Artist Biographies

Lead Artist:  Lori Weidenhammer is a Vancouver performance-based interdisciplinary artist and educator. She is originally from a tiny hamlet called Cactus Lake, Saskatchewan. It is in this place, bordered by wheat fields and wild prairie, that she first became enchanted with bees. She is the author of a new book called Victory Gardens for Bees: A DIYGuide to Saving the Bees published by Douglas and MacIntyre. For the past several years she has been appearing as the persona Madame Beespeaker, practicing the tradition of “telling the bees”. As a food security volunteer and activist Lori works with students of all ages on eating locally and gardening for pollinators. On occasion, she likes to dress up in silly costumes and talk to bees.

Lori's web site Victory Gardens for Bees
Follow Lori on Instagram @beespeaker

 

Anya Chase: As a parent of two curious, wonder-filled, six year old twins who love to immerse in the natural world and enjoy connecting with people in our neighbourhood I am continually inspired to help create nature, arts and community based learning opportunities that engage our emotions and imaginations. I enjoy building on what I learned during my PhD studies focused environmental and arts based education at the University of Toronto (2011). My thesis, entitled “Enveloped in Ocean Life” focused on what it means to immerse deeply into experiences and the significance of artfully exploring experiences with/within the natural world. I continue to appreciate how art inspires the space that allows for a strong sense of interconnectedness to grow- strengthening connections between people and the natural world.

jasna guy is an artist whose preferred mode of work is drawing. For the most part, she works in mixed media – graphite, charcoal, collage, pastel, photography and relief printing. For the past six years, her subject matter has been bees–first of all honeybees–and then as she began to understand the complexity of their environment, our native bees and other pollinators. Her practice includes the exploration of the floral resources that pollinators require, that is, the nectar and pollen that are critical for their survival. Gathering flowers wherever she finds them, from roadsides, alleyways and fields and gardens,  she records and photographs the insect or bird visitors that have dipped into the blossoms. She collects a bit of pollen, and makes color samples of it; tastes the nectar; researches the plant’s family and characteristics and preserves the specimens via the traditional mode of pressing and drying. With her most recent series, she prints her photographic images on gampi, and dips each into melted beeswax.

jasna guy's artist website

jasna guy on Instagram

Crystal Lee specializes in work-life balance and stress management for busy professionals. As a Certified Life & Leadership Coach, she helps individuals thrive during life and career transitions. As a Certified Laughter Yoga Leader, she promotes health, creativity and productivity in workplaces. Before training with The Coaches Training Institute (CTI), she received a Master of Public Health degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Crystal is also a proud Chinese Canadian who speaks Cantonese.

Crystal Lee's website Beyond Maybe

Crystal Lee on Instagram
 

 

Wendy Oberlander is an interdisciplinary artist whose work has been exhibited and screened across North America and in Europe. Through installation, photography, film and video, her creative projects seek to reveal hidden narratives. During the past 35 years Oberlander has taught in diverse settings, working with students both young and old - in schools, universities and community workshops. Her passion for wildness was established at an early age - stream stomping and gazing skyward remain favorite pastimes.

Catherine Shapiro went to the San Francisco Art Institute for a couple of years in the late 1960’s and immigrated to Canada in 1970. Settling in the Caribou with her husband, they set up a printmaking studio and Catherine started gardening. Moving to Vancouver in 1974 she continued making multimedia work that expressed her growing knowledge about plants focusing on women’s contributions to the development of horticulture. In the 1980’s Catherine began making environmental works from plant materials that she foraged or grew including nettle, hemp, cedar, wisteria, artichoke, mallow, flax and bamboo. These interests have continued to inform her work and have given her the opportunity in the last few years to mentor a young artist in growing and processing indigo as well as to be artist in residence at MOP garden to continue this project.  Working with indigo has lead her to making a wide variety of paints from botanicals sources which she has been using recently on a new series of cast paper sculptures and paintings.

Brenna Maag uses printmaking, textiles and found materials to create work that investigates our relationship with nature. Most recently she has hosted a four day Pop-up Art Gallery of her installation ‘Observation of Wonder’ made with over 700 handmade doilies recovered from thrift stores. This two-part exhibition included Conservatory a 9’ high dome made with doilies that visitors can enter and Taxonomy a series of prints that imagine the doilies as scientific specimens. She is also working on transforming her front yard into a bee and bird friendly, permaculture food garden. 

Brenna Maag’s artist web site

Lori Snyder is an indigenous herbalist and educator, with a deep knowledge of edible and medicinal plants. A descendant from the T’suu tina (Sarcee), Nakota (Assiniboine), Cree, Nipissing, and Anishnaabe (Ojibwe) people; with a Metis blend of First Nations people with Scottish, French, and Celtic ancestry. Born and raised in Squamish, Lori spent her childhood playing in the forest. From a young age, she has been learning about plants and later studied herbalism, aromatherapy and permaculture. Since 2013, Lori has been bringing forth her First Nations perspective of wild, edible, and medicinal plants to help people reconnect to the wisdom of Mother Earth.

Lori Snyder is on Facebook

Heather Talbot is a textile artist and beekeeper, originally from the UK.  She made Vancouver her home over 6 years ago. Her work has always focused on the beauty and wonder she feels in nature and recently she has been creating a body of work celebrating pollinators and their unique and essential place in the web of life.  She has exhibited this work at various locations within the City of Vancouver, as well as Toronto and the UK.  

Heather Talbot’s artist web site 
Heather Talbot on Instagram

Julia Thiessen has a passion for the connection between nature and wellness. She has a background in non-profit work, therapeutic horticulture, and meditation. She takes environmental problems seriously but brings curiosity and amusement to the field to facilitate meaningful connections to the planet, each other and ourselves. Julia is a member of the Canadian Horticulture Therapy Association and has been delivering and designing community-based environmental programs for a decade. In her free time, she can be found taking photos of moss and making puns. Julia speaks basic French and beginner American Sign Language.

Julia Thiessen's web site Nature Connection.

Julia Thiessen on Instagram