Storyteller Artist Categories

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Stephani Atkins

Storyteller; Teacher / Instructor

Stephani Atkins works as the Executive Director for StoryArk. In this role, she oversees the planning and implementation of creative writing opportunities for secondary students at The Shire. In addition, Ms. Atkins leads The Shire’s Audio Drama Team as writing mentor and executive producer of the radio and podcast series HUSH. In her past positions, Ms. Atkins has headed up youth programming, developed curriculum, initiated new ministries and organized events for a number of non-profits including mega churches, public schools and advocacy groups. She just recently worked as a marketing director for Liberty Classical Academy and has been involved in public relations as a volunteer for various arts organizations. She has served on numerous boards including The Partnership Plan, Stillwater Public Library Foundation, Students Take Action Network, and Parents United for Public Schools. Ms. Atkins graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois with a liberal arts degree that focused on journalism, American culture and secondary education.

Barbara Koppang

Storyteller; Visual Artist: Mixed Media; Visual Artist: Sculpture

Myths skillfully weave words to create worlds to answer the questions of life. Like myths, I want my art to not only answer questions but to also create questions. Stories seep and soak into my art. Little snippets of the world and small moments of my life, traveling from memories to the art I create. Carrying the genetic code of my Mom, I have received the artist gift that travelled through the many artist generations of her family to me. The journey of my life and theirs has informed the art I create. I want to sculpt tangible pieces of stories that transcend my life and touch a memory, feeling or story that we might share together. My art pieces are proof of the process I undertake in the creation.

Sue Rowe

Author / Writer; Storyteller; Teacher / Instructor; Visual Artist: Drawing Illustration; Visual Artist: Mixed Media; Visual Artist: Painting; Visual Artist: Photography

My art illustrates tiny bits of life lived, metaphorically, by a large variety of particular bears. Their faces and bodies have been the main focus of my art for many years, but, as I seldom have specific plans for the final images, the results often surprise me as much as anybody. I enjoy using the power of line and color to depict subtle ideas created in everyday living. The bears and their surroundings have the ability to illustrate stories, most often without words; but frequently as I work sentences form and are drawn on the piece. The bears’ lives, therefore are more fully revealed. These creatures have tales to tell and secrets to shed. They, like many of us, have mixed emotions about relationships, food, survival and life in general. I very much like overhearing observers’ chuckles, sighs or gasps of personal recognition. If my bruins provide a giggle or provoke some serious pondering I consider that we, as a team, have done our good deed for the day.

Victoria Bradford Styrbicki

Author / Writer; Choreographer; Dancer; Storyteller; Visual Artist: Drawing Illustration; Visual Artist: Installation; Visual Artist: Sculpture

Victoria Bradford Styrbicki is an artist and cultural producer working across the lines of performance, research, and activism. She is a Louisiana native and thrives on place-based work that connects with the “social choreography” of a people—their movement both physical and conceptual toward greater connectivity. After earning her Master of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Victoria worked extensively in this field in the city of Chicago, moving after ten years to the Twin Cities in Minnesota where she now lives and works.

Barbie "Babs" Vidana Luepke

Dancer; Storyteller; Teacher / Instructor; Visual Artist: Drawing Illustration; Visual Artist: Mixed Media; Visual Artist: Painting; Visual Artist: Photography; Crafty

I enjoy various aspects of creating, mixing and crossing art mediums that sometimes bring about out of the norm ideas. I believe these out of the norm ideas challenge us and provide insight to who we are, identifies how art speaks to us, shows us a way to uniquely express ourselves, and most importantly it’s FUN! Art journeys lead us to self-insight and reflection that takes place over a lifetime. In this way, it has a healing aspect to it. Getting what is inside of us out of us. Thus, having experienced a lifetime of art in some form, The Art and The Mind LLC is the natural progression for me to move from the act of creating things myself to sharing and guiding others in their creativity and providing the space to do so. Your thoughts and emotions play a big part in who and what you are and these thoughts and emotions come alive and speak in a variety of ways when expressed through ArtPlay, ClayPlay and DancePlay. Thomas Merton, the writer and poet, stated: “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” YOU are a work of art. There is no other YOU. So, with that in mind, I have created guided ArtPlay, ClayPlay and DancePlay. While we may begin with similar ideas, we expand to express what is inside us. Intuitive. Interpretive. This helps us discover new things about ourselves. It may be letting our inner child out to play (permission granted!), or reignite a passion we set aside and intended to revisit with someday. I encourage you to make that someday NOW. I look forward to being your Creativity Coach in upcoming ArtPlay, ClayPlay and DancePlay, creating, experiencing, glowing and growing right along side you. Barbara Vidana Luepke Art is too important not to share ~ Romero Britto *We have a variety of offerings for private sessions of groups of 3 – 8 people. Check out our website: theartandthemind.weebly.com for more information.

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