Today we’d like to introduce you to Alisa Banks.
Alisa, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I took the occasional art class in junior high and high school but stopped in university, where I majored in medical laboratory science. After I graduated and started working in a hospital lab, I began to take art classes at some of the local community colleges. Eventually, I enrolled in a graduate art program, where my focus was oil painting, but I also experimented in papermaking, letterpress printing, and bookmaking. After graduation, I began to routinely combine media in my projects.
Has it been a smooth road?
My route was very circuitous and filled with hiccups! There were many starts and stops along the way. I began graduate studies when my daughter was in high school and also worked full time from those first classes at the community colleges through earning my MFA. Looking back, it seems daunting, but I have to credit my husband for being a very supportive partner and involved parent!
We’d love to hear more about your art.
My company is Alisa Banks Fine Art, a studio specializing in multi-media works that focus on current events, histories, and social justice, through storytelling to explore identity. I am known for my artist books and textile collages and have exhibited nationally and internationally. My work resides in private and public collections throughout the country. I am particularly proud that the collectors actively share my work and the stories told in and through them with a wider audience.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Over the years, the use of technology in artwork has increased, but so has an appreciation for the handmade. The recent pandemic has challenged artists and others in the field to find ways of bringing the work to the viewer, and technology has made it possible to offer events to a virtual audience. I believe this trend will continue post-pandemic because of the potential not only to reach new audiences but also to interact with them. However, technology is no substitute for live encounters, so I think we will see creative ways to offer “live” or tactile interactions to remote audiences.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.alisabanks.com
- Phone: 2142938671
- Email: alisa@alisabanks.com
- Instagram: @alisabanks
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/alisabanksart
Image Credit:
Harrison Evans, Teresa Rafidi, Alisa Banks
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