LMNOPI is an American artist dedicated to utilizing her artistic skills as a way to amplify messages emanating from within movements for social, economic, racial and climate justice. Her primary mediums are painting and printmaking.
She has been a community organizer, humanitarian worker & civilly disobedient activist over the last three decades. Former projects include Earth First in the late 1980’s where she worked on the campaign to save Headwaters Forest in Northern California. She was the founding director of a community arts venue called What is Art? in Santa Cruz 1994-2000 serving as the curator and facilitator there until she moved to NYC on September 11th, 2001. She attended the School for Film and Television and briefly pursued a career in acting. Prior to creating the street artist persona LMNOPI in 2009, she studied oil painting & printmaking at SUNY Purchase, graduating in 2005. Initially, she embarked upon the path of entering the gallery scene, primarily as an oil painter. After a few years, however, she became disillusioned with this pursuit and decided she preferred to show her work in the streets which is accessible to everyone and she felt she could have a greater impact by showing work in the commons.
In 2010, in response to the earthquake in Haiti, she spearheaded an entirely DIY humanitarian project called Domes for Haiti where she constructed ten geodesic domes for orphans in Port Au Prince. She was an active participant during the occupation of Zuccotti Park in NYC in 2011 where she formed a working group called the Direct Action Painters whose focus was to create banners for actions. Later LMNOPi generated viral memes for the anti-fracking movement of NY. The most popular of which featured Smokey the Bear and elicited a cease and desist letter from the USDA. She successfully challenged the constitutionality of their attempt to restrict her speech and they backed down. She was one of the founders of the disaster relief effort Occupy Sandy in 2012 in NYC, which mobilized thousands of volunteers in the wake of the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. She took part in the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline by camping for two months at Standing Rock in the winter of 2016, playing a supportive role for the elders & Indigenous leaders there mainly working in California Kitchen, cooking, cleaning and helping to keep the fires going.
LMNOPI has created over 30 murals since 2009. She has painted walls in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Vermont & Kingston, NY as well as Arizona, Colorado and California. She has published two portfolios of her print work which can be found in the special collections of universities and colleges across the United States. These include the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, the Rolvaag Library at St. Olaf University, Bertrand Library at Bucknell, Neilson Library at Smith College, Reed College Library, Bowes Library at Stanford, University of Pittsburg Library, Billings Library at University of Vermont & Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley. She is part of a historical archive of Occupy artists titled Occuprint which is in the collections of Harvard University Art Library, University of Applied Arts Vienna, Library of Congress and the Museum of Modern Art among others.
LMNOPI relocated to the Green Mountains of Vermont in the Fall of 2018 where she lives and works on her half acre homestead with her two cats.
CV / BIBLIOGRAPHY
Born 1964 Niskayuna, New York; Raised in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. AAS Advertising & Production, Mohawk Valley Community College 1984 BFA Painting & Printmaking, SUNY Purchase, cum laude 2005
SELECTED PROJECTS AND EXHIBITIONS
UPCOMING:
exciting new projects are coming down the pike, STAY TUNED!
2024:
“Quietness” / Mural in Montpelier VT / NOV 2024
“Morning Star” / Mural in Montpelier VT / OCT 2024
Into Action 2024 Exhibition / Resolution Studios / Chicago, ILL / August 16- 22, 2024
“We Built This” part II / mural for the Rutland Mint Mural / April 2024
2023
“We Built This” / mural for the Rutland Mint / Fall 2023
The Seeker mural / Taco Fresco / Rutland, VT/Spring 2023
Mountain Girl Cannabis Mural / Rutland / Summer 2023
“We Are All Rosa” Cover Design for Let’s Get Free Magazine / Creative Resistance / Spring 2023
2022:
Beginner’s Mind Mural on Rutland City Hall - Oct 2022
Climate Farmer’s portrait series - Oct 2022
Artist Guest at St Olaf College in Northfield, MN / March 2022
Trailblazers Mural for Lincoln Place Project/ Housing Trust of Rutland County / March 2022
2021:
Hestia Mural for Lincoln Place Project / Rutland, Vermont / October 2021
Bill Clark Mural for the Vermont Farmer’s Food Center / VFFC / Rutland, Vermont / August 2021
Emergence: From the Studio into the Streets with LMNOPI / A Retrospective / Stone Valley Arts / Poultney, VT / May 1st - 31st, 2021 OPEN SUNDAYS 1-4pm or by appt.
