Q’llage

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Additional information

Funding

The project discussed in this article, Q’llage, is funded in part by the Minnesota State Arts Board and in part by individual donors. Nell Pierce is a fiscal year 2019 recipient of an Artist Initiative grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature; and by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Notes on contributors

Nell Pierce

I am a freelance community artist and teaching artist, raised by a mother who wore paint clothes more often than not and a father who always had a story in his pocket. I began teaching in the arts when I was a teenager and was struck by the stories and healing that arose when people created together. The creative process was a container for vulnerability and truth telling, and the art we created was a means to amplify our stories. I went to Dartmouth College and received my BA in women’s and gender studies with a concentration in the arts. Since then, I’ve worked with people of all ages in different settings, analyzing power in dominant narratives and creating personal and collective narratives through visual art, writing and theater. I am part of two Minneapolis-based art collectives, Poligraphix and Studio Thalo, who strive to create art in the service of social justice movements. Together, we’ve painted more than 20 live murals at events around the Twin Cities that center justice and healing. In my personal art practice, I focus on depicting people through collage, acrylic painting and murals. I create portraits rooted in relationships with those that I represent and aim to portray people in their personal power.