Murals 101 Course Instructors
Cándida González - Artist and Public Art Consultant
Cándida González (they/them, Minneapolis, Minnesota) studied Latin American Art and History at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, and went on to get their Masters of Education at The University of Minnesota in 2003. They are a multimedia artist, public art consultant and curriculum developer. After 15+ years working in k-12 arts enrichment education they founded and ran a national mural arts business from 2016-2018. They have worked as an independent public arts consultant since 2018 doing project management and running RFQ/RFP processes for many mural projects. They have been teaching the course Making it Public through Forecast Public Art since 2019, working with emerging public artists around the country to help elevate their public art careers. They are passionate about supporting emerging artists in developing and elevating their work.
Nell Pierce - Mural and Collage Artist
Nell (they/them) is a collage artist, community muralist and teaching artist who sees art primarily as a tool for healing and shifting narrative power. Nell has been a facilitator and teacher for over fifteen years, supporting people of all ages in schools, community centers, prisons, and other settings to shape both personal and collective narratives through visual art and theater. Currently, they design and teach art courses for adults out of the studio they shared with their collective, Studio Thalo. As a community muralist, they've collaborated on over twenty-five murals and over fifty live paintings that aim to amplify social justice movements. As a collage artist, they explore how the strategies that support them and their queer community to stay true to themselves are mirrored in other parts of nature.
Bayou Bay - Mural and Installation Artist
Bayou bay is a mural, installation, and teaching artist with a background in art and design. For the last ten years Bayou has worked on community and public art projects with schools, art organizations, non-profits, and cities from across the Twin Cities Metro Area, greater Minnesota, and across the nation.