Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Anita Wegner
Hi Lisa Anita, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am a storyteller. As a mid-career multimedia artist, I have amassed a large library of work, and am known for creating and performing in film-based universes. I wrapped up a five-year, large-scale public art project – an immersive, traveling performance and film experience – with ArtworxTO in 2022 that earned me a Governor General’s Artistic Achievement Award nomination. You can read about this work here: https://mightybraveproductions.ca/caravan/
I had always planned to take a break after this period of intense work and get back into my studio to replenish my creativity. However, things took a swerve at the end of 2022 when I suddenly became the primary caregiver to my mother, and – after she passed away in 2023 – the main support to my aging father.
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We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Being the sole caregiver for my parents has been a large responsibility, and has taken a lot of my time and focus. After spending most of my artistic life with a continuous creative flow and the ability to make art full-time, I find that I now have to make space and nurture my creative impulses as they come, and emphasize self-care.
I am now getting back to spending more time at my home and studio, and carving out more time to create. Art nourishes me spiritually, mentally, and physically, and allows me to be more present.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’ve returned to my studio in 2024, and the main work I’ve been doing is creating art as Mama Dada, one of my personas who is based on research into my family history. As I’ve become more immersed in this process, I’ve been increasingly focused on painting, and using this to learn more about this persona and, through her, myself. I now have a body of over 40 acrylic-on-canvas paintings that together form an experiment I call Reasonable Facsimile.
What does success mean to you?
Success for me right now is finding the right balance where I can both create and be a caregiver. I have slowed down dramatically in my work, and have learned to embrace each idea that bubbles up from my subconscious instead of focusing my efforts around large-scale plans.
Over this year I’ve also found that success to me is connecting with the right people to work with, who genuinely hear my story and are eager to collaborate with me. A prime example of this is the research I’ll be starting with Eric Rose of Ghost River Theatre later this year, that will lead to a multi-sensory immersion piece titled Elsewhere. This well-established director was not only keen to work with me, he also set aside the time to come to Toronto and collaborate at my home studio. He immediately saw my needs and my responsibilities to my family not as obstacles but as part of our work process.
As I’ve begun posting some of my new work on social media, I’ve been gratified by the enthusiastic response. Making a connection with people, even over the internet, has reaffirmed for me the necessity of creating and sharing art. Each new painting, video and photograph is a window into a universe that I hope will enrich and inspire others.
Pricing:
- 18″x24″ acrylic on canvas $1200
- 18″x24″ acrylic+collage on canvas $1300
- 12″x 16″ acrylic on canvas. $600
- 8″x20″ acrylic on canvas $600
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mightybraveproductions.ca
- Instagram: @lisa_anita_wegner
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisaanitawegner
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LisaAnitaWegner
- Other: https://www.lisaanitawegner.ca
Image Credits
All images are by Lisa Anita Wegner