
Suzanne Morey Lee is an artist specializing in metal, glass & light constructions. Intrigued by the lace-like quality of pierced metal & how fluid solid glass appears when filled with light, she emphasizes the contrasting qualities inherent in these materials. Utilizing the elements of light & wind to animate & transform her sculptures & designed environments, the viewer experiences ever-changing moments of magic.
After earning an MS with Honors in Art Education from the University of Oregon, Suzanne taught art & design to all ages from Kindergarten to Alzheimer’s patients & was a faculty member of the Oregon College of Art and Craft for nearly a decade. She has been executing private & corporate commissions since 1972 and public art since 1994. Over the years, her focus in ceramics, printmaking & textile/ fiber design, has evolved as she translates these techniques into more permanent materials. Select designs, as one-off or limited editions, are available for purchase & custom commissions are welcomed.
Working from her Pacific Northwest studios in Portland & the high Sierra, Suzanne is enjoying having unencumbered time to expand her creative journey by exploring variations of ideas. By utilizing materials squirreled away over a lifetime, the anticipated two fold result is multiple series of planned & serendipitous constructions & a zen environment.
1972 University of Oregon, MS with Honors, Art Education, Eugene, OR
1969 University of Oregon, BS, Art Education, Eugene, OR
1966- 1965 Universidad de las Americas, Mexico, DF, Mexico
2017 South Hillsboro Wayfinding Art design- gateway, street & kiosk signage, City of Hillsboro, OR
2016 Hillsboro Wayfinding Art design- gateway, street & kiosk signage, City of Hillsboro, OR
2016-2013 Wonder, Shorecrest High School, Shoreline, WA, Washington State Arts Commission
2014 Fence Panels, (with Miller Ed. Center students), David Hill Community Garden, City of Hillsboro, OR
2014-2012 St Helens Gateway Towers, Milton Creek Bridge, St Helens, OR, City of St Helens, OR
2014-2011 Camas Basket, Willamette River Bridge Project (with rhiza A+D), Eugene, OR, WRBDE, ODOT
2010-2009 Soar & Swallow, Community & Student Services Center, Chabot College, Hayward, CA
2011 Light Dance, D-River Park, Lincoln City, OR
2009 Shared Vision, TriMet Green Line Light Rail, Holgate Boulevard Station, Portland, OR
2009 Healing Light (with St. Mary’s Academy), Providence Hood River Hospital, Hood River, OR
2008 Public Elevator Surround (with Valerie Otani), Doernecher Children’s Hospital, Portland, OR
2008 Nest, Washington State Arts Commission, Fern Hill Elementary School, Tacoma, WA
2007 Ascent, Western Oregon University, Todd Hall, Monmouth, OR
2006 Fabric of Life, WorkSource/Portland Community College Lifelong Learning Center, Portland, OR
2006 Garden Triptych, Trenton South, New Columbia Housing Redevelopment Project, Portland, OR
2005 Garden Gates, McCoy Park Community Garden, New Columbia, Portland, OR
2006- 2005 Design Team- N. D’Agostino Lead, New Columbia, Housing Authority of Portland, Portland, OR
2005 Excellence Sconces (with Westside Elementary), PHRM Hospital, Hood River, OR
2002 Magic Carpet Alfombra (patients & families), Legacy Emanuel Children’s Hospital, Portland, OR
1998 Public & Patient Elevator Lobbies (with V. Otani), Doernbecher Children’s Hosp., Portland, OR
1995 Ark Curtain & Pulpit Cloth, Shaarie Torah Synagogue, Portland, OR
1994 Constant Life- Surgical Hall Mural, Mid-Columbia Medical Center, The Dalles, OR
1994 Jack & the Beanstalk, City of Tualatin Public Library, Tualatin, OR
2010 ANLD Garden Tour, Association of NW Landscape Designers, Portland, OR & Vancouver, WA,
