Called "America's multi-mediatrix" by Wired magazine and a "modern renaissance artist and agent provocateur" by Philadelphia Daily News, Laurie Anderson (born 1947 in Chicago, Illinois) is—in her work as a performance artist as well as musician, poet, writer, and visual artist—one of the most important artists of the later 20th century.

Laurie Anderson graduated magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, in Art History from Barnard College in 1969. In 1972 she received an M.F.A. in sculpture from Columbia University. During the mid 1970s she toured extensively, presenting her work in alternative performance spaces throughout the United States and building a dedicated following. During 1983 she performed her United States in the United States and Europe, and in 1986 released the film Home of the Brave. In 1987 she received an Honorary Doctorate from Philadelphia College of the Arts, and in 1996 received honorary degrees from Cal Arts and the Pratt Institute. In 1994 HarperPerennial published Ms. Anderson's Stories from The Nerve Bible, and the early 1990s saw her present The Nerve Bible in performance throughout the United States and Europe.