BIO:
For over 20 years, Dawnmarie Zimmerman’s use of stained glass and reclaimed materials has established her as a unique and pioneering spirit among contemporary mosaic artists. Her work has exhibited throughout the US and presented at premiere art festivals and galleries throughout Western PA. She has been a rostered artist with the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts and Southern Allegheny Museum of Art’s Artist in Residence Program, conducting residencies in K‐12 schools throughout Western Pennsylvania. She has taught all ages in basic mosaic technique and has written articles and instructional material on working with stained glass and non‐toxic adhesives.
Since 2005, she has served the Society of American Mosaic Artists as Executive Director where she is responsible for strategic guidance to the Board, management of staff and independent contractors and the execution of administration of programs including the American Mosaic Summit, Mosaic Arts International Exhibition, SAMA’s Website, publications, podcast and scholarship program.
Additionally, Ms. Zimmerman served on the Board of Directors for Touchstone Center for Crafts in Farmington, PA, in 2015 and is a member of Americans for the Arts and the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council.
PRESENTATION: Nurturing Amidst Chaos
“The only constant in life is change.” ~ Heraclitus.
Anam Cara – Dawnmarie Zimmerman, 2020
Artists at every level of achievement will eventually encounter challenges to their creative motivation or inspiration and for some, resistance to step back into a creative space and engage with their tools and materials can be paralyzing. For many artists over the past 18 months, the additional layer stress brought on with the global pandemic has severely limited their ability to achieve artistic goals or nurture a creative practice in order to tend to more immediate needs like the health and welfare of themselves or loved ones. And yet, there are plenty of artists and creative workers who thrive with the stress of looming deadlines and find clarity and solutions when the heat is on and have moved through the constraints of the pandemic with ease. In this intimate presentation from Dawnmarie’s home office/studio, she will discuss her struggle to move beyond creative blocks and fear to create while reviewing several practical strategies for managing a fruitful creative practice that can survive difficulty, restrictions and chaos.