Meet our Artists

Click on a category to limit your view to artists who work with that art form or audience type:

[Information for Prospective Artists]

← Back to Meet our Artists

Susan Armington | Visual Arts

$1.00

"Susan was very kind and patient, and she was very flexible and willing and able to adapt to each Residents level. One of our Residents stated that he absolutely loved Susan's class, and that it has made a difference in his life, and helps him to talk, express and remember different experiences that he has had in his life." -- Activity Director, Older Adult Care Center

From tiny Japanese slippers to a gigantic map of the Twin Cities (made of words and languages of people who live there), Susan’s art reflects the world she sees and feels. Her works are maps of imaginative geography, paintings and 3-D collage sculptures which she exhibits locally and nationwide. Her art and community work deal with telling our stories and connecting across differences. She teaches students to make art about themselves and their world, then speak and write about it. They use 2-D and 3-D materials- drawing, papers, fabrics, beads, wire, boxes, sparkly Mylar, wood bits, hot glue, suitcases and more.

Quantity:

Book This Artist

Susan holds degrees from Brown University and Cornell University. She has led art workshops statewide, as well as at the Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Minnesota History Center, and Walker Art Center. She has received grants from the MN State Arts Board in 2004, 2009, 2013. Her project “Talking Suitcases” turns stories of immigration, memory, love and loss into unique 3-D story objects in suitcases. She won the “Changemaker of the Year” award for this project from the MN Women’s Press, honoring her “impact on the lives of women and children.”

Check out an example virtual residency from Susan to find out if a remote program is right for you, and learn more about Susan in her June 2015 Artist Spotlight interview.

book this artist

Sample Programs: Customizable To Site’s Needs

Residencies

Talking Suitcases

In a Talking Suitcases residency, participants create mixed media objects about their lives. Susan Armington is a painter and community artist who works in 2-D and 3-D collage. She has received numerous grants for her art and for her community project “Talking Suitcases.” In this project, people of all backgrounds gather their life stories and turn them into 3-D art objects which they display in suitcases and share with the community. Susan has led the project often with elders, including groups from the Jewish, Korean, Hmong, and Vietnamese communities. People reflect on their life, give shape to important memories, and then share their stories and art with a wider public. The aim is both for people to reflect on their experiences, and also to listen deeply and discover depth and similarities in others’ lives.

In a Talking Suitcases residency, I lead participants in creating mixed media objects about their lives. Each session focuses on a question like:
What is precious to you?
What is a favorite childhood memory?
What is a struggle you experienced in your life, and how did you handle it?
Who inspired you in your life?
I demonstrate a technique or structure for easy art-making and supply materials (fabrics, papers, hot glue, beads, wire, wood bits, etc.) to help people get started. Then each person develops her/his own artwork to tell a personal story that would be placed in their suitcase. We share our Talking Suitcases in a final event with the group and wider public.

Note: Materials and mileage costs may also apply.

Drawing Nature

This residency uses shapes and lines to train the eye and moves from copying simple drawings to real-life insects, creatures, and yes, even classmates.

Maps/Map Boxes

This residency creates small boxes that open and unfold a long flap with a miniature 3-D world on it, complete with moving pop-ups. Map boxes bring to life a place or time.