Barbara Bridges has been an artist and a teacher/college professor for over 40 years. Her sculptures have been exhibited in Maine, the Virgin Islands, Miami, Maryland (upcoming), Chicago and throughout Minnesota. Bridges taught K-12 art in Minnesota, Maine, and the Virgin Islands. She was voted Art Teacher of the Year twice in Minnesota. For the last 20 years, she has been training teachers in higher education, first at the University of Minnesota and currently at Bemidji State University. She has partnered with a number of Minnesota’s major art institutions such as the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Weisman Museum, and Minnesota Museum of Art. In addition, she has partnered with many Minnesota school districts, the Resource Center for the Americas, and the Perpich Center for Arts Education. The well known online curriculum site, ArtsNet Minnesota, came out of those collaborations.
Barbara creates social practice art from fabricated components in a variety of media and rescued "power objects". She manipulates the objects to create meaning and provoke discussions and reflection on a wide variety of social topics including agricultural practices (Ode to Gluten), living a considered life (Talking Chairs and Academia Nuts), water quality (Found In Our Water) and recovery (Reflection Pool). See http://bridgescreate.com She is a sculptor on a mission to demonstrate how art can serve as a catalyst for social change and is committed to creating, and empowering others to create, high quality art objects which honor their powerful message. Our students are only the first point of contact in our learning community. The Ode Project will connect with the larger community through community events and digital networking.
Barbara has completed dozens of successful art residencies in K-12 Minnesota schools. She has trained teachers for the last 20 years at both Bemidji State University and the University of Minnesota and has 15 years of experience in digital curriculum delivery methodologies.
Barbara was invited to Edison High School and the Mounds View Area Learning Center to partner on the Ode project because of her proven success with at risk students populations.
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