legislation, placing works of art in public spaces throughout the state. Since then, the Percent for Art in Public Places program has maintained a commitment to the placement of permanent art of the highest quality in public places. Committees of local residents across Oregon make selections. The overall collection, numbering almost 2,700 works, enhances the state’s public spaces and contributes to Oregon’s well-recognized quality of life.
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The Oregon Arts Commission provides leadership, funding and arts programs through its grants, special initiatives and services. Nine commissioners, appointed by the Governor, determine arts needs and establish policies for public support of the arts. The Arts Commission became part of Business Oregon (formerly Oregon Economic and Community Development Department) in 1993, in recognition of the expanding role the arts play in the broader social, economic and educational arenas of Oregon communities. In 2003, the Oregon legislature moved the operations of the Oregon Cultural Trust to the Arts Commission, streamlining operations and making use of the Commission’s expertise in grantmaking, arts and cultural information and community cultural development.
The Arts Commission is supported with general funds appropriated by the Oregon legislature and with federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust. More information about the Oregon Arts Commission is available online at artscommission.oregon.gov.
