Homegoings: Artist Liza Phillip on their journey toward Blackness

By Mae Nagusky

Published January 5, 2023 at 7:51 PM EST

black and white portrait of a person wearing a hat with a purple background and surrounded by graphic flowers and the phrase "healing isn't linear" — Liza Phillip grew up in southern Vermont and now lives in Burlington. They often incorporate phrases like "healing isn't linear" into their colorful artwork.

Paintbrushes and blank canvases helped artist Liza Phillip love their biracial identity. Now, they paint colorful genderless monsters and sing songs on the ukulele to celebrate life beyond traditional binaries.

This is the latest installment of Homegoings, a series from Brave Little State that features conversations with Vermont artists of color. Follow the series here.

Also, we have exciting news! On February 11, some of the artists featured in the series will join forces for a soulful evening of performance, art and conversation. You can find more information about Homegoings: A Live Performance here.

Note: This episode contains strong language.

Our show is produced for the ear. We recommend listening to the audio above if you can! But we also provide a written transcript of the episode here.

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Featured artist:

Liza Phillip paints characters they refer to as monsters, which have no gender and represent all people. The goal for their work is to be inclusive of all types of people with a focus on the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities. To see more of Liza’s art, check out their website.

Have a recommendation for a future Homegoings interview? Get in touch with our team by emailing hello@bravelittlestate.org.

a green, blue and yellow mural filled with playful monsters with their tongues hanging out adorns the side of a white building. — Liza Phillip and members of the community painted a mural featuring genderless monsters and the phrase "We R Growing Together" at the Lakeview Community Garden in Burlington.

the inside of a bathroom with a purple mural around the sinks containing words like "growing" and "self-love" — Liza Phillip painted a mural in the bathrooms of the Vermont Comedy Club in Burlington. Phrases such as "growing self-love" fill the walls.

a mural featuring monsters with long tongues and colorful attire surrounding the phrase "We Are Resilient!" — Liza Phillip painted this mural at Bethel Elementary School in southern Vermont with a bunch of students.

Credits:

Homegoings is a production of Vermont Public, created by the Brave Little State team: Myra Flynn, Josh Crane, Angela Evancie and Mae Nagusky. Mae Nagusky reported, produced and mixed this episode. Myra Flynn composed the theme music. Other music by Liza Phillip, including the song “Do It Cause It Feels Good.”

Special thanks to Hannah Braun, Dan Cahill and Remi Lemal-Brown.

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A painting of a monster holding a hand mirror in its tongue and noting its reflection. The words "I am worthy of love + respect" swirl around a green and purple background.

the word homegoings written in white lettering, with a yellow crown over the "m," surrounded by cutouts of black and white lilies and carnations

Homegoings is a special series from Brave Little State that features conversations with artists of color who live in Vermont — about Black grief, resilience and music. Follow the series here.