artists

Bonita Thurner
Artist, Framer, Teacher

I am a retired art teacher using my space at Fallout Art Initiative to continue my interest and involvement in the arts. I am a painter; oil and watercolor. I am also a framer, curator, and installer of art exhibits. I have experience in puppet making, theater costuming, and have taught in the Minneapolis public schools for 13 years as well as private studio lessons to groups of children and adults. I also worked in classical animation in a commercial studio for several years and continued to teach animation in a Minneapolis high school. In continuing my art journey after retirement, my intention is to explore the facets of art that are open to me in the time I have now. During the years when my children were growing up, I exhibited and sold my art at art fairs. Then I went on to exhibits in galleries and joined a studio group in the Washburn-Crosby Mill. Later, I taught art for 13 years in the Minneapolis Public Schools and retired five years ago. During those years I worked in all media and taught middle through high school. My interests are in painting, film, and theater. The studio at the Fallout has enabled me to work with the schools with annual art exhibits, theater productions, as well as independent projects that challenge my painting skills. I appreciate the Fallout for presenting many opportunities to exhibit, discuss, and combine the talents of artists. The monthly co-op meetings have been educational and entertaining, featuring artists working on new and innovative projects. The exhibits have also been intriguing. The Fallout has given me a venue to continue learning, sharing, and participating with art ventures into the future. As a former Minneapolis Public School art teacher, I have the opportunity to offer framing and framing expertise to Minneapolis Public Schools Viva City Exhibit at a discounted price. I am retired and could not afford a commercial frame shop or studio. I enjoy the space and the opportunity to do various projects involving the schools. In the past five years since my retirement I have also used my space for designing and sewing costumes for the Inter-district school downtown Minneapolis production of The Wiz, working with teachers and students for the performance held at FAIR school. I also have worked with Heart of the Beast Theater as a Minneapolis art teacher and look forward to working with them again this spring. During our Art Fest in the summer, I have worked by making puppets and helped with other projects for children.

Joan Vorderbruggen
Handmade, upcycled garments

I create with used and discarded textiles. I am a new designer, and specialize in lingerie and costumery for performing artists. My company is â??Lollycopterâ??. Lollycopter carefully curates vintage textiles, slips, and lingerie, then gives new life to each, creating gorgeous, one of a kind, incredibly sexy treasures! Hand dyed in small batches, then embellished with Swarovski and Precoisa Bohemian crystals and meticulously hand sewn mini satin bows. No two items are alike! I appreciate an affordable, clean, efficient space to work and create. The building is impeccably maintained and managed well. I also take pride in being a part of a collective that does so much for it's local community.

Stephanie Johnson MA, DTR,LPC
Dancer, licensed dance educator, registered dance therapist

I have worked in the public school arena promoting the arts in education for 15 years, including local work with the Perpich Center for Arts Education and the FAIR School. I am currently in private practice serving children with attention and/or learning challenges. I began my career as a modern dancer and choreographer, followed by 10 years in the public school system where I became increasingly curious about the bodyâ??s role in learning. As an Arts Educator of any discipline, it is important to know the benefits your art has and thus be able to justify its presence in a public school curriculum. I pursued more information and training opportunities and eventually took a leave of absence to devote my career to serving children who struggle the most in a traditional academic setting. I have worked to educate classroom teachers on the relevance of movement and helped facilitate movement activities in their daily lessons. I am continuously looking for opportunities to demonstrate the innate value and necessity the arts have in everyoneâ??s daily life. I seek to bring attention to the many ways art serves us beyond the occasional show for entertainment. I wish for a day that the arts is indeed in integral part of everyoneâ??s life like it is in so many other cultures. I appreciate the FAI for taking risks and being brave in bringing Art to underrepresented populations and using it as a tool for connecting and healing. I also appreciate the community of artists from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds and ages coming together to use their art to heal and serve the community.

Katherine Pohlman
Fiber Artist

I am an emerging fiber artist dedicated to promoting healing through use of the expressive arts. I am currently involved in the Women in the Arts Registry in Minnesota (WARM) mentorship. I seek to expand my experience as an artist through my work in my studio at FAI and my involvement with WARM. Although I have been working with all kinds of fibers since childhood, until recently, much of that dialogue has involved formulaic scripts. At this point in my life, I am on a healing journey, moving toward a more authentic life and greater consciousness. As I heal, I find that I am filled with a sense of creative energy and I experience an intense need to express myself through my art. In my current work, I am attempting to find my own voice. As I travel this along this healing journey, I find often that I am without words to express what I feel, but that I see many images in my mindâ??s eye. At times, I feel like I think in textures, colors, and shapes rather than thoughts. In my current work, I am exploring the transformative healing power of Spirit through the metaphorical felting process. I am drawn by the way in which the water and the agitation open the cuticles and cause them to entangle, creating strength. I have also been exploring connectedness and wholeness. I am particularly drawn by the process of assembling component parts, focusing on how connecting them transforms them into a whole greater than the parts. Over the past year as I have explored these themes, I have been transfixed with rugs, which I believe reflects my desire to ground myself in healing. I also feel a very powerful pull toward spirals, labyrinths, and nautiluses, which I believe reflects efforts to go deeper inside to find healing. I appreciate the community created by the FAI coop. I also appreciate the impact on FAI of its relationship with the Source, whose mission (empowering youth) I greatly support. I value the opportunity to volunteer to serve the Coop community, as well as youth through the programs sponsored by Source.

Michele Spaise
Photographer, Curator, Art Educator

Work by Michele Spaise http://intermediaarts.org/catalyst-series-whittier-cooperative

amiee elizabeth

Leslie Barlow

David Tomlinson

Harry LeBlanc

Thor Eisentrager

Rayna Olson

Ami Rickson

Kate Woodman