Artist Talk with Jeffrey Stenbom
November 11, 2021
6:30pm-7:30pm
2213 Snelling Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404
Limited capacity. Face coverings required indoors.
To RSVP, send us an email at contact@mnglassart.org or register through Eventbrite below.
Starting October 30th, 2021 proof of vaccination will be required upon entry. Attendees will need to bring a digital or hard copy of their vaccination card, negative COVID PCR test dated within 72 hours of the event, or notarized exemption. We will not retain any personal medical information, simply checking hard copy or digital (app/phone) at the door. Masks will still be required at all times. View our COVID-19 Policy here.
We invite everyone to join us for an artist talk by Jeffrey Stenbom. Stenbom served in the United States Army in Iraq. Upon returning from deployment, he began learning the medium of glass and has since developed his artmaking practice to explore challenges with PTSD, express political and personal views, and to bring awareness to others of the world around them. Stenbom teaches art at Normandale Community College in Bloomington, MN and teaches glass workshops throughout the United States. He exhibits his work internationally and has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors including one of two Americans chosen as a finalist for the Stanislav Libenský Awards 2015, Dedalus Foundation Master of Fine Arts Fellowship Nominee, Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award Nominee, Silver Academic Award winner at the 2016 Bullseye Glass Emerge Exhibition and has been a Niche Awards Finalist in 2013, 2015 and 2016.
Artist Statement
I grew up in the Midwest and attended college in Minnesota and Wisconsin where I studied sculpture. I decided to take a break from college, and joined the U.S. Army as a cavalry scout one week after 9/11. After serving in the United States Army and being deployed to Iraq, I faced new challenges dealing with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and was not sure what to do with my life.
I was fortunate to get back into art and start learning the medium of glass. My interest in sculpture stems from my experiences as a soldier. I have a new appreciation for life and how I look at it. Being wounded and dealing with the pains of combat (both mentally and physically) takes a toll on a person. These experiences have led me to search for passionate and creative means of exploring my emotions, political beliefs, personal views of the world around me and psychological distress. I feel art is not meant to fix problems, but to make others aware that they exist. This awareness may lead to change or at the very least comfort and understanding through conversation.
Creating art is an escape for me. It is my outlet from within, from the confines of my own mind. The experiences I had in the military and particularly in Iraq, shaped who I have become as a man and as a person. I do not always know how to interpret my thoughts and memories of these experiences in words, so my art becomes my medium.
Art has changed my life by giving me focus and helping me begin to heal from those life changing experiences. Learning how powerful art is and the impact it can have on a person's life has been the one major reason I am where I am today, driving me to learn more and to educate others about art.
Biography
Jeffrey Stenbom is a sculptor who primarily works in glass. Shaped by his experiences in the military, Stenbom uses his art as a medium for interpreting his thoughts and memories. He studied sculpture during college in Minnesota and Wisconsin, but joined the U.S. Army one week after September 11, 2001. After returning from Iraq, Stenbom found his way back to art, and discovered the medium of glass. Stenbom has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors including finalist for the Stanislav Libenský Award in 2015. He was awarded the Silver Academic Award with Bullseye Glass Emerge/Evolve 2016. Stenbom received his MFA in Studio Art, Glass/Sculpture from Tulane University in 2015, and his BFA in Glass/Sculpture and BS in Art Education from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in 2012. His work has been featured in galleries and exhibitions throughout the United States, and he has taught and assisted with workshops at museums, universities, and art centers, including Pilchuck Glass School, Museum of Glass’s Hot Shop Heroes project, The Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass, Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts, and Pittsburg Glass Center. He has held residencies with The Corning Museum of Glass (2016), and Bullseye Projects (2017) where he explored the creation of powerful and impactful artwork using symbolism and iconography through kiln-form techniques in glass. He has also taught as an associate lecturer at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls. He currently lives in Apple Valley, Minnesota.