Growing up in the 60’s Ann Marie found herself in the lowest reading group, attending speech therapy, and the first one down in spelling bees. She saw these imperfections as an indication of her intelligence.
Throughout her school years she daydreamed to escape the pain of not understanding the class lesson. Finding herself staring out the window she noticed the pattern, lines, shapes, and colors.
At 11 years old she received a camera for Christmas. Her first photo was a selfie, which she still has.
Ann Marie’s working years found her in a career as a teachers aide for 28 years in public education. It was here her artistic light shined through. She took chances, telling each new teacher she worked with what she could do. She created huge art installations with the students, came in character to teach lessons, wrote and directed plays.
In 2018 she was assaulted by a student. Resigning because of PTSD, she had no idea what she was going to do for a creative outlet. She felt prompted to pick up the camera. Her brain was scattered, and shattered, reading and watching videos were out of the question. She was determined to step into the challenge and win. She was shooting manual within weeks of purchasing her camera. In 2024 she started selling her photography at art fairs.
Her dream is to buy a van, travel the county, and live among her photography.
Today, she lives in a duplex in NE Minneapolis with lots of gardens, her studio and gallery. She still plays with toys, and her favorite person in the world to photograph is her 4 year old grand niece DeDe, who raises her hand saying, “No more pictures Aunty.”

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

Don’t underestimate the art of the pivot.