Lisa Lala’s List Wall Project: The river of lists grows deeper and longer in San Antonio

Lisa Lala and Rex of the Hausmann Millworks Creative Community Gallery in San Antonio, Texas. Photo courtesy of Lisa Lala

You make lists. We have that urge to map the tasks in our life. Despite all of the technological tools at our disposal, sometimes the “sticky note” is our best friend. Do you have a few attached to your screen now? With all of this computer memory and those cool apps on your phone, it still starts with your ideas, your life, and the things that fill it. Lists.

Lisa Lala first installed her List Wall Project at the blue gallery in the Crossroads, Kansas City in February of this year. A list of mine, one I made for a trip to Europe, was nestled among a host of others. Seeing all of those handwritten lists and reminders, the colors of the paper, made me appreciate the communal nature of a seemingly lonely task.

Since then, Lisa’s List Wall has made a trip to Atlanta and most recently to San Antonio. We talked about the evolution of the project this week. What’s new, besides the destinations, is her method of asking people to make lists upon their visit to the gallery. So, while she installed all lists collected thus far, her last two installations saw the list collection grow on site. The installation is therefore something with which people can interact; viewing as well as writing.

When I saw the first list collection, it was ten feet long and about six feet high. The length stands now at approximately eighty feet…and growing by the day as her installation will stay in San Antonio at the Hausmann Millworks Creative Community gallery for a few more weeks. Next stop is the Marion Meyer Gallery in Laguna Beach, California beginning February 3 next year.

This is more than an exercise in growth, length and breadth of the installation. This interesting project connects people with people, challenges the artist who installs it, and for us in the Kansas City area, it has a creative trajectory leading home…to us. Some day, when Lisa decides, this wondrous array of handwritten memory-jogging colorful tapestry will rest somewhere. It will come home.

But before one finds home, there’s a journey. Before one travels, it’s wise to make a packing list, an itinerary, a contact list. These lists, this project has, as one of its beautiful effects, the fact that people have made contact. Lisa will touch each one…and they have touched her.

By the way, Lisa Lala’s paintings are delicious treats…check these out…