Safe Zone

Melt Studio and Gallery presents two simultaneous shows by Leisa Rich. Safe Zone will be accompanied by an installation in the FORMAT Gallery entitled Ocean Atmosphere, June 15th- July 9th. There will be an Artist Talk on June 17th from 1-2 PM followed by an opening reception on the same day from 7-9 PM.

“At age 4, after many lonely months spent in a hospital bed, completely deaf in one ear and partially deaf in the other, I got to go home. My father brought one large and four small electrical cable spools from his shop. He set them up to create a table and seating under a massive weeping willow tree in our backyard that was so big its branches swept the ground, and I had my own private sanctuary. I hosted tea parties for my dolls and bears, and played for hours there, the only sounds were the whispering branches and chirping birds.

I was called to visual art at age 15 and have been working since on recreating the powerful healing that I felt inside that willow enclave: referencing animals, flora, and fauna, building surroundings that cocoon, designing interactive environments, finding creative ways of provoking childlike wonder in myself and others. It is my hope that I might give viewers a respite from the dark and unknown. The works in Safe Zone are also a plea for humans to care for the earth, respect its fragility, and work on changing our habits so that we might stave off our own extinction.” – Leisa Rich

About the Artist: Leisa Rich is an experimental visual artist with a background in fiber art. She transforms materials in unique ways via sewing, dyeing, painting, melting, sculpting, heat transfer, embroidery, 3D printing, laser cutting, resin and more. Rich has a Master of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, and Bachelor of Education in Art degrees, has exhibited in notable museums and galleries, and won numerous awards. She is also a published author and has taught art for 48 years. Rich’s works are in the permanent collections of Delta Airlines Inc., Hilton Hotels, Inc., Emory Healthcare/Women’s Health, Kamm Foundation, Dallas Museum of Art, University of Texas, University of North Texas, The Works: Atlanta, and in international private collections. In October 2020, in the middle of political upheaval and Covid, Rich virtually purchased a 96-year-old farmhouse on three acres on a rural St. Lawrence River island accessible only by ferry, and moved back to Canada after decades living, teaching, and exhibiting in the U.S. and abroad.