2009 Artists in Residence

at Dunbar Community Centre

Impressions of Dunbar

Join Robin Ripley and Nancy Walker in creating permanent and ephemeral artworks which celebrate one of Dunbar's wonderful features: its tree-lined streets and local plantings.

Together we will create a beautiful forest mural at Dunbar Community Centre using leaf impressions, leaf rubbings and hand-made clay tiles. Assemble hanging mobiles with natural materials and add your own plant stories to our Memory Picture Book. Share your impressions of Dunbar through all of these engaging activities offered during our artist residency. Art is for everybody! dunbarimpressions.blogspot.com

Nancy Walker - Artist profile/bio

Nancy has been working with clay for 25 years. An urban folk artist, she uses readily available, natural and discarded materials from her environment. She also creates glass beaded carpenter saws and sequin and seed bead fabric art. Walker has collaborated with the internationally renowned Robert Minden Ensemble/Duo since its inception in 1986. She tours with them as lighting technician and stage manager in their concerts and school performances, and has created their graphics and art work.

She began participating in the community-based annual open artists' studio, Artists in our Midst, in 2003 and was co-coordinator in 2007. She continues to actively participate on the steering committee.

She holds a BA from Simon Fraser University (1989), and is a graduate of Emily Carr College of Art and Design (1986). She studied metal-smithing and jewellery making at the New Mexico and Oregon Universities, and fine art at the New England School of Art in Boston, Massachusetts.

Robin Ripley - Artist profile/bio

Using a variety of media, Robin Ripley's work re-examines familiar things. Recycled and natural materials are of particular interest as they reflect her environmental concerns.

Since receiving her BFA from Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in 1992, the language of objects and the way people connect with the common materials that surround them have been recurring themes in her work. Gathering, sorting and reconfiguring are the time consuming processes she uses to draw attention to the details of our world.

She has exhibited regularly in a number of group and solo shows. Her work is found in both private and public collections. Details outlining her exhibition and community project history are available at www.robinripley.com

Contact Info

For more information about the Artist in Residence programs please contact Danita Noyes, Community Arts Programmer, Arts and Culture office, danita.noyes@vancouver.ca 604-257-8496