The Lizz Price Rainbow Rutabaga Memorial Children's Art Fund

On July 8, 2024, after fighting and enduring for close to 15 years, Lizz Price’s journey through mental illness ended. Lizz was very open and honest about their disease, attempting to ease the stigma and educate others. They wanted people to see mental illness as no less worthy of care and compassion than tangible physical illness, and they advocated for greater availability of treatments and less judgement for those who, through no fault of their own, were dealt this vicious hand. Throughout their battle, Lizz tried a multitude of modalities to treat the array of symptoms which robbed them of the ability to work, create, and otherwise participate fully in their life. Unfortunately, the disease symptoms eventually eroded into all things they held dear.

Despite their struggles, Lizz possessed an incredible sense of humor, loving puns, sarcasm and wordplay. Their face would light up when they were able to make others laugh. They filled notebooks and journals with poems and stories and read voraciously, until even concentration was taken away. Lizz also loved exploring music and the way it can express emotions. They often explored new bands or genres in search of the “perfect” song to describe how they were experiencing something. Many of their friends and family were blessed with at least one of Lizz’s themed mix tapes (complete with original cover art on the cassette liner!), recorded on an “old fashioned” cassette recorder late into the night. Having started playing the harmonica as a young child with their Papa, Lizz began playing electric bass while in middle school, but changed to the ukelele for practical purposes when they began traveling the country, exploring new cities and adventures.

Lizz was compassionate, loving their friends completely and was fiercely loyal, sometimes to their own detriment. Strangers, too, often benefitted from their kindness, no matter their background or situation. As the anxiety of the illness began to keep them more and more isolated and less able to leave home, they still managed to show others small courtesies, from offering a cold drink or snack to the Amazon driver dropping off a package on a hot day, to offering a soaked door to door salesman a trash bag poncho on a rainy day.

Lizz had a true passion and talent for art, and they excelled at it, from making new things out of everyday objects, to woodburning intricate designs, to pen and ink drawings and more. By far their favorite medium was working with clay, especially on the pottery wheel, which Lizz found relaxing and therapeutic, and they could spend hours getting a piece “just right.”

However, Lizz’s greatest joy came when they taught art at an elementary school in Florida. The school they worked in is a 100 year old school, with 97% minority students, and many of the children speaking Creole and Spanish as their primary language. Close to 90% of the children are on the free lunch program and the home and financial situations are often less than desirable. No matter the background or current situation, however, Lizz loved them all, calling them their “nuggets.” Lizz especially enjoyed showing them how art can be used to express emotions and feelings when words are hard to come by. Once a child told Lizz they looked like a “sad potato,” but really they should be a “happy rutabaga.” The phrase stuck and Lizz continued to use that, long after leaving Florida to return to Pittsburgh.

Lizz made books and concepts come to life through art for these children, whether it was illustrating a story, painting in the style of a famous artist, or figuring out which colors best expressed a particular mood. On one occasion, Lizz dressed up as an “I Spy” book page, much to the delight of the kids, who spent the day trying to find all the objects glued or pinned to their hoodie.

With their brightly multicolored hair, boots held together with patterned duct tape, mismatched clothing, and unusual piercings (Lizz would often use Legos, or other objects as piercings to catch the attention of the kids), Lizz taught them it’s OK to be different, and that no one deserves judgement for their appearance, life situation, or “quirks.”

Lizz thoroughly enjoyed making displays on the schoolwide bulletin board so each child could see their art showcased proudly for all to admire.

Lizz also tried to instill in them the idea that art can be created as either a solo project or a group effort, depending on the goal, helping the kids learn to see past differences and barriers in working together. Although their official art supplies were minimal due to budget limitations, Lizz and the primary art teacher filled the art time, and they hoped, the kids’ lives, with colors, laughter, and a spirit of cooperation.

Due to length, extent, and progression of their illness, Lizz often talked about their death and how they would want to be remembered afterwards. They were absolutely adamant there was to be no funeral, gathering, or memorial service to mourn their passing. Instead, Lizz firmly believed one should say how one feels about people to their face while they are still alive, rather than wait until they are no longer living to express such sentiments. They wanted no gravestone or place for others to sit and have regrets. Rather, Lizz wanted their legacy to be a positive one: to promote acceptance of and to bring joy to others. Therefore, as Lizz’s family, we have decided to honor their wishes and open the “Lizz Price Rainbow Rutabaga Memorial Children's Art Fund” in Lizz’s memory, with 100% of the donations going directly towards the art program and to purchasing art supplies for the children of Lake Park Elementary School, so they will always have everything they need to express their feelings, work together on projects, and spread happiness through art. We thank you for your consideration of this fundraiser, for loving our Lizz, and ask that you perform a random act of kindness for a stranger today, remembering Lizz as you do.