I recently graduated from Bates College, where I majored in Studio Art & Visual Culture. My body of work blends sculpture, fiber art, and painting to explore the relationship between living bodies and our designed objects and environments. Pieces from my senior thesis were on display at the Bates College Museum of Art in Spring 2025 as a part of a group show, Under The Parachute. In my artistic practice, I investigate the question: what happens when the physical and metaphorical spaces interior and exterior to the body meet?

The lines between art, fashion, and design have always been thin. Objects and clothing are not only a way to express ourselves, but are a way to challenge our society’s philosophical ideals. Spending the summer of 2023 studying Scandinavian architecture and design in Copenhagen sparked a personal investigation into how the spaces I inhabit and the objects I surround myself with influence my inner world, and vice versa. I truly believe that good design — whether it be in clothes, furniture, or city planning — is fundamental to health and happiness. Thinking about interior spaces and objects as living things helps facilitate the deep connectedness that we universally long for. After completing my undergrad senior thesis — a series of sculptures and watercolors based on these ideas —  I have pivoted towards creating functional items that further explore the potential for objects to take on their own personalities as Living Things. 

contact: lilabschaefer@gmail.com