Allison Tunis

About AFH This audio is from our virtual studio visit with artist Allison Tunis in conversation with Zoë Schneider, and was originally recorded on December 14, 2021 over Zoom. About the artist Allison Tunis (she/they) is a visual artist living and working as a  settler on Treaty 6 territory, in Amiswaciwâskahikan (Edmonton). She  holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Alberta  (2008) and a graduate diploma in Art Therapy from the Vancouver Art  Therapy Institute (2013). Through their work, Allison seeks to explore  themes of personal and community healing through the art process and  look to challenge norms and expectations around marginalized bodies – with a specific focus on queer, fat, neurodiverse, and disabled  experiences. As well, they aim to reimagine art materials, techniques  and collaborative processes in ways that reduce barriers and harm, while  contributing to critical conversations within and beyond traditional  art spaces about accessibility, intersectionality, social justice, and  strengths-based theory. Allison is a recipient of the Edmonton Artist  Trust Fund award (2018) and Alberta Craft Council Early Achievement  award (2018), and was the artist-in-residence for Harcourt House Artist-Run Centre in 2019. About the work This project seeks to develop a more equitable and anti-oppressive approach to portraiture and art-making, specifically focusing on breaking down hierarchies often present in art practices – by listening  to and centering lived experience, recognizing and addressing the power  differentials between “artist” and “model, and reflecting on questions about elitism and exclusion within art communities, the value of creation vs. concept, insider vs. outsider art, craft vs. fine art, and art ownership and consent practices. The overall project aims to benefit  individuals living with chronic illness(es) by building community,  providing meaningful compensation for sharing their experiences,  challenging and breaking down artistic hierarchies and barriers, and widening the scope of the conversation about the identities and  experiences of those who live with chronic illness – led by those with lived experience. About the co-host Zoë Schneider (she/her) is based in Regina, Treaty 4 Territory,  Saskatchewan, Canada. Schneider works in sculpture, video, and installation to critically examine the complexity of fat identity.  Schneider holds an MFA from the University of Saskatchewan (2018), and a BFA from the Alberta University of the Arts (2009). In Canada Schneider has exhibited in Regina, Saskatoon, Estevan, Guelph, Mississauga, Lethbridge, and internationally in Denmark, Germany, and the United States.