Lisa Marie THALHAMMER -

FOunder & creative director

Lisa Marie Thalhammer is an award-winning visual artist, LGBTQ activist, and the Creative Director of Lisa Marie Studio. Her work often depicts inspirational imagery and harmonious rainbow spectrums, authentically communicating messages of persistence, equity and love. She employs an array of mediums including paper, canvas and mural walls, always with an intention to uplift and empower. Born and raised in the American heartland of St. Louis, Missouri, Lisa Marie studied fine art at the Art Institute of Chicago and University of Kansas before moving to Washington D.C. where she has painted more than a dozen murals including “The LOVE Mural,” which is among the most famous and photographed murals in D.C..

Her MURALS - THE POWER OF Lisa Marie’s PUBLIC ART Murals

In 2009 with support from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Public Art Building Communities grant award program, Lisa Marie painted her first large scale mural “Boxer Girl” in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Northwest Washington DC. The mural sparked controversy for the her figure’s powerful stance and rainbow-colored stars and stripped background. The piece was commented on and written about extensively in the press until the DC Metropolitan Police Department reported that crime decreased by 55% on the block within the four months following the art installation.

Thalhammer went on to paint dozens of other murals and exhibit her artwork extensively. In 2017 she painted The LOVE Mural as a part of her DC Alley Museum curatorial project in Blagden Alley. This project significantly contributed to the economic growth of the Shaw neighborhood quickly became an internationally known destination and photoshoot hotspot. The LOVE mural continues to trend widely on social media sharing messages of acceptance and love with people worldwide. 

2019 Lisa Marie designed an artwork celebrating World Pride and the 50 year anniversary of the Stonewall uprising in partnership with Stoli Vodka. Her bottle was distributed internationally and commemorated with a Spirit of Stonewall pride mural in Key West Florida.

In 2021 Lisa Marie painted ”Equilateral Network” a 20,000 square foot rainbow design on the lawn of the National Building Museum. In partnership with Downtown DC this project was designed to encourage people to interact in public space while safely social distancing and was on view late May - June celebrating LGBTQ Pride month.

Her background - More about Lisa Marie Thalhammer

Lisa Marie Thalhammer was born in St. Louis Missouri and raised amongst the American midwest heartland. She developed a rich interest in people while working at her family’s truck stop in Troy Illinois and first formally studied art while attending the all-girl Catholic preparatory school St. Joseph’s Academy. Lisa Marie excelled in geometry, drawing and athletics, learning figure drawing at the Art Institute of Chicago and playing on her class one state championship tennis team. She embraced her high-school motto of “not I but we” and was elected the roles of Sophomore Penny Queen and Best All Round Senior.

Lisa Marie spent a semester studying art abroad at Staffordshire University in England before receiving a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Painting with minors in Women’s Studies and Art History from the University of Kansas in Lawrence. She was the Fine Arts Coordinator of her Student Union Activities Board, curating art exhibitions and programing creative events on campus. Awards included the Warner Ferguson Service Scholarship, Daniel Macmorris Scholarship, Amsden Award, Hollander Family Foundation Award and the Jacobs Prize. Upon graduation she traveled in China and Korea before moving to Washington DC in 2004.

Upon moving to DC she quickly began exhibiting her artwork at galleries and programing art education opportunities for local cultural centers. She soon came out as, bi-sexual, lesbian then later pansexual, becoming an advocate for the LGBTQ community using her art in political actions as a tool for positive change and greater acceptance. She was featured on the cover of the Washington Blade’s 30 Under 30 Young Out and Proud issue, also received their Reader’s Choice Award for Best Visual Artist.

C.V. Lisa Marie Thalhammer

 

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

  • Solstice: Create Art For Earth — curated by Judy Chicago for Turner Carroll Gallery, June 20-Aug 12, online exhibition.

  • NOW: The Call and Look of Freedom: Mississippi Museum of Art and Tougaloo College. Curated by, LaTanya S. Autry as part of the The Art and Civil Rights Initiative, 2017-2020.

