Liz Hickok 1890 Bryant St. S uite 211 San Francisco, CA 510.499.9465 [email protected] www.lizhickok.com Education
2005 MFA, Photography; Mills College, Oakland, CA
1997 BFA, Photography, Installation, Video; The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA 1997 BA, Art History; Tufts University, Medford, MA
Fellowships, Grants, and Awards
2021 CODAworx Emerging Artist Award in Public Art, CODAsummit, Scottsdale, AZ 2019 First Finalist award in Photography, Salon at the Triton, Santa Clara, CA 2018 First Place Award, SLICE Juried Exhibition, Pence Gallery, Davis, CA 2016 Juror’s Choice Award, Artspan 2016 Exhibition, San Francisco, juried by Michelle Mansour, Root Division 2012 Guest Artist Fellowship, Dominican University, San Rafael, CA 2010 Juror’s Award, Strange Beauty, Center for Fine Art Photography, Ft. Collins, CO, juror, Debra Klomp Ching 2009 Finalist, International Aesthetica Creative Works Competition, United Kingdom 2007 Food Network Award, Play with Your Food category (best use of food as art medium) Pittsburg State University, First Prize, Dark-Light, juried by Joyce Tenneson, Pittsburg, KS 2005 Kala Art Institute Fellowship Award, Berkeley, CA
2004 Mills College Graduate Research Grant, Oakland, CA Mills Alumni Scholarship for Art, Oakland, CA
Public Art Programs and Murals
2025 Celestial Currents, Lenticular installation, Children's Hospital of Orange County, Irvine (Upcoming) 2024 Reflection, Refraction, Diffraction, Lenticular installation, Rengstorff Aquatic Center, Mountain View, CA 2023 The Metamorphosis and Memory of Flowers, Interactive photo-based artwork with Phil Spitler for Sunnyvale City Hall, Sunnyvale, CA
Cycles of Regeneration and Submerged, Two interactive photomurals with Phil Spitler, Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester, MA
2022 Inflorescence, Illuminated, interactive installation with Phil Spitler for Arts Los Altos, Los Altos, CA 2021 Luminous Growth, Interactive video projection and sculpture for Code:ART2 Festival, Palo Alto, CA Cycles of Regeneration, Palo Alto Public Art Program, Temporary Murals pilot project, Palo Alto, CA 2020 California Poppy Regeneration, an Art for Essential Workers project, with Facebook and 100 Days Action Three-part collaborative outdoor photo-mural, Market Street, San Francisco, CA 2019 First myth of inside and outside, Four-part photo-mural in museum windows, San Jose ICA, San Jose, CA 2018 View from Alcatraz, large photo-mural for Facebook headquarters, San Francisco, CA 2017 Waterlines Window, Large photo-mural in museum windows, New Museum, Los Gatos, CA Wave Formation, Google San Francisco, Commissioned site-specific triptych, San Francisco, CA 2016 Walnut Creek Downtown Utility Box Project, Two vinyl-wrapped utility boxes, Walnut Creek, CA 2015 Preternatural, Large photo-mural in a vacant storefront, 3357 Downing Street, Denver, CO 2011 Jell-O Fence, Large photo series on UCSF Mission Bay Hospital construction fence, San Francisco, CA 2007 Scottsdale in Jell-O, Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts with Scottsdale Public Art, Scottsdale, AZ Residencies
2018 Center for Arts, Design and Social Research, Spoleto, Italy 2012 ArtWorks Downtown and Dominican University, San Rafael, CA 2009 Kidspace at Mass MoCA, North Adams, MA
2008 Headlands Center for the Arts, Sausalito, CA
Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, Wilmington, DE Santa Fe Art Institute, Santa Fe, NM
2007 Scottsdale Public Arts, Scottsdale, AZ
2005 Kala Art Institute, Berkeley, CA
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Liz Hickok 2
Solo
Exhibitions
2025 Delicate Balance, NetApp Gallery, San Jose
2022 Inflorescence and the Theory of Metamorphoses, Michael Warren Contemporary, Denver, CO Ground Waters, Chung 24, San Francisco, CA
2021 Daydreams of Infinity, Michael Warren Contemporary, Denver, CO 2019 Intimate Immensity, Longview Museum, Longview TX
