Artwork copyright Marilyn Lysohir. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission.

Empty Cup (from The Last Immigrant series), 1991

Marilyn Lysohir
American (born 1950)

Location: Federal Way High School, Federal Way

About the Artwork

In Empty Cup (from The Last Immigrant series) artist Marilyn Lysohir explores her Ukrainian heritage and themes of impermanence and survival. It is part of a series of ten collages, each based on a theme or family member. She used family photographs, maps, images of nature, and porcelain figures to create the artworks. The porcelain bear represents the artist's immigrant grandparents. Lysohir urges us not to wait until we come to the last clean lake, last grizzly bear, or last condor, before we help our world survive.

This artwork is part of a series of mixed-media artworks created by Marilyn Lysohir for the collection "Who We Are: Autobiographies in Art." The series was commissioned by the Washington State Arts Commission in partnership with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1990.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Federal Way Public Schools.

About the Artist

Moscow, Idaho-based artist Marilyn Lysohir creates ceramic sculptures and narrative installations.
Lysohir studied at the Centro Internazionale Di Studi in Verona, Italy before she received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio Northern University in 1972. She then received a Master of Fine Arts degree at Washington State University in Pullman, Eastern Washington. She has served as a visiting professor at many institutions including University of Idaho at Moscow, Washingto State University, Kansas City Art Institute, Ohio State University, and the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, in New York State.