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| Spectrum ArtWorks artist and Peer Support Specialist, Christi Furnas, pictured above in her Minneapolis studio. |
Greetings! We are excited to share the great news that Spectrum ArtWorks artist and Peer Support Specialist, Christi Furnas, has been awarded an emerging artists grant from VSA Minnesota. Christi is one of seven Minnesota artists to be awarded a grant of $1,500 by VSA Minnesota. The 18th annual competitive grant, funded by the Jerome Foundation, recognizes excellence by emerging Minnesota artists with disabilities and encourages them to complete new work.
About Christi:
Christi Furnas is a Minneapolis based oil painter who has been showing and selling art in the Twin Cities for nearly twenty years. Born in Kansas, Christi moved to the Twin Cities as a teenager. She studied painting and drawing at the Atelier LeSeuer in Excelsior, MN.
Christi Furnas is a Minneapolis based oil painter who has been showing and selling art in the Twin Cities for nearly twenty years. Born in Kansas, Christi moved to the Twin Cities as a teenager. She studied painting and drawing at the Atelier LeSeuer in Excelsior, MN.
Christi considers herself a Figurative Expressionist, working with both oil and pen and ink, and is most excited looking at the work of the early German Expressionists. She has shown her art at venues such as: Rosalux Gallery, Soo Visual Arts Center, Augsburg College and The Warren.
In 2011, Christi was awarded a Creative Community Leadership Institute Fellowship, where she studied community organizing through the arts. During the last year, Christi has worked closely with VSA Minnesota; working on several community art-making projects, including the Minnesota Disability Mural Project.
Christi has been featured for her work as an artist and an activist in articles of publications such as: The Advocate and Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Follow this link to read The Art of Healing - an article published in the Star Tribune
featuring Christi Furnas:
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/138789154.html
Follow this link to read Forty Under 40 - an article published in The Advocate
featuring Christi Furnas:
http://news.advocate.com/post/21701470227/forty-under-40
Christi also has an artist page on Facebook. Follow this link to "like" and "share" her page:
https://www.facebook.com/ChristiFurnasArt
A little bit more about Christi:
Christi has been a member of The Spectrum ArtWorks program for nearly 10 years. She is the first member of the program to be considered and hired as a staff member. As a Peer Support Specialist, Christi works directly with the Program Coordinator and with the artists in the program. She also teaches and facilitates regular open studio sessions for other artists connected with the Lighthouse Community Support Program, a program of RESOURCE, Inc. Her work with the artists and her presence in the studio has been invaluable. Christi's influence in the program is strong. She is dedicated to Spectrum ArtWorks' mission to educate the public and break down stigma associated with mental illness. She works tenaciously to inspire others to do the same. Christi is undoubtedly the heart of the program and a main reason Spectrum ArtWorks continues to be a successful and contributing program in our community.
If you have inquiries for Christi, she can be contacted at: cfurnas@resource-mn.org
Christi has been featured for her work as an artist and an activist in articles of publications such as: The Advocate and Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Follow this link to read The Art of Healing - an article published in the Star Tribune
featuring Christi Furnas:
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/138789154.html
Follow this link to read Forty Under 40 - an article published in The Advocate
featuring Christi Furnas:
http://news.advocate.com/post/21701470227/forty-under-40
Christi also has an artist page on Facebook. Follow this link to "like" and "share" her page:
https://www.facebook.com/ChristiFurnasArt
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| Another great photo of Christi - taken in her Minneapolis studio. |
A little bit more about Christi:
Christi has been a member of The Spectrum ArtWorks program for nearly 10 years. She is the first member of the program to be considered and hired as a staff member. As a Peer Support Specialist, Christi works directly with the Program Coordinator and with the artists in the program. She also teaches and facilitates regular open studio sessions for other artists connected with the Lighthouse Community Support Program, a program of RESOURCE, Inc. Her work with the artists and her presence in the studio has been invaluable. Christi's influence in the program is strong. She is dedicated to Spectrum ArtWorks' mission to educate the public and break down stigma associated with mental illness. She works tenaciously to inspire others to do the same. Christi is undoubtedly the heart of the program and a main reason Spectrum ArtWorks continues to be a successful and contributing program in our community.
If you have inquiries for Christi, she can be contacted at: cfurnas@resource-mn.org
As always- Spectrum ArtWorks invites you to learn more about the program and the work of each individual artist. Art is always for sale and appointments can be made to stop by the studio by contacting Arts Coordinator, Megan Andersen - mandersen@resource-mn.org.
We thank you dearly for supporting the Spectrum ArtWorks program! Please continue to stay informed and show your support for Spectrum ArtWorks.
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Continue to view and read our blog, as well as view lovely art on flickr:
And, Spectrum ArtWorks is now on Twitter!! Check us out!
For more information or questions about Spectrum ArtWorks please contact Megan Andersen at mandersen@resource-mn.org or (612)752-8282.