2017 Experiments in Form and Fiction, Capsule Gallery, Houston TX (Two-person exhibition) 2015 Ground Waters, Michael Warren Contemporary, Denver, CO 2012 Fugitive Topography, Bg ArtSite, Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA 2011 Jiggling Geography, De Santos Gallery, Houston, TX 2007 San Francisco in Jell-O, Pittsburg State University Gallery, Pittsburg, KS 2007 Scottsdale in Jell-O, Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts with Scottsdale Public Art, Scottsdale, AZ 2006 Magnitude X, Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA
2005 Eye Candy, Triptych Gallery, Berkeley, CA
1996 120 seconds, BAG Gallery, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA Selected Group Exhibitions
2025 Pandora’s Box, Artworks Downtown, San Rafael (Upcoming) Month of Photography, Michael Warren Contemporary, Denver, CO (Upcoming) 2024 Sacred Terrain, Euphrat Museum, De Anza College, Cupertino, MA X.iv, Michael Warren Contemporary, Denver, CO
2023 Under Water, Palo Alto Art Center, Palo Alto, CA
Collective, Art Source Consulting, Mills Building, San Francisco Pyramid Scheme, Bass and Reiner, San Francisco
2022 The Great Wave, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA Crystal Realities to Artificial Intelligence: Multidisciplinary Explorations, Dishman Art Museum, Beaumont, TX Landscape of Material and Mind, a SciArt Initiative at New York Hall of Science, Queens, NY 2021 Architecture 2021, New York Center for Photographic Art, NYC Into the Rearview Mirror: A Look Back at 2020, Lone Tree Arts Center, Lone Tree, CO Art in the Time of Covid, New Museum of Los Gatos, Los Gatos, CA 2020 Wall of Shame (Social Response Work), Michael Warren Contemporary, Denver, CO Reimagined Landscapes, Center for Photographic Art, Carmel, CA The Great Wave, Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA
2019 Surreal Sublime, San Jose ICA, San Jose, CA
Salon at the Triton, Santa Clara, CA, juror Kevin Chen, First Finalist Award in Photography 2018 Bay Area Currents, Smith Anderson North/Photo Alliance, San Anselmo, CA Supernatural Urban, Peephole Cinema, San Francisco, CA
SLICE Juried Exhibition, Pence Gallery, Davis, CA
Water, PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, VT, juried by Ann Jastrab Natural Systems, Chandra Cerrito Contemporary, Oakland, CA 2017 Waterlines, New Museum of Los Gatos, Los Gatos, CA Inner Nature, Gallery 1317, San Francisco, CA
Detritus, San Jose ICA, San Jose, CA
2016 The Alchemist, Root Division, San Francisco, CA
2015 Nourish, Napa Valley Museum, Napa, CA
Re-Tratar, GuatePhoto Festival, Guatemala City, Guatemala 2014 City Streets, Studio Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2013 Moving Pictures, Brand 10 and X Art Space, Dallas, TX Alternative process, City College Art Gallery, San Francisco, CA Attachment 10
Liz Hickok 3
Selected Group Exhibitions (c ontinued )
Parallax Views, San Jose ICA, San Jose, CA
2012 What's Big is Little/What's Little is Big, Susquehanna Art Museum, Harrisburg, PA Color/Light, City Hall, San Francisco, CA
2011 Synthetic, Winston Wächter Fine Art, Seattle, WA
Chain Letter, Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Reconstructed World, di Rosa, Napa, CA
Shadowshop, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA 2010 You are Here, Mapping the Psychogeography of New York City, Pratt Manhattan Gallery, New York, NY Off the Strip, New Genres Festival, Contemporary Art Center, Las Vegas, NV (exhibition and video screening) Strange Beauty, Center for Fine Art Photography, Ft. Collins, CO, jurors Darren Ching & Debra Klomp Ching Off the Map, Kirkland Art Center, Kirkland, WA