Mama’s Day Bail Out Poster campaign / Philadelphia, PA
Dear Frontline Charlotte Gallery Art Show / Charlotte, NC / March
B & G Gallery / Downtown Rutland- Window Show & Rutland Ramble / March
Rebuilding the Union / Amplifier Art
2020:
Vermont Utopias: Imagining the Future / Art Exhibit / Bennington Museum / December 2020
Rise Up Mural; Rising Star Crossfit Gym/ Rutland, VT
Resurgence & Ecologist Magazine issue 323 November / December 2020- Cornwall, UK
Human Impact Institute’s Creative Climate Awards Exhibition; NYC Nov 15- Dec 15
Vote Earth GOTV Campaign with Illuminatives & Nia Tero in conjunction with Amplifier Art / October 14th, 2020
Amplifier + Imperative 21 : two poster designs & illustrations for International RESET Campaign
We Who Believe in Freedom / Mural for MKF Properties / Rutland, Vermont / completed July 2020
Dear Frontline initiative – participating artist
One of two Finalists for the Beaver Street Mural Project, Wilmington, Vermont – Feb 2020
Artwork featured in the Resurgence & Ecologist Magazine Cornwall, UK/Jan-Feb 2020 issue
2019:
Women in Street Art / the Storefront Project / December 2019
Like the Waters, We Rise: Climate Justice in Print / Interference Archives / Brooklyn / Opens Nov 21st
Semi-finalist candidate for the Beaver Street Art Project / Wilmington Works, Vermont November 12th, 2019
Art + Alchemy : Co Creation in the Forest/ Asheville, NC/ October 18th
Streetwise Gallery Show / Canyon Gallery / Boulder, Co October 18th
Streetwise Boulder: “Uncounted” Mural for the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder, Colorado / October
Mural / Climate Strike / Rutland Food Center / September 20th
Riven Studio Presents / Art Hop / Burlington, VT Sept 7th
Die Enden Der Freiheit (The Ends of Freedom) / with Indecline/ Halle 14 / Leipzig, Germany
Burlington City Arts / Printmaking Residency Jan-July
“Mythology” Artspace Hartford / Hartford, Conn/ Jan 2019
2018:
Artist Residency at Flatirons Political Arts in Boulder / Oct 2018
"Thriving Spaces: Street Art & Glass." / Southern Vermont Art Center, Manchester, VT/ Opening September 8th - October 14th
Painted Desert Project; Tuba City, Navajo Nation, Arizona / July 2018
High Desert Artist Residency, Joshua Tree, CA June 2018
Welling Court Mural Project; Queens, NYC / June 2018
Arab American Association HQs / mural /Bay Ridge, Brooklyn / May 2018
Young New Yorkers Art Auction / Manhattan, NY / April 2018
Gallery 30 South / Pasadena, California / April 2018
BMJ Studios / Queens / April 2018
INDECLINE / Trump International Hotel / March 2018
Desert Retreat / residency / Joshua Tree, CA / March 2018
Into Action / Los Angeles / January 2018
Gabba Gallery Alley Project / mural / Los Angeles, CA /February 2018
East Jesus / Slab City / Mural / Installation / March 2018
2017
Nisenan Artist Retreat / Yuba River, CA / September 2017
Camp Turtle Island / White Earth Reservation / August 2017
Enrichment Trip / USA / July – October 2017
6th Annual Welling Court Mural Project / June 2017
Young New Yorkers Benefit Art Auction / Manhattan / April 2017
2016
Oceti Sakowin Camp / Standing Rock Reservation / Nov-Dec 2016
(Un)Sanctioned / Ad Hoc Art / Williamsburg, NY / October 2016
