About Bonnie Zimmer:

 Born in 1951, Bonnie has made art and taught others to make art for over 40 years at all levels and in a wide range of media. She retired from full time teaching in 2016 as Associate Professor of Art and chair of the Art Department at Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Indiana where she had taught since 1999.

 Since retiring from teaching in 2016, Bonnie “revels in the luxury” of being able to spend her time creating. She continues to explore her signature sculptural works with an emphasis on vessels, or as she calls them “baskets that hold ideas”, sculptures, and on-site installations. All are created from natural and reclaimed materials, harvested from her rural surroundings in northwest Indiana where she has lived her entire life. In the past few years, she has taken up what she calls her new hobby, creating beaded and cold connections jewelry and eco-printed clothing printed mostly from leaves harvested on her property. Zimmer enjoys selling her wearable art at museum gift shops, art fairs, regional events, and from her home studio.  She differentiates what she calls her “serious art” from her “just for fun art”. When she wants to “contemplate”, she creates sculpture , vessels, and installations; when she just wants to play, she makes jewelry and clothing.

Bonnie has had many group and solo exhibitions over the decades, including her solo show at the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette, “LEGACIES” in 2018 , “Goddesses, Totems and Other Investigations” at TAF in 2019, and “A SHOW OF HANDS” in 2020 .  She has also received numerous awards over the years for both her teaching such as Western Region Art Educator of the Year, and her art, including Best of Show at South Shore Arts Salon Show, 2016; four Indiana Arts Commission Individual Artists Grants over the years, and many more. 

Degrees from Indiana University Bloomington include a B.F.A. in Textiles and B.S. in Art Education, and M.A. from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.  Bonnie has also studied at the Appalachian Center for Crafts, Silver Point, Tennessee, the School of Visual Arts, New York, New York, and Arrowmont School of Crafts, Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Bonnie continues to selectively teach workshops and speak as guest artist for regional schools, universities, and organizations when she’s not making art.

 Bonnie lives in Rensselaer with her husband Bill and has three grown children and six grandchildren.

Artist’s Statement:

In discussing her work, Bonnie states, “Nearly all of my work is created with natural and found materials “harvested” from the fields, woods and roadsides near my rural home. By limiting myself to local objects and materials to which I have a deep connection, I’ve discovered my ideal media for exploring my sense of place and making meaning. My work is informed by a number of influences including my background in textiles and Native American Basket makers with their exquisite baskets and reverence for nature as well as my love of African art.  My work may also reference our material culture and our attitudes about nature and our resources and invites viewers to take a closer look at what we (over) consume and carelessly discard”. In addition to her work in conceptual basketry that began during her undergraduate years, sculpture and installation have become important aspects of her creative investigations. Most recently, the concept of “reciprocity” and the need for humans and nature to work together has become integral to her newest work.

Her more recent “play” with jewelry and eco-dyed clothing have been delightful additions to Bonnie’s creative endeavors, allowing her to follow her inspiration of the moment where there is AWAYS something to make!