Arts Corner

 

Arts Corner – Artist Spotlight for June – Lana Licata Manzo

Contributed by Rachael Dzikonski, Executive Director, Riverside Arts Council

With summer right around the corner, school winding down, and travel plans beginning to take shape, June is the perfect time to slow down and enjoy everything happening close to home. In Riverside, one of the best ways to spend the first Thursday of the month is by exploring Riverside Artswalk, where galleries and museums open their doors late, local artists line Main Street, and downtown comes alive with creativity and community. This month, the Riverside Arts Council is pleased to feature artist Lana Licata Manzo as the Artswalk Artist Spotlight.

Lana’s work reflects a thoughtful and deeply personal creative practice, and her participation in Artswalk highlights the diversity of artistic voices that make Riverside’s arts community so vibrant. Lana is participating in Artswalk at the Riverside Art Museum, exhibiting her unique artworks during her Open Studio and Exhibition in the Powell and DeVean Galleries.

Lana Licata Manzo is a mixed media artist originally from Placentia, California. After spending several years traveling and studying in the Bay Area, she relocated to Riverside County six years ago and has become an active part of the region’s arts community. Lana has been creating art since she was seventeen and is currently participating in an artist residency as she prepares for an upcoming exhibition at the Riverside Art Museum. Her work has been exhibited at venues including the Riverside Art Museum, the San Bernardino County Museum, the Frank M. Doyle Arts Pavilion, and the Brea Gallery, as well as in exhibitions throughout California and in New York and North Carolina.

Lana is deeply committed to her career in the arts, and her process is non-stop, as her art creation allows her to be a better version of herself. She finds inspiration in every experience in life: nature, her family and pets, the act of creation itself, as well as the excitement of completing a project. While playing in the sandbox with her daughter, she is thinking of shapes and/or materials she can use; while cooking, she is thinking of the feeling a piece gives her; while hiking with family, she is inspired to create a new sculpture based on what they see. Outside of the studio, Lana enjoys hiking and visiting national parks, and she loves sharing the creative process with her daughter. Through her residency and upcoming exhibition, she hopes to inspire others to experience the joy of making art and to let go of the intimidation that can sometimes come with trying something new.

“Art doesn’t have to be perfect, and it doesn’t have to be made for anyone but yourself,” Lana says. “I hope my show brings joy to those who see it and encourages people to experiment and explore a new art form.”

Lana’s Open Studio and Exhibition will run through August 2026 in the Powell and DeVean Galleries at the Riverside Art Museum.

 

For more information about Lana and her artwork, visit @lanalicata on IG or www.lanalicata.com. For more information on Riverside Artswalk, visit www.riversideartswalk.com or @riversideartswalk on IG.