JoAnna Ruckman is a interdisciplinary artist. She is formally trained in photography and printmaking, and loves layering diverse media. Her current work weaves together elements of installation art, textiles and storytelling while exploring the symbolism of braids.
Braids are a ritual passed down through generations that weave together the past, present and future. Braids have an easy rhythm to induce conversations about how we experience our individual identities, both internally and externally. The braid is a container for experiences that cross through cultures and an accessible symbol of how we are naturally interlaced.
JoAnna’s work examines culture and identity, social constructions of race, and the unifying power of empathy. She is interested in multiples and the concept of repetition. She believes that making art accessible is revolutionary and often engages in public projects.
She is an MFA candidate at SFAI and earned her B.A. in Visual Arts and Cultural Anthropology from Brown University. JoAnna teaches digital printmaking in the Multimedia Department at Berkeley City College and is a resident artist at The Phoenix in Alameda.