LISA HUFFAKER

EDUCATION:

• Master of Music, Vocal Performance, The New England Conservatory of Music

• Bachelor of Music, Vocal Performance, Boise State University

AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS:

• Morton Marr Poetry Prize, Southwest Review, 2008; judged by Charles Martin

• Special Support Grant, Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, 2016 and 2017, awarded in support of White Rock Zine Machine

• Best of Dallas Award, 2012, by the Dallas Observer, for “Best Kids’ Camp,” awarded for Zine Camp, taught at Oil and Cotton and the Writer’s Garret

• Nominated for the Pushcart Prize (by Southern Humanities Review, 2012)

• Nominated for Best New Poets (by Spillway, 2021)

• Finalist, Dallas Poet Laureate, 2022

WRITING:

• Poetry published or forthcoming in 32 Poems, Southwest Review, Poet Lore, Southern Poetry Review, Measure, Southern Humanities Review, Mezzo Cammin, Locus Point, The Texas Observer, Able Muse, Eco Art Incubator, The Boiler, Spillway, and One; anthologized in All We Can Hold and Burnt Offering (Sugared Water and Porkbelly Press)

• Visual poetry published or forthcoming in THRUSH, Diode, GASHER, La Vague, Dream Pop Journal, Tupelo Quarterly, Poetry Online, Phoebe, CTRL +V, Michigan Quarterly Review, The Normal School, DIAGRAM, Gulf Coast, Waxwing, and Cincinnati Review

• Prose in River Teeth, forthcoming in The Georgia Review

• Work-in-progress: a book-length work of visual poetry, transforming a 1963 “self improvement” book for wives, through poetic erasure, drawing, and collage

• Co-founder and host of Cloudwerks Poetry Workshop, a monthly writers’ critique collective, 2009 - present

VISUAL AND HYBRID ART:

• Subjugate This, a collection of 65 visual poems, exhibited at Cornell Tech and TU Delft’s 3rd Workshop on Obfuscation

• C3 Visiting Artist, Dallas Museum of Art, 2017

• Illustrated Of All Places In This Place Of All Places by Joe Milazzo (Spuyten Duyvil, 2018)

• Visiting Artist at Nasher Sculpture Center, Modern art Museum of Fort Worth, Dallas Contemporary

EXHIBITIONS:

• 2023 – Presence – MAC, Dallas, TX

• 2023 – Chaos – Ro2 Art, Dallas, TX

• 2023 – Tempus Peregrinari – Bath House Cultural Center, Dallas, TX

• 2022 – Recountable – Bath House Cultural Center, Dallas, TX

• 2022 – Chaos – Ro2 Art, Dallas, TX

• 2021 – 3rd Workshop on Obfuscation – “Subjugate This” – online exhibition; presented by TU Delft and Cornell Tech

• 2019 – Chaos – Ro2 Art, Dallas, TX

MULTIMEDIA PROJECTS:

• White Rock Zine Machine – micropublishing project offering tiny books (8,400 so far) by local writers and artists, through sculpturally transformed vending machines. Featured at Deep Vellum Books, Ro2 Art, Paper Arts, The Wild Detectives, Make Art with Purpose, Kettle Art, and the Dallas Museum of Art; awarded two Cultural Projects Program grants by the Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs

• Sound Re:Vision – installation at Dallas Museum of Art, inviting visitors to interact with a music box Zine Machine, compose their own chance music, and create zines inspired by a music, 2017

• Music, Memory and Machine – performance at the Dallas Museum of Art, featuring poetry, musical collaboration with improv musician Kim Corbet, projections, and chance music for a music box, composed by the audience, 2017

• Skeleton Crew – installation and performance in collaboration with improv musician Kim Corbet, transforming a storage closet into a living Día de los Muertos diorama at Bath House Cultural Center, 2014

• Code Room – installation at Ro2 Art (August, 2019 – January 2022) transforming an under-stairs space with a curtain of asemic symbols, layered cursive on paper, drawings of eyes suspended in magnifying lenses, and a sculptural vending machine offering zines by 10 artists and writers, exploring the theme of code

