Today we’d like to introduce you to Lori Goldberg
Hi Lori, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was fortunate to grow up near a community center, where my parents enrolled me and my siblings in many arts and crafts classes. Our backyard was a place for three-ring circuses and parades. I would initiate and run these events, inviting all the neighbourhood kids to participate in our escapades. In high school, I worked after school at community centers and parks, doing the same thing. I used to dress my younger sister in all sorts of costumes and make her perform in front of the rest of the family. She ended up becoming an actress. This earlier childhood experience may have influenced her as an adult. I would like to believe so.
I found school limiting as it was taught linearly, with rote learning and sitting in straight rows. I did not fit in. I was a visual learner and learnt experientially. I knew art was my calling. Art saved me. It was where my imagination reigned, and no one could interfere with my creative side. I got lots of praise and attention through my art, which has suited me just fine since I was a middle child.
Positive reinforcement was an incentive to keep pursuing my art. With many awards and scholarships throughout my education, I knew I was on the right path, always taking unexpected twists and turns on the way. In my formative years, I was on my way to a successful career, but once I became a single mother (not by choice), life took a different turn, but still, I did not give up on my art career. I had to adjust to my new circumstances.
I adapted and produced more public appeal work, so sales of my work were more consistent.
I was very driven to show my work and though I was not consistant in producing enough art for commercial galleries, I found different ways to bring my work in front of various audiences, from exhibits in private homes to interior decorating companies to pop-up stores. I also began teaching part-time at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in the Continuing Studies department. I am still on the roster, but I rarely teach now. I am too busy in my studio these days.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The path of being an artist for most of us is bumpy, has unexpected turns and is uncharted.
I knew that was the life of an artist. I didn’t have a choice anyway. I did not choose to be an artist; it chose me. Maybe it hasn’t been easy, but there is ‘ease’ as I found my purpose and I am living it. I work hard, am committed, have a good work ethic, and can be prolific.
Being a single parent was challenging. As a painter, woman, and single mother, the local arts community could not provide much support. There is a scarcity attitude, and I can’t blame them. As I said, it’s a challenging path to take. I found other communities to help raise my children; they never had to worry about support and love. There was a lot to go around.
Living in a city with a small art scene has its challenges. There are only so many galleries and collectors. Many successful artists find their audiences in other parts of the world. I finally found mine.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a painter. Even if I sculpt, I come from a painter’s sensibility. My personal life finds its way into my work. I use materials found in my home as subject matter or integrated into my artwork.
I engage the public in socially engaged projects where intergenerational groups come together in public spaces to make art. Usually, I incorporate a current issue like climate change or acceptance of others. I have participants turn single-use plastic packaging into purses and belts, stuff lost socks found in laundry mats in places like the Lower East Side of Manhattan NYC and sew them together to make a long tubular form as a metaphor for connecting each other together, celebrating our differences.
Over the past seven years, I have slowly integrated into the commercial gallery world. Last year, I attended an artist residency in China, and this year, I was asked to join a blue-chip gallery in Beijing. I was offered a solo exhibition and just returned from attending the opening.
I am still unpacking all that has happened in such a short time. My paradigm as an underrepresented artist has shifted. My exhibit will be running until mid-June; after that, it will travel to other parts of China. I am also represented by the LL Contemporary Gallery in Ontario, Canada, which also came from the connections made during the residency.
Now that I am back in my studio, I am working on my ongoing series, ‘The Poetics of the Discarded.’ I have been exploring this theme for the past five years regarding the journey of plastics in our air, land, and waters. The work also taps into the disposable sides of ourselves and how we treat ourselves and each other. It is a global conversation that I feel strongly about, and I want to make a tiny ripple of change through my art.
Over the years, I have built a presence and now have a following in my art practice and teaching. I have taught hundreds of people, and there are some people I have changed their lives for the better. My artwork has healing elements to it. I want to think of them as portals that one could enter into and find their own world.
What are your plans for the future?
Now having representation in Beijing and Ontario, I am focusing on producing more work for these galleries and continue finding new places to exhibit my work.
I am also preparing for a September exhibition and running community workshops up north in Smithers, BC. It is a tiny but active community, and I am looking forward to engaging with the local community.
There is a potential exhibition in Seattle, and I will travel to discuss this opportunity.
I am seeking representation in the States. I am looking at LA. I bleive my work has an audience there.
My artworld is an ever-changing landscape and it keeps me engaged and excited.
I am looking forward to what comes next.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lorigoldberg.ca
- Instagram: [email protected]
- Facebook: [email protected]
Image Credits
Image of the interior of the room with Octopus’s Garden photo by Harvey Lim.
