Emerging Artists: Meet the Artists
When you enjoy what you’re doing, you’ll never work a day in your life, is how the saying goes. For 15 Johnson County artists, the saying rings true. Together, they are known as the Emerging Artists, an art as employment program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities provided by Johnson County Developmental Supports.
Through this program, artists have the opportunity to create, show and sell their artwork at their studio at the Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center, local art shows, galleries and participate in marketing their work through their online store, Facebook and Instagram. Sales from the artwork go directly to the artists.
JCDS Emerging Artists enables artists to make money in an industry not typically open for people with IDD and opens the door to equal citizenship, personal growth, communication, self-expression, self-advocacy and self-esteem.
Learn more about JCDS Emerging Artists at jocogov.org/emerging-artists.
Danny Bowen
Danny Bowen has been a part of Emerging Artists for three years. Dedicated to expressing himself through art, Danny works with textiles, painting and ceramics. He is inspired by adventures in his life and pictures of animals and people.
Justin Coleman
Justin Coleman began Emerging Artists about a year ago. He prefers to work in ink and acrylic and finds the creative process healing and a way to express his thoughts. Look out for a book of his sketchbook drawings he would like to publish in 2024.
Andrea Dubbert
Andrea Dubbert has been a part of Emerging Artists for six years. You can usually find this award-winning artist sketching a masterpiece in one of her favorite mediums. She is known in the studio as a methodical renderer capable of mastering any medium.
Brad Friedman
Brad Friedman is a prolific artist influenced by popular culture and the mysterious beauty of the natural world. He creates several paintings weekly and has a loyal fan base that loves his unique take on the world. Brad has been a part of Emerging Artists for six years and enjoys trying new mediums like ceramics and printmaking.
Lee Giesler
Lee Giesler is a talented, driven artist passionate about his source material and subject matter. He has been an Emerging Artist for six years and is interested in characters, landscapes and color. Constantly sketching and building up his visual vocabulary, Lee works with colored pencils and acrylic paint.
Amy Isenberg
Amy Isenberg is new to Emerging Artists, joining the program this past year. She is a growing artist, learning new techniques and trying new things. She loves painting animals and is great at capturing their emotion.
Carleigh La Voy
Carleigh La Voy is also new to Emerging Artists. She is currently working on a series of planet paintings and learning new techniques.
Casey Martin
Casey Martin has been with Emerging Artists for four years and would love to produce an animated movie starring his characters. Casey’s excellent drawing skills are the foundation for his paintings. Branching out this year, he is working on larger canvases and trying new techniques.
Daniel McLean
Daniel McLean is a versatile and thoughtful artist who has grown over the past five years and works with ceramics, wood carving, painting, rug making and more. Daniel prioritizes sending encouraging messages through his artwork, like expressing the importance of vulnerability.
Aztec
Aztec is the newest artist with Emerging Artists. He finds inspiration in movies, music and theater, usually working in acrylic and testing the boundaries of reality.
Eric Pape
Eric Pape joined Emerging Artists four years ago. His work highlights the plethora of colors in everyday life, including animals, the human mind and nature.
Ryan Sikes
Ryan Sikes is an inspirational part of the Emerging Artists program, regularly speaking about his fellow artists at any chance he gets. Over the past five years, Ryan has grown in his work and describes his latest pieces as psychedelic hippie vibes. He is an intuitive painter known for his portraits and abstract compositions. His work is as varied as his eclectic music taste. Ryan admires anyone living their life out loud!
George Utter
George Utter is the longest-tenured artist in residence at ten years. He is known for his grandiose abstract works. Fascinated by light, color, shapes and their relationships to each other, George’s creations are inspired by color theory and his life experiences.
Amanda Vahle
Amanda Vahle is always creating. Every brushstroke and choice is meaningful. She uses painting to express her emotions and has continued to evolve over the past five years, constantly trying new techniques.
Katie Zemel
Katie Zemel has worked with Emerging Artists for five years. Inspired by colorful palettes, animals, flowers and surreal imagery, she translates reality through her unique lens, often cropping photos or reframing the point of interest on the canvas. Katie is methodical and precise in completing her vision of a painting.