Sarah Bober

Sarah graduated from St. Olaf College with a major in fine arts. She began making jewelry in 2008 and has been selling her work and teaching classes every since. She specializes in Art Clay, a clay form of silver, and is a level one certified Art Clay instructor. Sarah's work is very eco-conscious and most of her pieces incorporate recycled elements. She is truly passionate about helping others learn new techniques. Her goal with every class is to have students who feel confident and excited about what they have accomplished. In her day job Sarah is an elementary school library teacher.
Website: www.sarahbober.com

Wendy DePaolis

Arboretum Staff - Curator of Art and Sculpture, Fine Arts Education Programmer 
Bringing together art and nature in a professional capacity is a dream come true. Wendy grew up in Wilmington, Delaware with Longwood Gardens as a nearby playground. With a Bachelors of Science in Education and Masters in Art History, Wendy has been able to fuse these passions to make art accessible to all people. In her current role as Curator of Art and Sculpture she is responsible for educating through fine art classes, conducting tours throughout the Arboretum grounds, curating exhibitions and developing programs that work to bring the joy and understanding of art to all of our visitors. 
Wendy and her husband John have three adult children and spend much time travelling and enjoying outdoor beauty through recreational activities .

Jennifer Shea Hedberg

Jennifer Shea Hedberg, the "Ice Wrangler", is an ice luminary artist whose passion is discovering and refining methods for creating beautiful illuminated ice structures.

A native of California, Hedberg moved to Minnesota in her teens with her mother who said "Sure, it's cold, but let's find the fun in it!" Over 30 years of playful experimentation later, Jennifer has honed her ice lantern-making skills to the level that she has been a featured artist on the PBS show MN ORIGINAL and has been a commissioned artist for both private and public functions throughout the United States.

Locally, you may have seen her creations at the Middlemoon Creekwalk, Midwinter Light in The Commons in DT Minneapolis, City of Lakes Luminary Loppet, REI Bloomington Entrance, or one of many private parties, weddings or corporate gatherings celebrating everything from the Winter Solstice to the 4th of July.

Jennifer is also the creator of the Wintercraft Globe Ice Lantern Kit and is currently working on a DIY book, Ice Luminary Magic! to be released in November 2018.

When not embracing the magical qualities of frozen water, Jennifer can be found pursuing other passions including Monarch Butterflies and taking her new Jackabee puppy Ruby to an area dog park. Photo: by Bruce Challgren

Follow Jennifer's blog at IceWrangler.com.

Anna Gaseitsiwe

Located in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, A Paper Florist is a dream come alive for me, Anna Gaseitsiwe, a transplant from Michigan's Upper Peninsula (a Yooper for those in-the-know). The name "A Paper Florist" was provided by my seven year old daughter - perfectly simple and directly to the point. It started as a side hobby of mine. Pinterest boards, Instagram hashtags and actual, real paper books - all filled with gorgeous crepe flowers - constantly flooding my imagination. Then A Paper Florist became a new reality, making paper botanical sculptures and arrangements for custom orders. Turning paper, wire, and glue into something that is often mistaken for real satisfies my obsessive compulsive disorder in a way that none of my other compulsions can ever be. (I might as well use the diagnosis for good as long as I have it).

A Paper Florist allows me to explore new worlds within crepe paper art as well as teach others how to turn something as simple as paper into realistic botanical sculptures.

Ping Honzay

Bee and Pollinator Center Education Program Coordinator

Ping joined the Arboretum in 2016 as an educator at the newly opened Tashjian Bee and Pollinator Discovery Center, developing and delivering education programs for the Center. She is thrilled for the opportunity to share her passion for bees and the natural world with students and visitors. Prior to the Arboretum, Ping worked at the American Horticultural Society outside of Washington, DC, coordinating garden programs such as the AHS's National Children & Youth Garden Symposium. She has an MS in Natural Resources with a focus in Environmental Education, and a BS in Zoology.

Outside of work she enjoys cooking, reading, and tending to her own bees.

Marilyn Jacobson

A lifelong artist with good drawing skills, I was a "late bloomer" at painting, which I began upon retirement. I studied with local and internationally-known artists, and soon began to sell my art. An award-winning artist, I paint in a variety of styles, from realistic to whimsical. I've illustrated 6 children's books. You may see my art at 1-marilyn-jacobson.pixels.com.

One of my favorite classes to teach, "Paint your Pet," is appropriate for all levels, from beginner to experienced painter. My youngest pet-painter was 11 years old.

Peter Juhl

Peter Juhl has been exploring the art of stone balancing since the mid 1990s. He is passionate about promoting this art form through speaking, writing, and teaching.

He is the author of "Center of Gravity: A Guide to the Practice of Rock Balancing," the only widely available book on the subject.

He has been teaching stone balancing classes at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum since 2014.

www.temporarysculpture.com

Georgia Kandiko

Georgiais an award winning artist and instructor. Currently Georgia teaches at the Minnetonka Center for the Arts and the University of Minnesota's Landscape Arboretum. Upon request and availability Georgia teaches independent painting and mosaic workshops.

