Julian LaVerdiere was born in 1971 and raised in New York City. He received a BFA from The Cooper Union in New York and an MFA in sculpture from Yale University. He has had solo exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Cleveland, and has also participated in numerous group exhibitions both in the US and in Europe. In 2000 his work was featured in Greater New York at the P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, New York, and in the same year he was awarded a residency at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Studio Program in lower Manhattan. In 2001 and 2002, LaVerdiere worked with fellow-artist Paul Myoda, three architects, Creative Time and the Municipal Arts Society to create “Tribute in Light,” the temporary light memorial to the victims of September 11th, 2001. The public artwork has subsequently become an annual addition to the WTC Memorial. LaVerdiere’s work is included in the permanent collections of P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center/ Museum of Modern Art, New York and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami. Employing a pastiche of symbols, signs, and themes from the past and present, the artist draws attention to pivotal moments and events that serve as historic harbingers of coming change and paradigm shifts. LaVerdiere lives and works in New York City.