#allisontunis

[chubbymuffinclub]

allisontunis

Dream Big - my dreams are of being able to create without boundaries, to rest without shame, and to love without fear. I absolutely adore @fringeish and all their work. I was super inspired by their adorable banner and cozy pics in the comfiest looking dress from @peridot_robes 🤩😍 and this lovely bright piece is the result. May you all dream big and live bigger.

[ucantwearthat]

Omg omg omg! @allisontunis turned me into a doily for @albertacraftcouncil and it's just stunning. Allison, thank you so much I'm so honoured you wanted to use me 😍 your work is incredible! #allisontunis #ucantwearthat

[corroded-coffin]

this fat spooky bitch will be performing TONIGHT at 7 pm at @themetrocinema for FATTITUDE!!! alongside @jezebel.sinclair and @laynielovelace !!! don't miss out! thank you for organizing this, @allisontunis ! https://www.instagram.com/p/B40pU4ygXvo/?igshid=b1l9hqfe7rzs

[yegarts]

Artist-in-Residence Update: Allison Tunis

“Art lady” Alison Tunis connects with youth as artist-in-residence at YESS

Just off Whyte Avenue, we travelled to the YESS: Youth Empowerment & Support Services Armoury Resource Centre to visit their artist-in-residence. On this delightful day, we were greeted by the equally sunny Allison Tunis for a tour of her studio, and of the Resource Centre – a remarkable open facility offering programming, resources, and support for youth.

Image: Youth Empowerment & Support Services Armoury Resource Centre.

Tunis led the way to a cozy studio brimming with her own projects and showcasing works by YESS youth. Picking up an in-progress cross-stich she plans to submit to #yegcanvas, Tunis laughs “only two weeks left to finish!” Beyond embroidery, Tunis has ventured into other art practices, including beadwork, and a self-portrait series exploring mental health. To advance her own professional arts career, she has shown in local galleries and has made a list of calls to apply for. In her former position, devoting time to her arts practice was a luxury and she is determined not to waste it now that she has it.

Image: Tunis’ cross-stitch project for #yegcanvas.

Tunis’ move from Youth Support Worker to artist-in-residence was easy, and she is delighted to collaborate with the youth at YESS through art, while seeming pleasantly overwhelmed with her new role. “I am sometimes just known as the art lady and I’m fine with that,” said Tunis. “I am so happy to see what these kids can do and see what projects connect with them.”

Image: Tunis in her Resource Centre studio.

Her workshops at the centre have focused on how youth can develop their passion for art into career. Tunis is excited to have the Happy Harbor Comics artist-in-residence, Catherine DuBois, coming in to create zines with the youth and talk about her art practice. For 100in1Day on June 3, Tunis worked with the youth to create home-focused decorative art, such as welcome mats, signs, and "Home, Sweet Home" displays that were placed in areas around Whyte Avenue that are "home" to some of these youth. In June, Tunis and YESS partnered with the Trinity Youth Art Project to brighten up the washrooms on Whyte Avenue and Gateway Boulevard with murals. They also promoted and sold work by youth artists at the Whyte Avenue Art Walk. Tunis is looking forward to the Homeward Trust BBQ this Thursday, where iHuman youth will be performing skits and she will be laying out a large canvas for a community art piece. She has also been working on a colouring book entitled Difficult Realties. The book will feature work by Tunis and youth from the Resource Centre who can use the book for speaking out, creating conversation, and addressing society and the issues that affect us.

Image: YESS and Trinity Youth Art Project murals in the washrooms on Whyte Avenue and Gateway Boulevard.

Tunis’ term ends in December, and we will continue to check-in to see what other amazing projects are happening with Tunis and YESS! Follow Allison Tunis on Instagram @allisontunis to see what she’s up to.

[galantalala]

See this Instagram photo by @allisontunis • 67 likes http://ift.tt/2k1XaMp

[yegarts]

Allison Tunis joins YESS as Artist in Residence

Sitting in the basement of the YESS: Youth Empowerment & Support Services, Allison Tunis chats on the phone with us as she excitedly sets up her new office-studio. “I feel this role was tailor made for me,” Tunis says about her appointment as YESS’s new artist-in-residence. Tunis attended the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute, where she worked with youth during her practicum, returning to Edmonton as a Youth Support Worker and Program Coordinator at the Old Strathcona Youth Society. Joining YESS’s team is a natural progression and she is happy to see she will be interacting with many of the youth she had met at Old Strathcona.

Tunis has been a practicing artist for nearly ten years and uses her art as activism. “Art is a method for speaking out, for creating conversation, for addressing society and the issues that affect us,” says Tunis. Using a variety of mediums including edgy embroidery and her self published Body Love: A Fat Activism Colouring Book, Tunis speaks to issues of body diversity and beauty standards, and loves to continue the conversation on her social media channels. “I feel that there is a need for advocacy for those who are not able to speak up on their own behalf, and that creating and sharing art is a way to work through my own experiences, whilst also educating and creating dialogue about these topics.”

Image: “Cynthia” from Body Love: A Fat Activism Colouring Book.

In her work with YESS, Tunis plans to use activist art as a healing tool. “Making art gives a voice missing in many peoples’ lives and allows them to reflect on their own stories,” explains Tunis. Using informal drop-in workshops, Tunis is excited to inspire the youth and staff of YESS with themed projects to draw out their voice. She will highlight different materials and how to work with them as a new way for youth to express themselves. She is also very excited to have a studio space to explore large-scale paintings.

Image: “Self Portrait”.

“She is amazing,” says Deb Cautley, Executive Director YESS, “the kids flock around her just talking.” Tunis’ embroidery medium is unique and has already inspired a connection, “one of our kids does beadwork and she is so excited that they will be able to learn from each other.” There were so many fantastic applications to this position but Tunis stood out because of her background as an art therapist, her ability to take charge when the artwork is triggering, encouraging learning moments, and her existing connection with the youth at YESS. “We like to encourage different ways of connecting with the kids,” says Cautley about the artist in residence position, “the more touch points we have with them the more they can trust and the better they can do.”

Image: “Hantise de L’Oubli” embroidery.

Everyone is very excited about this residency and the upcoming projects including a community mural, youth art show and hopefully another colouring book!

Follow Allison Tunis on Instagram @allisontunis for more of her work.