I am passionate about art and creativity. As an instructor, my goal is always to help, nurture, and impact others to manifest and enjoy their unique artistic expressions. Fun facts: I still rollerblade! I love kayaking, cross country and skate skiing, and lap swimming. I have been a member of the Arboretum for 39 years.

She recently won the Bill and Magda Peregrin Memorial Award in Watercolor West's 49 Annual International Juried Show in Brea, CA for her painting, Liquid Asset. That same painting was recently accepted into the Transparent Watercolor Society of America's 2018 International Juried Show. Georgia has attained Signature Status with the Minnesota Watercolor Society (MNWS) and the Red River Watercolor Society (RRWS.) She frequently displays her work in both of their annual juried shows. She exhibited in the 2017 MNWS Juried Spring show at the Arboretum's Reedy Gallery. She has sold her work through art galleries and displayed extensively in public gallery shows. Her work is featured in public and private collections.

Georgia's installation, The Magical Mystery Treasure Hunt, was featured in the University of Minnesota's 2010 Powerhouse Plants Juried Exhibition. Her 9 mosaic tables and accompanying story boards delighted Arboretum garden visitors from June through mid October. Her children's book, The Magical Mystery Treasure Hunt, is based on the installation. The City of St. Louis Park has acquired the installation as part of their permanent collection of community art and was displayed at the St. Louis Park Rec Center in the summer and fall of 2011 and 2012.

Laurie Lausen

Known for her keen sense of color and whimsical, primitive folk art designs, Minnesota folk/fiber artist Laurie Lausen of The Wooly Red Rug has been designing and hooking rugs since the 1970's. Her museum quality hooked rugs and accessories are part of private collections across the county and have earned her recognition as one of America's top traditional craftsman. She has been teaching rug hooking and various other fiber arts around the Twin Cities for over 30 years.
www.woolyredrug.com

Pam Luer

Pam Luer has been a working artist for nearly 20 years. Her passion for teaching and being outdoors is the driving force behind her workshops. Pam's Nature Sketchbook Workshops have been popular at resorts, nature centers, arboretums, botanical gardens and art colonies.

Pam's work usually includes organic elements as a focal point or anchor, such as, flowers, branches, leaves or shells, while the backgrounds evolve from a series of colorful grids and patterns intertwined with the main subject. The organic elements and abstract patterns support and engage each other through balance, tension, repetitive patterns and color. The relationship is one that moves from detailed order to colorful chaos, much like nature itself.

Growing up in Wisconsin, Pam moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in her late twenties after a four-year hiatus in Sonoma County, CA, where she worked as a graphic designer. Pam completed her Bachelor of Fine Art degree, with an emphasis in painting, from the University of Minnesota, which included three months in Greece

Jean Manrique

Although I began “felting” wool by knitting and shrinking pieces, I now make felted items by working with wool fibers and either special needles or soap and water. I added working with natural dyes, eco printing and sewing garments to felting to round out my fiber arts repertoire and am always trying out new techniques. Nature is my inspiration and creating is my passion!

Chiaki O'Brien

Chiaki completed a year-long course at the head school in Japan in 2001, and with her husband brought SAORI Weaving to MN for the first time in 2004.
Through teaching at schools, assisted living facilities, libraries, at the Weavers Guild of MN and so on Chiaki is learning about people and being inspired daily by their work. SAORI brings people joy just like it has for her so Chiaki is passionate about bringing more people joy and confidence through this fun weaving style!!

Linda Tay'nahza'

Received her B.S. in Art Education, early childhood through adult education from NAU, Flagstaff and completed graduate work in Art Education at UNR, Reno. She has taught extensively on all levels and loves teaching.

She is the recipient of funding from the National Endowment and the California Enrichment Fund. This funding was utilized to establish educational community based art programs.

Her work is in a number of corporate and public permanent collections.

Tay'nahza' imagery has been incorporated into the production of sportswear by Royal Robbins, to create wine labels, featured in a number of Sundance catalogs and recently included in a Special Edition of When Things Fall Apart, by Pima Chodron.

Skiing, yoga and making art are among life's pleasures. The name Tay'nahza' is corrupted Navajo and was given while living and working in the Navajo Nation, Arizona. Sometimes Navajo's give names, knowing they will be needed!

Go to www.lindataynahza.com for more information.

Ann Solyst

Ann graduated with a degree in oil painting from Concordia College, spending one year of her education studying art and art history in Florence, Italy. Although painting is her passion, drawing is her first love and she continues create and teach classes in multiple mediums including oil, acrylic, and hard pastel.

Ann loves nature, art, and reading and had the opportunity to combine all three loves when illustrating her first children's book, Peter the Slug and the Great Forest Race. Ann also feels passionately that art and humanity go hand in hand, we cannot have one without the other.

annsolyst.com

Jim Turner

I have been drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpting and otherwise involved in making art all my life, I've been focused on watercolor painting for the past 20 years. I have been fortunate enough to study with several nationally known artists who have furthered my passion for my artistic work in the studio and plein air and experimenting with a
variety of substrates including YUPO. I have won numerous "Best in Show" awards.

When not painting, I enjoy teaching, volunteering and doing demos and workshops. I paint because it's magic, and I love doing it, and my favorite painting is always the next
one.