Discoveries of the Meeting Place, FotoFest, Houston, TX, Selected by Rixon Reed, PhotoEye Gallery There's No Place Like Here, Tower Gallery at SUNY Brockport, Brockport, NY 2009 You Art What You Eat, Kidspace at Mass MoCA, North Adams, MA Evolution of Print: Artists of Kala, Oakland Museum at the Oakland International Airport 2008 Luminous Communities, Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, Wilmington, DE Close Calls, Headlands Center for the Arts, Sausalito, CA Places Between, Diablo Valley College Art Gallery, Pleasant Hill, CA 2007 C.T. Fish, Ha’Kibbutz Israeli Art Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel Strange Weather, David Cunningham Projects, San Francisco, CA 2006 Cultivating Creativity, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA It's a Small World: Scale in Contemporary Photography, San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA Kala Fellowship Exhibition (Part 1), Kala Art Institute, Berkeley, CA Reconsidered Materials, Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA Science and Education Film Program, Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA (Video screening) 2005 CoCA Annual, Center on Contemporary Art, Seattle, WA Mayhem, Southern Exposure, San Francisco, CA
New California Masters, WORKS/San Jose, San Jose, CA
Selected Public and Private Collections
YouTube,
San Bruno, Autodesk, San Francisco, CA / Sutter Health's California Pacific Medical Center, Van Ness Campus, San Francisco, CA / Google, San Francisco, CA / Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, San Francisco, CA / UCSF Hospitals Mission Bay, San Francisco, CA / The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX / Blue Shield of California, San Francisco, CA / Mills Art Museum, Oakland, CA / Joaquim Paiva Collection, Museo de Arte Moderna, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil / Gemma and Luis De Santos, Houston, TX / META, San Francisco
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LIZ HICKOK- City of Sunnyvale Corn Palace Park: Slide List
1. T
itle: The Metamorphosis and Memory of Flowers
Date: 2023
Location: Sunnyvale City Hall, City of Sunnyvale
Medium: Framed Photograph with AR interface + sound (Collaboration with Phil Spitler) Dimensions: 5 x 9 ft
Budget: $20,000
Commissioning Agency: Sunnyvale Public Art
Description: This bold, vibrant bouquet of local wildflowers bursts with energy in the new Sunnyvale City Hall building. My collaborator, Phil Spitler, and I created this artwork along with an interactive augmented reality interface, adding a dynamic third dimension to the flowers as they bloom outward, evoking the movements of wind, fire, and water.
2. T
itle: The Metamorphosis and Memory of Flowers
Date: 2023
Location: Sunnyvale City Hall, City of Sunnyvale
Medium: Framed Photograph with AR interface + sound (Collaboration with Phil Spitler) Dimensions: 5 x 9 ft
Budget: $20,000
Commissioning Agency: Sunnyvale Public Art
Description:
Inspired by Sunnyvale’s vibrant and varied character, I created this symbolic bouquet, with each element representing a connection to Silicon Valley. Apricot flowers reference the region’s orchard-farming history, Milkweed highlights the monarch butterfly’s migration through the valley, and the delicate yet resilient California Poppies are among the first flowers to reappear after wildfires.
3. T
itle: Regeneration, Market Street Mural, part 1 & 2
Date: 2020
Location: Market Street, San Francisco, CA
Medium: Photographic prints on paper, wheat pasted on wood Attachment 10
Size: Left: 8'x20', Right: 8'x9'
Budget: $1600
Commissioning Agency: Organized and funded by Art for Essential Workers, 100 Days Action, and Facebook
Description: I began my "Regeneration" project at the beginning of the shelter-in-place, as a way to bring others and myself some color and delight during these intense and stressful times. This series was first inspired by the California poppy, which thrive in harsh conditions and return after wildfires, symbolizing resilience and healing.
4. Title: Regeneration, Market Street Mural, part 3
Date: 2020
Location: Market Street, San Francisco, CA
Dimensions: 60”x72”
Medium: Photographic prints on paper, installed in windows Budget: $1600
Description: I began this series by photographing the poppies in my garden, then used procedural manipulations through the Perlin noise algorithm to alter and distort them. Their vibrant orange petals glow with joy and energy, similar to stained glass.
