Laurie Anderson

June 5, 1947

Glen Ellyn, Illinois, United States

Anderson started her career as an artist-in-residence at ZBS Media, New York in 1974. Her work was represented in various exhibitions at galleries and museums, including Harold Rivkin Gallery, Holly Solomon Gallery, and Museum of Modern Art. Work also featured in traveling exhibitions, including “Women Conceptual Artists” in 1974, and as one-woman installations, including Story Show and Automotive, both in 1972. She took part in O-Range and Duets on Ice, both in 1973. Laurie released Songs and Stories for the Insomniac in 1975, Refried Beans for Instants in 1976, For Instants, Part V in 1977, Handphone Table in 1978, Americans on the Move in 1979, United States, Parts I-IV in 1983. She has toured with multimedia performance pieces, including Mister Heartbreak in 1984, Natural History in 1986, Empty Places in 1990, The Nerve Bible since 1992 to 1995 and The Ugly One with the Jewels in 1995. In 2003, Anderson became NASA's first artist-in-residence, and mounted a succession of themed shows and composed a piece for Expo 2005 in Japan. She was part of the team that created the opening ceremony for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Later that year, she collaborated with the choreographer Trisha Brown and filmmaker Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo on the acclaimed multimedia project O Zlozony/O Composite for the Paris Opera Ballet. The ballet premiered at the Opera Garnier in Paris in December 2004. In 2005, Laurie's exhibition The Waters Reglitterized, which included drawings, prints, and high-definition video, opened at the Sean Kelly Gallery in New York City. She narrated Ric Burns' Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film, which was first televised in September 2006 as part of the PBS American Masters series. Anderson also performed in Came So Far for Beauty, the Leonard Cohen tribute event held in the Point Theatre, Dublin, Ireland, on October 4–5, 2006. In February 2010, Laurie Anderson premiered a new theatrical work, entitled Delusion, at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. In May/June 2010, Anderson curated the Vivid Live festival in Sydney, Australia together with Lou Reed. Anderson developed a theatrical work, entitled "Another Day in America". The first public showings of this work-in-progress took place in Calgary, Alberta in January 2012 as part of Theatre Junction GRAND's 2011–12 season and One Yellow Rabbit's annual arts festival, the High Performance Rodeo. In June/July 2013, Anderson performed "The Language of the Future" and guest curate at the River to River Festival in New York City. Anderson's recordings include O Superman, You’re the Guy I Want to Share My Money With, Big Science, Mister Heartbreak, Home of the Brave, Strange Angels, Bright Red, Life on a String and Homeland.

Laurie Anderson Edit Profile

also known as Laura Phillips

composer musician writer

Background

Laurie Anderson was born on June 5 in 1947 in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, United States in the family of Mary Louise (née Rowland) and Arthur T. Anderson.

Education

Anderson received her education at Glenbard West High School. She also attended Mills College in California, and eventually graduated in 1969 from Barnard College with a Bachelor of Arts degree, studying art history. In 1972, she obtained a Master of Fine Arts in sculpture from Columbia University.

In 1980 Anderson was awarded an honorary doctorate from the San Francisco Art Institute. Anderson received the Honorary Doctor of Arts from the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture in 2013.

Education period of Laurie Anderson in Columbia University

Education period of Laurie Anderson in Glenbard West High School

Education period of Laurie Anderson in Mills College

Career

Anderson started her career as an artist-in-residence at ZBS Media, New York in 1974. Her work was represented in various exhibitions at galleries and museums, including Harold Rivkin Gallery, Holly Solomon Gallery, and Museum of Modern Art. Work also featured in traveling exhibitions, including “Women Conceptual Artists” in 1974, and as one-woman installations, including Story Show and Automotive, both in 1972. She took part in O-Range and Duets on Ice, both in 1973.

Laurie released Songs and Stories for the Insomniac in 1975, Refried Beans for Instants in 1976, For Instants, Part V in 1977, Handphone Table in 1978, Americans on the Move in 1979, United States, Parts I-IV in 1983.

She has toured with multimedia performance pieces, including Mister Heartbreak in 1984, Natural History in 1986, Empty Places in 1990, The Nerve Bible since 1992 to 1995 and The Ugly One with the Jewels in 1995.

In 2003, Anderson became NASA's first artist-in-residence, and mounted a succession of themed shows and composed a piece for Expo 2005 in Japan. She was part of the team that created the opening ceremony for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Later that year, she collaborated with the choreographer Trisha Brown and filmmaker Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo on the acclaimed multimedia project O Zlozony/O Composite for the Paris Opera Ballet. The ballet premiered at the Opera Garnier in Paris in December 2004.

In 2005, Laurie's exhibition The Waters Reglitterized, which included drawings, prints, and high-definition video, opened at the Sean Kelly Gallery in New York City.

She narrated Ric Burns' Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film, which was first televised in September 2006 as part of the PBS American Masters series. Anderson also performed in Came So Far for Beauty, the Leonard Cohen tribute event held in the Point Theatre, Dublin, Ireland, on October 4–5, 2006.

In February 2010, Laurie Anderson premiered a new theatrical work, entitled Delusion, at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. In May/June 2010, Anderson curated the Vivid Live festival in Sydney, Australia together with Lou Reed.

Anderson developed a theatrical work, entitled "Another Day in America". The first public showings of this work-in-progress took place in Calgary, Alberta in January 2012 as part of Theatre Junction GRAND's 2011–12 season and One Yellow Rabbit's annual arts festival, the High Performance Rodeo.

In June/July 2013, Anderson performed "The Language of the Future" and guest curate at the River to River Festival in New York City.

Anderson's recordings include O Superman, You’re the Guy I Want to Share My Money With, Big Science, Mister Heartbreak, Home of the Brave, Strange Angels, Bright Red, Life on a String and Homeland.

Achievements

Anderson has invented several experimental musical instruments that she has used in her recordings and performances.

In 1982 Laurie was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts—Film.

In 2003, Anderson became NASA's first artist-in-residence.

Laurie was part of the team that created the opening ceremony for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

Anderson was named the Inaugural Distinguished Artist-In-Residence at The Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center(EMPAC) at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York in May 2012.