www.lelashahrzad.com
lelashahrzad@gmail.com
b. 1984
EDUCATION
2024 MFA— University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA
2021 Dark Study, Experimental Program centered on art, Virtual
2018 BFA— California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA
AWARDS
2018 Personal Achievement Award, Art + Design Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA
GRANTS/FELLOWSHIPS
2023 IPS Grant, University of California, Santa Barbara, $1,000
2023 Curatorial Assistant, Undergraduate Exhibition, University of California, Santa Barbara, $2,500
2022 Regent’s Fellow, University of California, Santa Barbara, $29,000
2021 Downtown Plaza Pop-Up in partnership with the San Luis Obispo Arts Council, San Luis Obispo, CA, $8,000
RESIDENCIES
2020 INVERSE Performance Art Residency through the Momentary, Bentonville, AK
2019 INVERSE Performance Art Residency, San Luis Obispo, CA
2018 Industry of the Ordinary Residency, San Luis Obispo, CA
WORKSHOPS
2023 Trigger to Talisman, metals workshop, Haystack Mountain School of Craft, Deer Isle, ME (two weeks)
PUBLIC ART
2021 Untitled VI, Mission Plaza, San Luis Obispo, CA
2021 Marianne Williamson Can’t Save Me Now, Performance, San Luis Obispo, CA
2019 Attention Economy, Arts Obispo Exhibition, Two-Person Show, San Luis Obispo, CA
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023 tributaries, Art, Design, and Architecture Museum, Santa Barbara, CA
2023 Tres Leches, Red Barn Artist Space, Santa Barbara, CA
2023 Small Images, Atkinson Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA
2022 Untitled, Glassbox Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA
2020 Archipelago, Virtual Show
2019 Traces, INVERSE Exhibition, San Luis Obispo, CA
2018 Off Menu, 2G Studios, San Luis Obispo, CA
2018 The Sadness of Maps, Industry of the Ordinary Residency Exhibition, San Luis Obispo, CA
2018 Maiden LA, Grand Park, Los Angeles, CA (catalog)
2018 This Must Be The Place, BFA Thesis Exhibition, University Art Gallery, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA
2017 Student Art Exhibition, by nomination only, San Diego Mesa College, San Diego, CA (catalog)
COLLABORATIONS
2023 Artist + Performance Assistant, Performance for Taft Gardens with Shana Moulton, Ojai, CA
PRESS
2021 SloLife Magazine, Dec ’21/Jan ’22 (pages 46-47)
2021 LA’s Most Inspiring Stories, VoyageLA, online, September 20, 2021
2021 The New Alternatives, Art in America, May 2021 (page 68)
2021 On Divergent Art Education: A Case Study in Dark Study, Art & Education, March 2021
2020 Shout Out LA, Art and Literary blog, Los Angeles, CA, August 2020
2017 Mesa Visions, Art and Literary magazine, judged artwork with photographs, San Diego, CA, May. 21, 2018 (page 8)
LECTURES, PANELS, AND WORKSHOPS
2023 Guest Critic — Senior Portfolio Reviews, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA 2020 Panelist — INVERSE Performance Art Residency, The Momentary, Virtual
TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS
2023 - 2024 Lead TA, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA
2023 - Art 7A: Art & Life, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA
2022 - Art 7D: Art, Science & Technology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA