Ellen Lake: interdisciplinary artist, arts administrator, and mom of 3

On this episode, I'm thrilled to welcome Ellen Lake to the podcast! Ellen is an interdisciplinary artist based in Oakland, California, whose work spans painting, video, sculpture, installation, and public art. She often experiments with technology and archives, creating projects that blur the boundaries between process and material. Her public art initiative, Bench Projects, replaced ads with art by local artists at AC Transit bus stops in North Oakland (including episode 8 artist Lisa Solomon). Ellen has been awarded residencies at places like MASS MoCA, the Vermont Studio Center, the Rauschenberg Residency, and Stanford's Experimental Media Arts Lab, and she's received grants from the California Arts Council and the City of Oakland. She's also the Co-Executive Director of Kala Art Institute, a residency program and community art hub in Berkeley. At home, Ellen is just as dynamic; she lives with her husband, their three children, and two chihuahuas, Max and George.

You can see some of Ellen's film and video work we discuss here. You can listen to the Spoiler Alert Radio podcast interview I mention here. To learn more about Ellen and her work, check out her website and follow her on Instagram.

Artists in Offices is produced and edited by Rebecca Bird Grigsby. Music is provided by Jesse Kelsey. Additional information and episodes can be found at artistsinoffices.com.