October 12, 2011

Artists Lee, Liza Littlefield to visit campus

by Andrea Hahn

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The School of Art and Design at Southern Illinois University Carbondale welcomes sculptor Lee Littlefield and mixed media artist Liza Littlefield as the next visiting artists in the fall series.

Though the Littlefields base themselves in Houston, Texas, now, they have a connection to Southern Illinois.  Liza Littlefield, in fact, is an alumna, having earned both her master of fine arts degree and her doctoral degree at SIU Carbondale.

The Littlefields will be on campus Oct. 19-20, working with SIU Carbondale art students.  They will hold public lectures on Oct. 20 beginning at 7 p.m. in the University Museum auditorium.

Lee Littlefield began his career as a narrative painter.  His first site sculpture -- a 24-foot-tall tower -- appeared in a Southern Illinois soybean field.  Littlefield has also created freeway site sculptures -- at least 40 of them by his own count from Houston to New York City.  However, he also creates indoor sculpture, including some influenced by his interest in bayou culture.

Liza Littlefield, Lee Littlefield’s wife, draws from some of the same inspiration for her watercolors.  Her work sometimes reflects and sometimes speaks for the natural world around her.

Work from both artists is on display in the Vergette Galley Oct. 17-22.  The Vergette Gallery is on the first floor of the Allyn Building on campus.

For a complete schedule of School of Art and Design visiting artists and gallery exhibitions, see http://artanddesign.siuc.edu/.