When Lisa McLymont received the invitation from the Blue Jackets, she immediately felt a little out of her comfort zone – and that was a good thing.
The multi-disciplinary artist and designer has tackled a bevy of creative projects in the Columbus area over the years, but branching out into sports would be a whole new world.
But pushing yourself and tackling new projects is what being an artist is all about, and the request itself was unique enough – given the blank canvas of a hockey helmet, what could McLymont create to celebrate women and inclusivity – that McLymont couldn’t turn it down.
“If someone says you need to be here, the invitation is everything,” she said. “For me, it was a gap because I’m not engaged in sports, but to be here and see all the excitement in everybody’s eyes is really moving.”
Here for McLymont was Feb. 25 at Nationwide Arena, where her finished product was displayed as part of the Blue Jackets’ Hockey for Her event, presented by Bread Financial. The Hockey for Her program aims to build a community among women who love the game or are trying to get into it, and McLymont’s task was to create a piece that celebrated the spirit of the event.
After thinking it over, her first idea proved to be too difficult to execute – it turns out creating art out of a hockey helmet can be a difficult task – but in the end she came up with a design she was proud of, featuring two distinct color blocks as well as a spray paint effect where each spot represents all the people that go into a making a successful team.
“The easiest way to describe it was a yin and yang,” McLymont said. “Men and women, the balance should be there, but it’s also the night and the daylight. The sky, the galaxy, there’s an implication the sky is the limit. There’s a lot that went into the inspiration.”
It’s a piece of abstract art, allowing the viewer to make what they will of it, but McLymont was pleased with the reaction her piece received at Sunday’s event.
“They seem like they love the positivity of it, which is the reaction I usually get,” said McLymont, who attended her first game at Nationwide Arena as part of the event. “Which I’m thankful for because that’s what I’m putting out when I do my artwork. The abstract theme, you never know what you’re going to get. Some people don’t understand it, but the part that I really want to say about the abstract piece is it’s not above anybody. It’s making it level to me. You approach it with what you have and get something out of it – at least that’s my hope anyway.
“You want to give people the promise of it and then see where they go with it. After the artist makes it, it’s no longer mine. It’s the community’s, and each person has a different take on that piece of art. That’s really exciting to see.”
An Ohio State graduate, McLymont began her career as a self-taught, multi-hyphenate creative in 2009 and has worked in a variety of mediums, including drawing, painting, murals, scripture, jewelry and set design. Her ongoing portrait series, “The Universe Tribe” and “The Odes” are focused on identity and dreamy expressionism.
Born in New York but a Columbus resident since age 10, McLymont has become a significant part of the city’s arts scene through her work.
“Columbus shaped me,” she said. “I am the artist and the designer and the person I am because of Columbus. I’m very much a part of it.”
