Elizabeth N. Orleans was born in Philadelphia, PA. She earned a Master of Fine Arts degree at California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, CA and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in ceramics at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. She has also studied at Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, Clayworks in Santa Fe, Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina, the Oregon School of Art and Craft in Portland and the Studio Art Centers International in Florence, Italy.
In 2004 Orleans was chosen to create a site specific installation, involving thousands of ceramic elements, at the Museum of Contemporary Art at the Luther Burbank Center of the Arts in Santa Rosa, CA. The piece was featured in Ceramics Monthly magazine and was shown at the Museum of Craft and Folk Art in San Francisco, CA and Royal T in Culver City, CA.
Moving to Venice Beach, CA, along side the tradition of Southern California ceramic artists Ken Price and Peter Voulkos, Elizabeth Orleans continues to pursue innovation in her chosen medium. Her collisions of geometric and organic forms, often referencing growth, the human body, and abstracted life forms, have drawn comparisons to the work of artists Yayoi Kusama and Louise Bourgeois. Elizabeth also furthers her interest in altering pre-existing spaces by creating architectural interventions that penetrate boundaries and explore movement, change, and the infinite possibility of time.
Elizabeth Orleans was the selected artist for the 3rd Annual Summer Project in 2011 at Royale Projects in Indian Wells, CA consisting of three ambitious installations. She created a wall installation at Massachusetts College of Art and Design and built a sculpture garden inside of the new space of Fresh Paint gallery in Culver City, CA in 2012. Elizabeth continues to manage her studio and to create in Venice Beach.
Perreault Magazine / March 2014 34