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    Columbus Makes Art Presents Lisa McLymont, Inspired by Sunlight, Laughter, Nature, Love

    This month, Columbus mixed-media artist Lisa McLymont will work in the world of theater set design, creating the set for CATCO’s upcoming show, School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, which opens Jan. 27 and runs through Feb. 13. The witty and thought-provoking comedy by Jocelyn Bioh set at an elite boarding school in Ghana examines the social life of teens in the vein of the cinema classic, Mean Girls, while tackling issues of class and beauty standards. Lisa recently took time away from her set design duties to talk about her art and what inspires her.

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    Sarah: As a mixed-media artist, what is your favorite medium and why?
    Lisa: My answer is probably what you’d expect from a multidisciplinary artist: my favorite medium is tough to choose! If forced to pick, I’d say graphite on wood, but I really love color too much. I love the feeling of painting, especially the perfection of painting a close-to-perfect line in one stroke. My go-to medium is digital. Pushing pixels to help others visualize a large physical work is enjoyable to me.

    Photo of Lisa talking about her work, Signs of Life in the Substratum, that she exhibited at Marietta College
    Photo of Lisa talking about her work, Signs of Life in the Substratum, that she exhibited at Marietta College.

    Sarah: What appealed to you about designing the set for School Girls?
    Lisa: I love being invited to a good creative challenge. The opportunity to help showcase Black talent is also very important to me. Even though I mostly create in two dimensions, my design training has helped me hone my imagination to be able to visualize objects in three dimensions. I wanted to explore this avenue of creating for theater, and expand my talents to possibly use them to do some installation art in the future.

    artist Lisa McLymont
    Lisa McLymont

    Sarah: What has been your set design process for this show?
    Lisa: RESEARCH. Once I collected my reference images for the many elements, I picked my top element variations to put together and presented them to the team. Due to the required parameters of a Ghanaian school in the ‘80s, it was easy to start with the furniture choices, and how I’d like the stage platform to sit in the space. From there it’s been more about waiting to learn what’s possible from the rest of the team, and how my design complements the costuming and lighting designs.

    I kept the studio space parameters top of mind, as the space limits what I can actually do, as much as the budget. I think the toughest part of the process has been anticipating what the actors will need, and designing the space in a way that has visual variety while maintaining visibility for the audience. I am looking forward to seeing how the actors move in the space once it’s built.

    Sarah: What do you hope to communicate to the audience?
    Lisa: Expanse. I hope the set makes people feel like they are in the school themselves, despite being in a small theater in Columbus, Ohio. For this first set design effort, I haven’t pushed a lot of drama, besides through use of color. This set is really meant to give a sense of space for the actors to be showcased, with a lightweight transport to another world and era.

    Sarah: What’s the best thing about the Columbus arts scene right now?
    Lisa: Passionate perseverance! Even through a pandemic, we are creating and achieving. Columbus is full of visionaries, who are constantly reaching up and out of their personal worlds to connect to others, educate and encourage community. We’ve made the arts a necessary part of staying sane during this time. We have something very special here, and I’ve benefited from having space to grow and share in my own way. I am proud to be part of the ongoing legacy here.

    Lisa McLymont creating public art in front of Stonewall Columbus.
    Lisa McLymont creating public art in front of Stonewall Columbus.

    See Lisa’s scenic design work in School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, running Jan. 27 – Feb. 13 at Studio Two in the Riffe Center. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.catco.org/2021-22/school-girls.

    Columbus Makes Art Presents is a bi-weekly column brought to you by the Greater Columbus Arts Council – supporting and advancing the arts and cultural fabric of Columbus. The column is a project of the Art Makes Columbus campaign, telling the inspiring stories of the people and organizations who create Columbus art. Learn more about local artists, organizations, public art and events at ColumbusMakesArt.com.

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