• Origin – performance combining a video featuring twenty collages, a spoken poem, and Native American-style flute, presented at the Dallas Design Society’s Pecha Kucha Night, 2018

• Small Wonders – communal art and writing project on multiple digital platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and Zoom), inviting people of all ages and experience levels to write poetry, essays and stories in response to objects; presented through the Writer’s Garret, 2020

• The Curiosity Cabinet – (work in progress) multi-chambered secretary’s desk, featuring tiny drawers holding nature specimens and songs written about them; created in collaboration with children

• Big Blue Umbrella – painted at White Rock Lake, inviting strangers to collaborate, 2011-2015 bigblueumbrella.blogspot.com

TEACHING:

• Fine Arts Instructor, Oil and Cotton: Teach music at the Kessler School, art classes at the studio, 2022 - present

• Creative Writing Instructor, Yavneh Academy of Dallas: Taught Sophomore Creative Writing and Senior Creative Writing, published annual art and literary journal, organized multi-media art installation highlighting student work, 2013 – 2016

• Teaching Artist In Residence, the Writer’s Garret: Taught creative writing workshops and classes for youth and adults, at Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas Museum of Art, Crow Collection of Asian Art, Dallas Public Library, youth shelters, Cancer Support Center, Trinity River Audubon Center, after-school programs, and elsewhere, 2009 – present

• Visiting Artist, Nasher Sculpture Center: Taught monthly art-inspired writing activities, 2014 – 2020; co-taught Unfolding, a book arts workshop with A. Kendra Greene, 2018; created tutorial art videos, 2020, 2021, 2022

• Music Teacher, Carpe Diem Private Preschool: Created a broad-ranging program, integrating music, storytelling, drama, nature exploration, and visual art, 2003 – 2023

• Contributor, Parent Video Library, Endeavor Schools: Created online music content for children and parents, 2020

• Music and Art Teacher, Carpe Diem Summer Camp: Integrated music, storytelling, drama, art, and nature exploration in activities for elementary students, 2006 - present

• Music Teacher, Blackland Prairie Conservatory and Atelier: Created nature-inspired emergent music curriculum for children in Pre-K through 3rd grade; taught singing, pentatonic flute, ukulele, and music theory/composition, 2019 – 2020

• Teaching Artist, MAP (Make Art with Purpose): Zine-making workshops, 2016

• Teaching Artist, Big Thought: Mentored Poetry Club at Lang Middle School, 2012-2013

• Guest Artist, Cistercian Preparatory School: Taught workshops at BraveArts Festival on zines, altered books, weaving, and collage, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022. 2024

• Teaching Artist, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth: Taught zine-making and collage, 2017

• Guest Artist, Richland College: Taught zine workshop at Literary Festival, 2018

• Guest Artist, University of Texas at Dallas: Taught book arts workshops, 2019

• Guest Artist, University of Texas at Arlington: Taught poetic erasure workshop, 2021

• Visiting Artist, Dallas Contemporary: TAKE THIS BOOK AND WRECK IT, an altered book workshop, 2021

MUSIC:

• Mezzo-soprano in The Dallas Opera chorus, 1999 – present

• Opera roles with The Dallas Opera: Cleone in Ermione, Suzy and Lola in La Rondine, Bridesmaid in Le Nozze di Figaro, Page in Rigoletto, Amelia’s maid in Simon Boccanegra, Handmaiden in Turandot, Mother in Madama Butterfly

• Other opera roles: Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus (Regal Opera), Giannetta in L’elisir d’amore (The Living Opera), Hansel and Sandmann in Hansel und Gretel (Opera Idaho)

• Soloist, First Church of Christ, Scientist, 2004 – present

• Instrumentalist: piano, guitar, ukulele, djembe and doumbek drums, Native American style flute

• Composed over 100 songs and instrumental pieces for children

• Composed musical settings for over 20 children’s books