5. Title: Cycles of Regeneration (Palo Alto Mural Program) Date: 2020
Location: 477 California Ave, Palo Alto, CA
Medium: Photograph on aluminum with interactive video and sound, collaboration with Phil Spitler Dimensions: 6’x10.66’
Budget: $2500 (Not including printing or installation)
Commissioning Agency: Palo Alto Public Art Program
Description: With this interactive mural from my Regeneration series, viewers could use an augmented reality app (created by Phil Spitler) which created the feeling of walking through three-dimensional wildflowers that were changing and transforming around them. The video and soundscape evoked the movements of fire, air, and water, providing a new and exciting experience, while the mural on its own added color and movement to California Avenue.
6. Title: Morphological Complexity
Date: 2022
Dimensions: 20”x24”, 30”x36”, or 40”x48”
Medium: Archival print on paper
Location: San Francisco, CA
Description: My “Regeneration” series grew from California poppies to include other native wildflowers, with some ubiquitous non-natives, like this Lantana plant, creeping in to reflect how plant species intermingle—and sometimes take over. The distortions I apply create surreal images that echo our current (un)reality while also translating beautifully into bold, graphic tile and mosaic designs.
7. Title: Native Harmony
Date: 2025
Location: San Francisco
Medium: Glass and tile mosaic
Dimensions: 12”x24”
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Description: This piece is a test, part of my ongoing exploration of transitioning my work into the medium of mosaic, glass, and tile. It is part of a larger site-specific project that will be further refined with the expertise of professional mosaic artists, fabricators, and installers.
8. T
itle: Inflorescence and the Theory of Metamorphosis (installation view) Date: 2022
Location: Michael Warren Contemporary, Denver, Colorado Medium: UV prints on Acrylic (left) and Archival pigment prints on aluminum (right) Dimensions: variable
Description: This image features multiple images from my Regeneration series, on display at an art exhibition in Denver, CO. While they are not part of a public art project, they depict a range of imagery that is representative of the vibrant and luminous artworks that could inspire new pieces for the Corn Palace Park project.
9. Title:
The Metamorphosis of Plants
Date: 2022
Location: Michael Warren Contemporary, Denver, Colorado Medium: Sublimation prints on aluminum
Dimensions: variable
Description: This piece from my Regeneration series features local wildflowers, printed on aluminum and die-cut to float off the wall in an organic, playful pattern. The vibrant colors and subtle distortions bring an abstracted sense of joy and energy, inviting reflection on nature’s resilience and beauty.
10. T
itle: Inflorescence, installation view
Date: 2022
Location: 250 Third Street, Downtown Los Altos, CA
Dimensions: 8’ x 80’
Variable. The printed flowers range from 80” to 96” in height, and are approximately 24” to 36” wide.
Occupying a paseo that is 80 feet long.
Medium: UV printed flowers with choreographed LED lighting, projected flowers, and interactive augmented reality video
Budget: $19,250
Commissioning Agency: Arts Los Altos
Description: Inflorescence is an illuminated, interactive art installation created as a public art project for the City of Los Altos consisting of larger-than-life native wildflowers, glowing, transforming, and activating an underutilized public space. My collaborator, Phil Spitler and I merged their talents to connect the public to the healing and inspiring natural forces found right in our backyards.
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Liz Hickok
Regeneration Bench Proposal
Corn Palace Park, Sunnyvale
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Concept Overview
My proposed bench design for Corn
Palace Park draws from my ongoing
Regeneration series, which explores
themes of resilience, transformation,
and ecological harmony.
Through large-scale, distorted images
of native wildflowers, the artwork
evokes a sense of motion, energy,
and surreal beauty—mirroring both
the park’s agricultural past and its
evolving future as a space for
community and renewal.
This vibrant design aligns with
Sunnyvale’s vision of Bold,
Sustainable Innovation by blending
natural imagery with cutting-edge
materials in a joyful, inclusive, and
enduring way.
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Bench T op
Bench Ends
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The Regeneration
Series
The Regeneration series is inspired
by native wildflowers that thrive in
difficult conditions and regenerate
after disruption—like California
poppies blooming after wildfires.
