Studio Residency: 2019
Liesl Schubel was born in Ontario, Canada in 1990. She moved twice while she was young: first to British countryside, then American. Life in England brought Liesl close to her mother’s upbringing, as Canada had done for her father’s. The memories and landscape of these homes hold deep, sustaining importance in Liesl’s life and practice. As a queer woman, an artist, and a city dweller from rural roots, the complexity of home and of familial histories, relationships, and disputes remain a constant source of inspiration in her practice.
Liesl is trained as a glassblower, having worked with glass for over ten years. She is drawn to the fluidity and sensitivity of the material, and pairs glass with other media, such as textiles and found objects, to form new tactile narratives. Liesl is a founding member of the art collective Flock the Optic, a group formed to explore the meeting place of glass, performance, installation, entertainment, and happening. Their work focuses on cyclical experience, audience interaction, and creating works with abundant creative energy.
Liesl received her BFA from Rhode Island School of Design in 2012, majoring in Glass. She has since continued traveling, pursuing opportunities to expand her understanding of art and craft at institutions such as WheatonArts and Cultural Center in Millville, NJ, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, ME, the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, VA, Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, WA, Ox-Bow School of Art in Saugatuck, MI, and is a 2019 Studio Resident at UrbanGlass in Brooklyn, NY. Liesl currently lives in New York City with her partner, maintaining a varied art practice, working with arts and education nonprofits, and operating as a freelance maker.