1999 Featured Gallery Artist, Hoffman Gallery, Oregon College of Art & Craft, Portland, OR, Solo
1996 100 In The Sun: Art by the Yard, Craft & Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA, Invitational
1988 OSAC’S Designed to Wear, Performing Arts Center, Portland, OR, Invitational
1986 Fantasy on Wheels, Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA, Invitational
1986 Surface Design Northwest ’86, Pacific Arts Center, Seattle Center, Seattle, WA
1986 OSAC Faculty Show, Pacific University, Forest Grove, OR
1986 Blackfish Exchange, Blackfish Gallery, Portland, OR
1984 Vests of Hidden Virtues & Obvious Delights, The Textile Museum, Washington, DC, Invitational
1982 Unbeachtete Producktionsformen, Kunstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, West Germany, Invitational
1980 Fiber Sculpture, Renshaw Gallery, Two-Person Show, Linfield College, McMinnville, OR
1978 Heaven and Earth: Glassings & Fibers, Two-Person Show, Warehouse Gallery, Yakima, WA
1978 Heirlooms from Handlooms, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
1976 Hallelujah Rags, Craftsmanship ’76, University of Oregon Museum of Art, Eugene, OR, Invitational
1974 The Process of Printmaking, Northview Gallery, Portland Community College, Portland, OR
2015 Creative Individual Residency, Playa, Summer Lake, OR
2010 Career Opportunity Grant, Oregon Arts Commission, Salem, OR
2006, 2010 Public Art Roster, Art in Public Places Program, Washington State Arts Commission, Olympia, WA
2007- 2009 Design Team Roster, Regional Arts & Culture Council, Portland, OR
1996- 2009 Professional Development Grants, Regional Arts &Culture Council, Portland, OR (1996, 2002, 2004, 2009)
1999, 2006 Project Grants, Regional Arts & Culture Council, Portland, OR
1990 Hancock Associates, Travel and Research Grant
1987 Artist-In-Residence, SITKA School for Art & Ecology, Otis, OR
1977 Best of Conference, Best of Booth, Handweavers Guild of America Conference, Victoria, BC, Canada
1976 Portland Handweavers Guild Scholarship, Portland, OR
1968 Ida McClung Scholarship, Art Education, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
2000 RACC/ National Endowment for the Arts Conflict Resolution Training Consortium, Portland, OR
1995- 1998 ArtsPlan Schools Advisory Board, Regional Arts & Culture Council, Portland, OR
1996 Panel Moderator, YouthArts Artist Training, Regional Arts & Culture Council, Portland, OR
1995 Co-Chair, Surface Design Association National Conference, Portland, OR
1990, 1992 Art Education Grant Review Panel, Oregon Arts Commission, Salem, OR
1969- 1970 Washington Drive Jr. High, E. E. Smith High School, Fayetteville, NC, Art Teacher
1973- Present Custom Design: Interior/Exterior Textiles, Metal, Glass, Lighting (wholesale, retail, site specific)
1977- 2010 Artist-In-Education Program, (including YA, SAA, CGAIE) K-12, OR & WA
1985- 2000 Oregon College of Art and Craft, Portland, OR, Instructor- Surface Design, 1985–1990, 1997–2000
1996 National YouthArts Project / Department of Juvenile Justice, Portland, OR
1993- 1994 Legacy Caregiver Respite Services / Very Special Arts Oregon, Alzheimer’s and the Arts Program
1991- 1994 Portland Community College, Portland, OR, Instructor- Surface Design
1980- 1981 Portland Community College, Portland, OR, Instructor- Jewelry
1978 Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA, Professor- Fibers
1978 Caravan Stage Company, British Columbia, Canada, Costumes & Sets assistant
1978 The Factory of Visual Arts, Seattle, WA, Instructor- Fibers
1973 Pacific Annual Northwest Arts & Crafts Association Fair, Bellevue, WA
1972- 1974 Calapooya Design, Inc., Eugene, OR, Hand-screened Yardage