Bio
Tirzah Legg is a sculptor and arts professional based in Oberlin, Ohio, with expertise in gallery management, ceramics instruction, and community arts programming. She holds an MFA from Kent State University and a BFA from the University of Southern Mississippi. Tirzah’s installations and sculptures combine found and slip-cast objects with hand-sculpted pieces that explore themes of identity, anxiety, and trauma. These works have been exhibited nationally, including at the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) conference, SPACES Cleveland, Kent State University Downtown Gallery, and the Mary C. O'Keefe Cultural Arts Center.
Previously, Tirzah worked as Assistant to the Director at Kent State University’s School of Art Collection & Galleries and as Gallery Director at Firelands Association for the Visual Arts (FAVA), where she oversaw coordination, curation, and installation of national and regional solo and group art exhibitions. At FAVA she played a key role in public events like Art Fair in the Square, while supporting mural projects and artist residencies in the Oberlin community. She has also contributed to the arts community through roles on the Nominating Committee for FRONT International’s 2022 Art Futures Fellowship and the Public Mural Committee for the City of Oberlin.
Artist Statement
Tirzah's installations and sculptures often include found and slip cast objects, and meticulously hand-sculpted works. Conventional functions and pre-existing notions of our experiences with familiar objects are transposed through fragmentation and abstract, sometimes surreal, representations.
Many works address internal conflict with identity related to anxiety, trauma, societal expectations, and the expectations inflicted by oneself. Objects and fragmented body parts often take the place of the traditional figure in what can be viewed as an abstract approach to portraiture. They are glimpses into the psyche, an ambiguous narrative of the artist's life experience, encompassing both its small joys, and subtle disappointments, in the shadow of truth.