b. 1987, Iowa
Lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas
alspachl@gmail.com
Liz Alspach is an artist, designer, and writer who builds organizations and forges relationships as tools for imagining and building radical futures. She was educated first in the rural, small town manner of neighborly generosity and collective accountability and then in the liberal arts of academia. As the granddaughter of a Depression-era furniture maker and the daughter of a county fair champion quilter, Alspach’s work is born from a deep and disciplined history of living in community and working with her hands. How she works today is rooted in the knowledge of her formative years in Midwestern farms and kitchens, playing first base, hitch hiking to the Great Wall of China, and staring wide-eyed at the San Francisco Bay.
The spirit of her work lies in projects and products that are not representations but real things: real stakes, real labors, real consequences, and real possibilities for growth toward a radical new future.
education
2021 MFA University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
2020 Cabinetmaking Workshop College of the Redwoods, Fort Bragg, CA
2009 BA Carleton College, Northfield, MN
key skills
Passionate steward of education, the environment, and the arts
Proven ability to execute operations, budgets, and staffing
Adept at maintaining grace under pressure
Comfortable building relationships from the boardroom to the backcountry
Experienced writing and managing proposals and securing funding
what people are saying
"Outgoing, adventurous, and handy with a camp stove or a power tool, Liz is the sort of person to bring with you to a remote, rugged, unfamiliar environment." -Julia Busiek, 2020
selected work experience
FOUNDER
THE MERCERY COLLECTIVE, 2022
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF INSTRUCTIONAL FABRICATION
CALIFORNIA COLLEGE OF THE ARTS, 2015-2018
INTERIM CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER & RESEARCH ADMINISTRATOR
UC BERKELEY’S LAWRENCE HALL OF SCIENCE, 2013-2015
PROJECT COORDINATOR
SRA INTERNATIONAL IN SUPPORT OF THE US DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, 2010-2013
selected group exhibitions
2019 True Refrigeration, Crust Bucket Collective, Fayetteville, AR
2019, UArk Lamps, Forage Modern, Minneapolis, MN
2019, The Bathroom Talk, The Restroom at Forage Modern, Minneapolis, MN
2016, 3D Digital Tools, Icebox Gallery, California College of the Arts, Oakland, CA
2009, Thesis Exhibition, Concert Hall Gallery, Carleton College, Northfield, MN
fieldwork
2019, Independent expedition, Death Valley National Park, CA
2019, Independent expedition, Mojave National Preserve, CA
2018, Independent expedition, Yosemite National Park, CA
2016, Team expedition, Laos, Thailand, Burma, Malaysia
2010, Woodfire kiln building, NOrthfield, MN
2010, Pop-up saw-mill, Northfield, MN
2009, Team expedition, Heafy Trek, New Zealand
2009, Woodfire kiln building, Matatina Marae, New Zealand
2008, Independent documentary expedition, Yangtze River, China
2007, INdependent documentary expedition, Oaxaca, MX
2007, Woodfire kiln building, Hilo, HI
speaking
2019, Panelist, Servant Leadership Conference, Crowder College, Neosho, MO
2019, Biz Talk, Walton School of Business Podcast
2018 ArtSlam, International Sculpture Conference, Philadelphia, PA
2009 Artfully Yours, www.happybodies.wordpress.com
2009, Empty Bowls event speaker, Carleton College, Northfield, MN
digital & print publications
2020, Ava and Amelia’s Adventures on Berry Street, BFF Press, Fayetteville, AR
2020, OP-ED: PROVIDING GRANTS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES IN A TIME OF NEED, AR Money & Politics
2020, A.W.L.I.N., Class publication, University of Arkansas
2018, UArk Lamp, Blurb.com, Minneapolis, MN
2008 Up River Yangtze, Self-published, Washington, D.C.
2007, The Saddle Road, Self-published, Northfield, MN
selected awards & fellowships
2020, Summer Research Grant, Mildred’s Lane, University of Arkansas
2020, Anderson Ranch Fellowship, University of Arkansas
2019, Sturgis INternational Fellowship, University of Arkansas
2019, Project Research Grant, University of Arkansas
2019, Summer Research Grant, University of Arkansas
2019, ISC Travel Fellowship
2019, NCECA Travel Fellowship
2019, Finalist, National Parks Arts Foundation Residency, Big Island, HI
2018, First Prize, Social Innovation Challenge, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
2009, Finalist, Watson International Fellowship,
2018, ISC Travel Fellowship
2018, NCECA, Travel Fellowship
2008, Larson Travel FEllow, China, Carleton College
2008, Jepson Memorial Award in Studio ARt, Carleton College
2008, lService Internship Fellow, Oaxaca, MX
certificates
2020, CPR/First Aid Certified
2018, Forklift Trainer Certification, CA
2015, Project Management: UC Berkeley Ext.
2009, Wilderness First Responder, National Outdoor Leadership School
service
Member, Association of Ceramic Enthusiasts, University of Arkansas
Member, Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities, National
Representative, Carleton Alumni Admissions Association