I use the Perlin noise algorithm to
alter and distort my photographic
images of the flowers into swirling
forms that suggest change,
movement, and the delicate
balance between beauty and
distortion.
These visual echoes of growth and
transformation are especially
resonant for a public park rooted in
agricultural history and reimagined
as a vibrant communal space.
Detail of top of bench
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Pollinators & Ecology
• To support the site’s ecological
goals and pollinator garden, I’ve
incorporated bees, butterflies,
and a hummingbird into the
bench design. These creatures are
vital to local ecosystems and
represent beauty, energy, and
transformation.
• Monarch butterflies, under threat
from habitat loss, symbolize
fragility and hope. The Anna’s
hummingbird is a frequent,
vibrant visitor to Sunnyvale
gardens, and bees—especially
bumblebees—are crucial to
pollination.
• These images celebrate the
connection between plants and
pollinators while sparking
curiosity about local ecology and
natural interdependence.
Bench End
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Flora & Fauna
• Apricot Blossoms: Referencing
Sunnyvale’s agricultural roots and
historic orchards.
• California Poppies: Resilient flowers
that return after fire, representing
healing and renewal.
• Sky Lupine: A vibrant local
wildflower that supports pollinators.
• Douglas Iris: Adds a pop of purple
and visual contrast while
highlighting native biodiversity.
• Pollinators: add life, movement, and
ecological significance.
o Monarch butterflies
o Bumblebees
o Anna’s hummingbird
Bench End
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Detail of top of bench
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• Top and sides: Kiln-fired art tiles with imagery
• Edges: Iridescent and phosphorescent tiles
• Front and back of bench : Abstract mosaic from
hand-cut ceramic tiles
Materials & Durability
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Kiln-fired Art Tiles
The the tops and sides of the bench will
have imagery that is printed on high -fired
porcelain tiles, using a kiln -fired process
that ensures exceptional durability,
vibrancy, and environmental
sustainability.
The tiles are:
• UV-resistant (guaranteed not to fade
for 50 years)
• Frost- and weather-proof
• Scratch- and graffiti-resistant
• Suitable for high-traffic public spaces
These qualities align with Sunnyvale’s
goals for sustainability, longevity, and
responsible public investment.
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This shows a close-up of a test sample
of four of the special Kiln-fired art
tiles, which I had produced for this
proposal.
The detail is beautiful, and the colors
are intense and saturated.
Kiln-fired Art Tiles
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Phosphorescent Edge Tiles:
The edges of the bench will be trimmed with
iridescent, glow-in-the-dark tiles that
shimmer by day and emit a magical blue
glow by night—adding a sense of wonder
and enhancing wayfinding at dusk.
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The front and back surfaces of the bench
feature abstract, flowing mosaics in soft,
shifting hues. These patterns reflect the sky,
native foliage, and changing light
conditions—inviting contemplation and
creating a tactile, visual experience.
Made with hand-cut ceramic and glass tiles,
these subtle gradients create continuity with
the printed tile designs and enhance the
bench’s sense of movement and harmony
with nature.
Mosaic & Abstract
Elements
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Fabrication & Experience
• As an experienced public artist, I have successfully delivered permanent installations for civic spaces, hospitals, and museums.
• I will work closely with skilled fabricators and tile installers to ensure that the bench is comfortable and built to last, and is designed in alignment with Sunnyvale’s accessibility and safety standards to ensure welcoming, inclusive use by visitors of all ages and abilities. • The design reflects the City's brand of Bold, Sustainable Innovation through its integration of art, ecology, and enduring materials.
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Final Thoughts
My goal is to create a bench that is more than just a place to rest—it’s a vibrant celebration of nature’s resilience, Sunnyvale’s history, and the beauty of everyday encounters with light, color, and whimsy. I envision this piece bringing joy, reflection, and a sense of surprise to park visitors of all ages, day and night.
Thank you for considering my proposal.
Liz Hickok
Website: www.lizhickok.com
Instagram & Facebook: @LizHickokArt
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 510.499.9465
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