BIO

Lisa Bade was born in Seattle and grew up in a family of educators who prioritized social justice. Encouraged to draw and paint from an early age, Lisa attended Whitworth College in Spokane as an Art Major, and left to pursue adventure: travelling through Europe, crewing on a Bristol Bay fishing boat, building an off-the-grid log cabin on Whidbey Island, and giving birth to three children, all while pursuing a career as an artist. A show of her work in Langley at age 22 led to her inclusion in a group show in Pioneer Square and representation with Thrasher Orth Gallery on Capitol Hill. The need to feed those 3 children kept Lisa involved in commission work through Thrasher Orth, while taking every opportunity to develop and show drawings and paintings. She earned an MA in Education and taught Studio Art and Art history at Highline High School for 10 years. During that time, she worked with other artists to create parade scale art, posters and street art for demonstrations and rallies, and eventually to collaboratively organize the Art of Resistance Political Artists’ Conference series. Seeking to expand her knowledge and experience as a socially engaged artist and educator, she took a position doing research on education interventions in Cambodia, living for 4 years in a small provincial town. During that time and since, she has been involved as a resource person to the Asia based Schools of Peace network of activists, facilitating and advising on socially engaged art practices. Most recently, she is engaged with narrative art and illustration, working on a long term project about Cambodia. She lives with her husband on Fidalgo Island and continues to show new work in Portland and Seattle.

Resume available on request.