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Lisa di Liberto
Visual Artist

Photography and Fine Art Series

Artists Statement

Teaching Artist

Private Instruction, students work

Community Art Instruction, students work

Public Art remote learning in a hybrid-in-school classroom at IS77Q through LeapNYC

Bookmaking after school at PS154Q, through LeapNYC

Public Art collaboration with LeapNYC and IS77Q in Ridgewood, NY

Art Making for Change

Remote teaching
Spring 2021:

With a social justice framework, I collaborated with a 6th grade teacher and two of her classes each week for 10 weeks. I introduced drawing and collage as the mediums they would learn about in order to create their social justice topics. I combined this with graphic design emphasizing how it is used as a visual communication tool.

Through research, visual mapping, sketching, brainstorming and lively discussions, their call to action allowed them to discover their voices and strengths in new ways.

(LeapNYC partners with NYC Parks to make these exhibitions possible.)

Left banner: close up of students social justice artwork

Right banner: close up of students social justice art

This quad shows the work of two students.

'Works in progress' screenshots are on the left.
'Final artwork' is on the right.

Top row:
Animal Safety

Collage was a new medium for this student who embraced it by combining it as a design element with the drawing to show empathy in the messaging.

Bottom row:
Black Lives Matter

This student created their messaging using the design principle of balance with the drawing of the fist as a powerful anchor point.

The following two pages show a compilation of some 6th grade students final images for their social justice topics.

As part of their thought process, I introduced them to graphic design and how this is used for communication.

Learning about graphic design inspired students to take different approaches when thinking about how to continue creating their social justice topics through their artwork.

(Final social justice artwork by 6th grade students at IS77Q)

Art Statements:

A component of this class was to have the students speak about their ideas and their artwork throughout the 10 weeks we worked together. This was an exercise using prompts I provided towards their own critical thinking.

This student titled their statement:
'Immigration Factory'

After the students completed their final artwork, I presented them with four questions. They would select two which pertained to their social justice topics to write their statements.

This student titled their statement:
'Look what we have done'

This is the in-person culminating event hosted by LeapNYC at Evergreen Park in Ridgewood, NY.

This is the first time we are all meeting each other in person.
The teacher and students are in the front row. I am standing proudly behind them further to the right with my arms outstretched presenting my student artists. They were very proud to see their artwork printed on banners on display in this public park.

Everyone had a wonderful time together and we had beautiful weather!

(To find me and their classroom teacher, I am behind everyone further to the right near the back of the yellow school bus. I have long brown hair and I'm wearing a black sweater, gray shirt and a white mask. Their teacher stands further to the left in a pink top with black capri pants. She has long brown hair and is wearing sunglasses and a white mask.)

Evergreen Park in Ridgewood, NY

These are some of my students in front of one of the banners printed specifically for them to bring back to their school for display. I am standing behind them holding up the right side of
the banner.
(I have long brown hair and I'm wearing a black sweater, gray shirt and a white mask.)

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