“Blue Green Cat” by Andrew Braunberger
ARTIST STATEMENT:
Oil on canvas
I have been making images since I discovered my thumbs. I first began smearing soft pastels in high school and continued to love them through college at the University of North Dakota, graduating with a BA in Arts and Sciences through the Honors Program in 1992. I haven’t dropped them since. Much of my work is in acrylic and oil, often with soft pastels used on top of other media. My colors are vibrant and interact with varying levels of opacity. Sometimes I dabble in digital art, but I generally enjoy the tactile experience of other media much more.
PROVIDED BY:
Avivo Artworks
Since 2004, Avivo ArtWorks, formerly Spectrum ArtWorks, has been working to support professional artists living with mental illness. Located at the Lighthouse, a Community Support Program in Minneapolis, the program meets its mission through a community-focused and recovery-based approach. Its multi-faceted art studio and programming assists artists at reaching and maintaining their artist-related goals such as making new art, connecting with other artists, and accessing exhibition and grant opportunities.
In addition to this, each year the program organizes a new exhibition that aims to meet its mission to challenge stigma and raise mental health awareness. In 2015, the program partnered with the Minneapolis Institute of Art to bring “In Conversation,” a residency and exhibition that featured 17 artists from the program. Each participant created a new piece of art that was in conversation with an object or artwork in the museum’s collection. In 2017, Avivo ArtWorks facilitated “The Big Picture,” a group exhibition that presented artwork that explored wellness in recovery through art. “To Really See,” opening August 2017 at the Hennepin County Library – Central Minneapolis, is Avivo ArtWorks first every traveling group exhibition. The show explores the medication-taking experience and will feature artwork from artists who use Avivo ArtWorks services and artists from across the state of Minnesota.