  • Into Action: Los Angeles, CA

  • Us +Us + Them = U.S.: Finding Ground in a Divided Nation: Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery, Washington, DC

  • EMULSION—The Fourth Annual East City Art Regional Juried Show: PEPCO Edison Place Gallery, Washington, DC

  • CrossLines: Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building, Washington, DC

  • Sites of Exchange: Local & Global: Clifford & Chance, Washington, DC

  • Black Lives White Light: Recreative Spaces, Washington, DC

  • Ephemeral: Olly Olly: Fairfax VA

  • Demand Solutions: Inter-American Development Bank, Washington, DC

  • Promised Land: Transformer, Asbury Park, NJ

  • Cash, Cans & Candy: Galerie Ernst Hilger: Vienna Austria

  • Intimate Network: The Fridge: Washington, DC. *SOLO

  • Call+Response: Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington, DC

  • Manifest Equality: Los Angeles CA

  • Cream WPA Auction: Katzen Arts Center curated by Mera Rubell, Washington, DC

  • Lizards Live: The Butcher’s Daughter Contemporary Art: Detroit, MI. *SOLO

  • No Soul for Sale: A Festival of Independents: Transformer at X Initiative, New York

  • Postcards From the Heartland (How I learned to stop worrying and love the RED state): Art Production Fund Lab curated by Paul Ha, New York, NY

  • Manifest Hope celebrating President Obama’s Inauguration: MoveOn, Washington, DC

  • Younity Heart & Soul: Alphabeta, Brooklyn, NY

  • Time Machine: Meat Market, curated by Amelia Winger-Bearskin for the Perpetual Art Machine, Washington, DC

  • Aqua Art Miami Beach: Aqua Hotel, Miami Beach, FL

  • SASS: Transformer, Washington, DC

  • Don’t Fear for the Future Sweetness: Gallery 5, Richmond, VA

  • Welcome to Lizard County: G Fine Art: Washington, DC. *SOLO

  • PULSE Art Fair: New York, NY

  • E3: Exercises for Emerging Artists: Transformer, Washington, DC

EDUCATION, RESIDENCIES & TRAININGS

  • Transformer Siren Arts Residency:  Asbury Park, NJ 2017  

  • 200-hour RYS Yoga Alliance Certified Instructor:  Buddha B Yoga Center, Washington, DC - 2015  

  • Transformer Promised Land Residency:  Asbury Park, NJ

  • Sabbatical Galeria Cecilia Gonzalez:  Barranco, Lima, Peru

  • Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honors, Women Studies Minor, Art History Concentration:  University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS

  • Study Abroad Program:  Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent, England

  • High School Graduate with Honors:  St. Joseph’s Academy, St. Louis, MO

  • Summer Institute Residency Program:  Art Institute of Chicago, IL 

AWARDS & HONORS

  • 40 Queer Women Under 40 - The Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs in partnership with the Washington Blade

  • Best Artist - Washington Blade Reader Choice Awards

  • Fellowship Award: D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, 2017

  • Public Art Building Communities for Open Arms Housing mural project: D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities 2017

  • Community Grant for “Ferdinand the Bull”: Dubois County Community Foundation

  • Young Artist Program 2009: D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities

  • Public Art Building Communities funding “Boxer Girl”: D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities

  • Young Artist Program 2008: D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities

  • Young Artist Program 2007 : D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities

  • Small Projects Program: D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities

  • Jacobs Prize: University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS.

  • Hollander Family Foundation Award: University of Kansas: Lawrence, KS.

  • Amsden Award: University of Kansas: Lawrence, KS.

  • Daniel Macmorris Scholarship: University of Kansas: Lawrence, KS.

  • Academic Support Scholarship: KU Memorial Corporation: Lawrence, KS (awarded twice),

  • Warner Ferguson Service Scholarship: KU Memorial Corporation: Lawrence, KS.