Arch Enemy Gallery / Truth to Power/ Philadelphia, Pennsylvania / September 2016
Not A Crime Campaign / Mural at PS 92 Harlem, NYC / September 2016
Water is Life Benefit / Ashville, North Carolina / August 2016
Livestream HQ’s / Mural / Bushwick, NY / July 2016
5th Annual Welling Court Mural Project / Queens / June 2016
Young New Yorkers Benefit Art Auction / Manhattan / April 2016
Grand Street Settlement / Mural / Bushwick, NY / February 2016
2015
Artsorg / Mural / Long Island City / November 2015
Secret Garden Series / Henley Vape Emporium / Mural/ Manhattan / July 2015
A Smart Shop / Mural / Manhattan / June 2015
4th Annual Welling Court Mural Project / Queens / June 2015
Manifest Justice / Los Angeles / Spring 2015
2014
Earth Revolution / Mural / Bushwick, NY / September 2014
De-Colonizing Street Art / Montreal, Canada /August 2014
3rd Annual Welling Court Mural Project / Queens, NY/ June 2014
Lumin / Mural / Santa Cruz, California / April 2014
2013
O+ Positive Festival / Mural / Kingston, NY / September 2013
2012
Occupy the Pipeline / NYC / 2012
Occupy Sandy / Hurricane Relief Project / NYC / September 2012
2011
No Comment Art Show / Financial District, NYC / October 2011
Occupy Wall Street / Resident Artist Zuccotti Park, Manhattan, NY / September 2011
2010
Domes for Haiti / DIY Earthquake Relief Project / Port Au Prince, Haiti / May-Oct 2010
2009
Swimming Cities for Switchback Seas / Crew, Actor, Fabricator / Hudson River, NY/ 2009
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Museum of Modern Art
Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, UCONN
Reed College Library
University of California at Berkeley
Stanford University Art Library
University of Applied Arts Vienna
Library of Congress Washington DC
Rolvaag Library at St. Olaf University
Neilson Library at Smith College
Ellen Clarke Bertrand Library at Bucknell University
Billings LIbrary at University of Vermont
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Fueled by Rage, Powered by Love / Vermont Public Radio / July 20, 2020
Art as Activism: New Vt Mural Aims to Prompt Conversations about Race / New England Cable News / NBC / July 15, 2020
Rutland Artist paints Massive Black Lives Matter Mural / Rutland Herald / July 14, 2020
The Highest Form of Spirituality. Resurgence & Ecologist Magazine / January - February 2020
Streetwise in Boulder is Practicing Social Justice through Street Art. 303 Magazine / November 6th, 2019
New mural to be dedicated Saturday at Boulder’s Dairy Arts Center. Colorado Daily News / October 10th, 2019
A Greta Thunberg Mural Is Defaced and Rebooted in Rutland. Seven Days: Vermont’s Independent Voice / October 23rd, 2019
Lmnopi on Street Art, Gentrification / Street Art NYC – March 18th, 2017
Bedford + Bowery June 1015 / Who is the Artist Behind this Haunting New Mural
Santa Cruz Sentinel 4/23/14 / Activist Lmnopi’s Rebirth as a Painter
Powderzine 3/2014 / Fuck Us, We Multiply; an Interview with Lmnopi
Village Voice 5/7/2013 / Forest Service Inflamed by Smokey the Bear
National Catholic Reporter 8/31/2010 / It’s the Heart that Makes the Ministry
Metro Santa Cruz 12/15/99 / All About What
Metro Santa Cruz 05/5/99 / 5 Artists to Watch