The Venus Cult

The creation of Art is a holy act where each individual receives a gem of experience that collects into their unique perspective.

MY ART IS THE CROSSROAD where a feminist archeological dig meets your Great Aunt's Victorian attic.  A sacred temple space of tchotchke heaven, 10 ft  X 12 ft wide maximalist altars covered in handmade ceramic venuses, salvaged sculptures, vintage cauldrons, animal bones, lacy bits, as well as real and fake flowers. Gold painted assemblage sculptures made from curbside scores, yard sales and goodwill bins, are illuminated with experimental video projections.  Upcycled lace doilies, fabric and dresses are woven to adorn the walls. The sounds of nature meet NASA recordings, the heartbeat of the womb meets South American death whistles, gongs and bells chime.  The Projections flash with organic colorful images and fill the space, covering the altar, the participants, and the collaborative performers.

I believe that collaboration is the pinnacle of immersive environment creation and where we all stand the most to gain from the collective imagination.

Elizabeth started her installation art journey at 13 years old, building first pagan altars in the woods and by 15 had moved to a large monthly window display at the See Spot Art Gallery in downtown Ithaca, NY.  In the past 14 years she has traveled abroad, graduating with a BFA ‘08/ School of Visual Arts in NYC, becoming an ordained Reverend 2012/ Temple of Isis, CA, then earning a MFA ’17/ Herron School of Design in Indianapolis, IN. In this time she has created 100+ art shows with immersive installations, experimental video, sustainable fiber arts, alt-photography, ceramic Venuses, and ritual theater costuming.

She has taught and/or installed art at Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, Burning Man, Healer DIY, Beyond.Art, Herron School of Design, Indiana University, Omega Institute, 1440 Multiversity, Elements Festival, Unifier Festival, Isian Society of Integrated Studies, and the Stutz Gallery…

Current Shows: Healer DIY art space/ Indianapolis IN, BeyondArt Collective/ Ithaca NY & at Burning Man with thehivecollective.org

The Cosmic Lume is my installation practice, utilizing second-hand items to create a maximalist altar landscape.  These mega sculptures are immersive, utilizing sound, light, and space to create a sensory container.  I create experimental films and soundtracks that create a play of light over the surface of the entire scene. I feel something ancient speaking through me as I create these sensation guided spaces.  The authentic nature of intuitive building allows me to voice something that has no words in modern living.  

The Venus Cult is my ceramic arts studio, primarily creating voluptuous earthenware Goddesses.  There is a place deep in our senses that understands the universal cycle; birth, life, death, rebirth. The ancients worship the maternal giver of life is exemplified in the carved and clay goddesses found throughout the world in one form or another.  I base my creative study mainly on the Paleolithic Venuses of Europe.  Bringing this ‘prehistoric’ form into contemporary use is a great passion. Hand sculpting beastly aliens, animal heads, three breasted folkloric mothers used in the creative act of ritual and prayer.

“The primordial deity for our Paleolithic and Neolithic ancestors was female, reflecting the sovereignty of motherhood..Paleolithic and Neolithic symbols and images cluster around a self-generating Goddess and her basic functions as Giver-of-Life, Wielder-of-Death, and as Regeneratrix.”

Marija Gimbutas, The Language of the Goddess